Let’s Talk Tolls

Talk of reinstating tolls on Connecticut highways has bubbled up for a while.

Now it’s reached full boil.

A bill to begin establishing electronic tolls at the state’s borders has been introduced. The full text — sent by State Senator Toni Boucher to her constituents — is below.

Boucher says that a public hearing is set for Wednesday, February 25 (10:30 a.m.) at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford.

If you don’t want to (or can’t) drive on the (still-toll-less) highway to the capital, you can submit testimony by email: tratestimony@cga.ct.gov, and cc Boucher: toni.boucher@cga.ct.gov. Deadline is Tuesday evening.

To take Boucher’s “border toll survey,” and/or sign her petition against tolls, click here.

One Westporter has already made his views known. Second Selectman Avi Kaner says:

Tolls on I-95 will by definition drive traffic onto our local roads. Our residents already pay gasoline taxes of over 60 cents a gallon to fund transportation. Adding tolls is yet another layer of inefficient taxation requiring the installation and maintenance of a tolling infrastructure. Connecticut’s focus should be on reforming the state pension system, ranked as the 2nd worst funded in the United States by S&P.

What do you think about tolls?  Click “Comments” (after the text of the bill below). Let us know — and please use your real, full real name.

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HB 6818, an Act Concerning The Establishment of Electronic Tolls At The State’s Borders.

Section 1. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) The Commissioner of Transportation shall initiate any actions necessary for the establishment and commencement of operations of electronic tolling at the borders of the state, including, but not limited to: (1) Entering into an agreement with the Federal Highway Administration to ensure that any toll operation undertaken by the state will be allowed by the Federal Highway Administration and will not result in any adverse financial impact on the state; (2) consultation with other state and federal agencies, as necessary and appropriate; (3) the development of recommendations concerning legislative or regulatory changes needed to establish such tolls; and (4) the development of procedures to ensure that any moneys received from the operation of such tolls are deposited in the Special Transportation Fund and used only for transportation purposes.

(b) Beginning July 1, 2015, and monthly thereafter until the commencement of operations of electronic tolling at the borders of the state, the commissioner shall submit a progress report to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to transportation on the actions taken during the preceding month pursuant to subsection (a) of this section. Such progress report shall include, but not be limited to, any request for legislative action necessary for the establishment of such tolling.