Tolls Once Again Discussed in Connecticut

Battle lines have been drawn in the debate about whether to resurrect highway tolls in Connecticut.

Many border-town state legislators said that tolls in areas like Danbury, Enfield and Greenwich would disproportionately affect those areas.

A bill raised in the house would allow the state to proceed with establishing electronic tolls at the borders of the state. A provision within the bill would ensure that collected tolls would stay in the Special Transportation Fund.

“It would be a horror show to have tolls impacting north-central Connecticut and the I-91 corridor,” said State Sen. John Kissel, whose district covers Enfield.

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Legislators are considering ways to fund transportation fixes in the state. Gov. Dannel Malloy has proposed a 30-year, $100 billion plan to revamp the state’s highways, railways and bus system.

Most are in agreement that the state has to do something to fix transportation infrastructure, but disagreements arise on how to fund it.

Malloy’s budget chief Benjamin Barnes said while tolls can help fund transportation fixes, they likely won’t be a magic bullet.

“The levels of tolling that would have to be imposed in order to generate that level of revenue would have significant ill effects,” he said at the Feb. 25 Transportation Committee public hearing.

Things are further complicated by federal law and the types of tolling that can be imposed, Barnes said. However, that might change as the federal government struggles to meet its obligations in regards to funding transportation projects.

State Rep. Tony Guerrera (D-Rocky Hill) said a study shows that the state could bring in $20 billion over 30 years with tolls, the majority of which would come from out-of-state drivers.

Electronic toll system would allow drivers could purchase a transponder like an E-Z Pass. Those who don’t would be billed later through a license plate scan.

State Sen. Toni Boucher (R-Wilton) said that the vast majority of correspondence she has seen from constituents has not been in favor of tolls.

“It would almost appear to be political suicide for anyone to go down this path,” she said.

A petition against tolls is posted on her state senator web page.

State Rep. David Alexander (D-Enfield) said that bridge tolls are different than highway tolls in that there is often no way to cross a river or other obstacle without paying a toll. It would be likely that many motorists would circumvent a hypothetical I-84 toll by driving through the city of Danbury.

He too expressed concern that residents and businesses in border towns would shoulder the burden of tolls.

“Everyone should have a shared sacrifice,” he said.

Guerrera said that most people in the Rocky Hill area aren’t using Metro North, but their tax dollars still go to subsidizing the rail line. He added he isn’t opposed to that because it’s a way to transport people, just like how tolls would be a way to pay for transporting people on roads.

State Sen. Steve Cassano noted that tolls are not unusual in New England. He proposed looking into ways that would provide border towns relief. Barnes said that many states have ways of not penalizing border town residents and the key would be to make the system understandable and easy to administer.

Photo submitted by Office of State Sen. John Kissel