Greenwich Legislative Delegation Fights Border Toll Proposal

Two of Greenwich’s state representatives have submitted testimony opposing a Transportation Committee bill that would install electronic toll booths on state borders including in Greenwich.

Legislators from several border towns are lining up in opposition to the proposal, saying tolls would adversely impact their communities.

Greenwich State Representatives Mike Bocchino (R-150) and Fred Camillo (R-151) testified at Thursday’s public hearing in Hartford.

“This proposal will increase pollution and traffic to those residents that live near the proposed toll locations. These tolls will be a burden to all Fairfield County residents who commute to neighboring NY for work,” Bocchino said in a statement. “The tolls will adversely affect local businesses that rely on customers from our neighboring State as well as to our residents who wish to partake in interstate commerce. The most disturbing aspect of this proposal is the burden that border towns will experience on their local streets.”

Camillo testified to the Transportation Committee also citing the unnecessary drain that the town of Greenwich would have to endure if tolls were resurrected at the border, according to a statement from his office.

“As a resident of a border town, and a person who actually lived less than a half mile from where tolls used to be, I know firsthand how bad they were for a border town. The proposal of resurrecting tolls in the vicinity of the same area would cause severe congestion due to cars exiting into Byram to avoid the tolls,” Camillo said in his testimony. “However, a more imminent danger to public safety is the fact that the Byram Fire Department is located on the main thoroughfare in Byram and just 500 feet from the highway. The already congested streets would be made impossible to drive on and with fire engines needing clear roads for public safety situations, this would in effect block them into the station, thus limiting their capability to fight fires and respond to emergencies.”

Both Bocchino and Camillo raised the spectra of safety risks the tolls would cause on Greenwich roads. They said the town’s infrastructure will be unable to handle increased traffic, especially from commercial trucks.

Bocchino also discussed the proximity that Greenwich’s “shortcut roads” to local elementary schools, which are mostly walking communities. “Motorists in a rush, unfamiliar with the area could blow through many important signs and lights—putting students at risk,” Bocchino said in his statement.

The town’s third state representative, Livvy Floren (R-149) said in a statement, “Connecticut already has so many burdensome taxes; resurrecting tolls would add an unnecessary affliction to those in lower Fairfield County, particularly here in Greenwich. The delegation stands firm against the restoration of tolls and we will continue to fight against them in the legislature.”

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