CT Tolls: Here’s How Much Your Commute Could Cost

HARTFORD, CT — Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration released more concrete electronic toll details this week as the political battle heats up in Hartford.

The state Department of Transportation is recommending that Connecticut drivers pay 4.4 cents per mile when traveling on tolled roads. The rate is the same as one proposed for Connecticut E-Z Pass holders in a previous study.

That rate is what is charged on the Mass Pike and is lower than the New Jersey Turnpike and New England Thruway. Lamont has also suggested using public-private partnerships to build out the tolling network in an effort to reduce costs and ensure a solid timetable. (See our breakdown below of how much a commute could cost under the plan.)

Proponents of tolls argue that they aren’t a new tax and are a usage-based fee similar to purchasing a Metro North train ticket and that 40 percent of the revenue would come from out-of-state drivers who have enjoyed free rides for years. Lamont also wants a discount for Connecticut E-Z Pass holders and frequent commuters.

They also argue that the state simply needs more revenue to upgrade its transportation infrastructure for the 21st century and that new projects could reduce congestion and hours spent in traffic. Some highways are now carrying more than three times the traffic than designed and some bridges are more than 100-years-old and well beyond their intended lifespan.

Nearly 1,500 miles of state roadway are rated in poor condition and 248 bridges are also in poor condition.

In the past couple of weeks Lamont has pushed the proposal at press conferences near decrepit infrastructure like the viaduct in Hartford.

Lamont has also said it would reduce the state’s reliance on bonding to pay for infrastructure repairs and improvements. Bond buyers would also be more receptive to loaning the state if there is a constant revenue stream that could only be used for transportation funding.

Opponents including Republican legislative leadership have argued that tolls are simply another tax on top of an already-high gas tax, car registration fees and annual local car taxes. It would also take at least five years before the full amount of annual revenue comes in and longer than that to build large infrastructure upgrades.

Republican Senate Leader Len Fasano said Lamont’s toll proposal is essentially a mileage tax because it would affect essentially all major highways in the state and that the high number of gantries would make it very hard to avoid tolls on even a short trip.

A previous study by CDM Smith called for 82 tolling gantries across I-95, I-84, Route 15, I-91, I-395, Route 8, Route 9, I-691 and I-291. Lamont’s tolling plan calls for tolls on I-95, I-91, I-84 and parts of Route 15.

The Mass Pike is about 138-miles-long, has 13 toll gantries and 31 exits. I-95 in Connecticut is especially exit-dense in lower Fairfield County with 23 exits across about 27 miles of roadway between Greenwich and Fairfield. A dense number of gantries would be needed in order to curtail drivers hopping off on Route 1 and back onto the highway to avoid a toll.

The proposal also comes in a legislative session that includes proposals to raise the state’s minimum wage and to institute a .5 percent payroll deduction to fund a family and medical leave system.

Lamont has also proposed taxing services including legal and home renovation at the same level as goods. Lamont’s administration estimates it could bring in around $800 million over the next two fiscal years. He’s also suggested reinstituting the $200 property tax credit for more people instead of just the elderly and filers with dependents.

Below is an approximate cost breakdown based on 4.4 cents per mile. Yearly estimates are based on five round-trips per week for 48 weeks per year. What remains to be seen is what exact toll rates will be and how much of a discount frequent commuters and Connecticut EZ-pass holders would get. (To sign up for free, local breaking news alerts from more than 100 Connecticut communities, click here.)

Cost breakdown:

• New Haven to Greenwich: $2 ($960 annually)
• New Haven to Hartford: $1.67 ($800 annually)
• Greenwich to Mystic $4.35 ($2,088 annually, thankfully this is a rare and extreme commute.)
• Enfield to Hartford: 88-cents ($422 annually)
• Fairfield to Stamford: 74-cents ($355 annually)

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