TIVERTON — Rep.  John J. Edwards (D -Dist. 70, Tiverton, Portsmouth)  asked this week that the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) restore service to the Tiverton area now that the Sakonnet River Bridge is fully operational.

“My constituents  need access to public transportation, as any other city or town in Rhode Island,” the representative wrote. “We have been paying and continue to pay our  share of the gas tax through which [RIPTA] is funded. We expect our fair  share of access to public transportation as afforded elsewhere.”

Tiverton is one of a handful of towns in Rhode Island without a RIPTA bus line, he said. “Restoration of public transportation in town could result in a positive  domino effect for residents who are down on their luck and looking for work or access to education.”

The new bridge eliminates the 18-ton weight limit  that formerly barred RIPTA busses from crossing on Route 24.

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