The state Turnpike and Bridge Authority is considering higher tolls on the Pell Bridge to help defray maintenance costs.

The Providence Journal / Glenn Osmundson

JAMESTOWN — The state Turnpike and Bridge Authority voted 3 to 1 yesterday to move toward increasing the tolls on the Pell Bridge for the first time in its 40-year history and possibly reinstituting tolls on the Mount Hope Bridge. The authority board voted to hold public hearings on the proposed toll hikes, which would affect drivers crossing the Pell Bridge who don’t own an E-ZPass transponder purchased in Rhode Island. It also voted to study tolls for the Mount Hope Bridge.

The hearings are scheduled for:

•The CCRI Newport campus theater, 1 Chafee Blvd., at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

•The Jamestown Town Council chambers, 93 Narragansett Ave., Jamestown, on July 21, also at 7 p.m.

David Darlington, authority chairman, said the authority needs more revenue “to make sure the two structures do not fall into disrepair.”

A study by the authority’s consultants said that the cost of repairs over the next 20 years would leave it with a $223-million shortfall.

Under Darlington’s proposal, the toll to cross the Newport span would increase from $2 to $4 for those paying cash. That would represent the first increase in that bridge’s toll since its opening in 1969.

For those with E-ZPass transponders from out of state, the toll would go up even more, from $1.75 to $4. Tolls for commercial vehicles would increase $1 per axle.

Owners of Rhode Island transponders would continue to pay 83 cents per crossing. Motorists with out-of-state transponders who commute regularly over the bridge — crossing at least 30 times a month — would also avoid an increase, continuing to pay 91 cents per trip.

The board also adopted Darlington’s recommendation to study reinstituting tolls at the Mount Hope Bridge. That bridge hasn’t had tolls since 1998, and its maintenance is paid with Pell Bridge tolls.

Pell Bridge users resent that situation, where they are paying to maintain a bridge whose users cross for free. Mount Hope Bridge users, meanwhile, and state legislators representing them, defend the current policy.

The single dissenter in Wednesday morning’s vote, Stephen C. Waluk, urged quicker action on the Mount Hope Bridge.

“I think we need to be more aggressive in putting tolls back on the Mount Hope Bridge,” he said.

The board scheduled an Aug. 12 meeting to vote on the proposed toll plan.

blandis@projo.com