The future of tolls on Connecticut’s roads

By: Georgia Lobb

Photo courtesy of Trumbull Patch

We’ve talked tolls on this blog for months now, and Connecticut has talked about them for years. Will they ever happen?

It’s probably inevitable, say many in the transportation business. Many of Connecticut’s roads, highways, and bridges are in need of a facelift. Over 9% of bridges in the state are considered structurally deficient, and require maintenance, construction, or replacement, according to t4America.com.

Talk about installing tolls on several of Connecticut’s major roads has caused apprehension among many residents, who wonder if the money collected from them will in fact go back into funding for restoring roadways. While 58% CT voters oppose putting tolls on highway, “voters support tolls 57% if toll proceeds are used to repair the state’s roads and bridges,” according to a recent Quinnipiac Poll.

Two bills are making their way through the legislature right now, and they’ve passed the transportation committee. This one calls for more study of the issue. The DOT is already studying various ways to toll Connecticut drivers, though. The next step will be actually voting to allow tolls in the state again — and that’s probably a few years away.