Transportation News and In-Depth Reporting

Proposed state budget diverts most new transportation dollars

by Keith M. Phaneuf June 1, 2015 @ 7:05 pmAugust 1, 2022 @ 2:40 pm

Updated at 9:44 p.m.
While the tentative state budget deal technically dedicates $436 million in sales tax receipts over the next two years to stabilize transportation finances and back a major infrastructure overhaul, that same spending plan effectively diverts more than 85 percent of those funds for non-transportation programs.

Money

Malloy administration, legislators shake on tax deal

by Mark Pazniokas May 31, 2015 @ 12:56 amMarch 4, 2022 @ 10:40 pm

Legislative leaders struck a tax deal with the administration of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy moments before midnight Saturday, setting the stage for action Monday on a biennium budget that would raise taxes on the wealthy and business, while funding property-tax relief and transportation.

Money

Union: DOT can save by doing more work in-house

by Keith M. Phaneuf May 29, 2015 @ 10:30 amMarch 4, 2022 @ 10:39 pm

As Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s transportation enhancement plan advances, the union the state’s transportation engineers offered new evidence this week that its members can do the job more cost-effectively than the private sector could.

CT Viewpoints, Talking Transportation

Paying for Malloy’s $100 billion wish list

by Jim Cameron | Columnist May 29, 2015 @ 5:30 amAugust 3, 2022 @ 4:10 pm

There is no question that Gov. Dannel Malloy’s proposed $100 billion transportation plan for our state is, as he puts it, “bold.” The question is, is it achievable? The problem is that the governor’s plan isn’t a plan. It’s a wish list, with something for everyone in the state. Nobody has vetted the various projects to say what makes sense and what doesn’t. Nor has the governor offered any ideas on how to pay for them.

Money, Politics

Malloy targeting sales tax increase for transportation

by Keith M. Phaneuf and Mark Pazniokas May 28, 2015 @ 4:45 pmMarch 4, 2022 @ 10:39 pm

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy cautioned legislative leaders in overnight budget talks against using a sales-tax increase for municipal aid, saying he sees the tax as a likely funding source for his ambitious transportation initiative, sources said Thursday.

Politics

House adopts ‘drive-only’ license bill

by Keith M. Phaneuf May 18, 2015 @ 10:27 pmMarch 4, 2022 @ 10:37 pm

The House of Representatives adopted a measure late Monday that would make it easier for undocumented residents to obtain a restricted, “drive-only” license.

Money, Politics

CT says it has six months of transportation funds if Congress fails to act

by Ana Radelat May 18, 2015 @ 10:32 amJuly 11, 2022 @ 1:10 pm

Washington — The law that authorizes federal transportation spending in Connecticut and across the nation runs out at the end of the month, and the fund that pays for that spending is expected to go broke two months later, but Connecticut says it has funding in place for at least six months’ worth of projects if Congress fails to act in time to avert the looming crisis.

Money, Politics

Would state sales tax hike really translate into local tax relief?

by Keith M. Phaneuf May 18, 2015 @ 5:30 amMarch 4, 2022 @ 10:37 pm

The fate of a major proposed expansion of Connecticut’s sales tax may not hinge solely on the objections of businesses and consumers. The key question could be whether cities and towns — the prime beneficiaries of these potential sales tax receipts — would use those funds to lower property taxes or to expand local spending.

Energy & Environment

CT to make a start on electric vehicle incentives

by Jan Ellen Spiegel May 18, 2015 @ 5:30 amMarch 4, 2022 @ 10:40 pm

In the face of tight state finances, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is about to unveil financial incentives for electric vehicle purchases and leases using money from outside the state budget. Malloy will announce that $1 million from the Northeast Utilities/NSTAR merger settlement fund will be used to help jump-start a sluggish EV market in Connecticut.

News

Future of Connecticut Rails: Last call for tickets for Tuesday’s Half Full event

by Staff report May 18, 2015 @ 4:44 amAugust 3, 2022 @ 4:10 pm

The final event in The Mirror’s four-part Policy Pairings Series will take place Tuesday at Half Full Brewery in Stamford and feature a panel discussion on “The Future of Connecticut Rails.” Panelists will be Connecticut Transportation Commissioner James Redeker; Amanda Kennedy, the Connecticut director of the Regional Plan Association; and Jim Cameron, former chair of The CT Metro-North Rail Commuter Council. The event will take place from 5 to 7 p.m.

Politics

Connecticut yet to implement train-crash preventive technology

by Ana Radelat May 14, 2015 @ 6:52 pmMarch 4, 2022 @ 10:40 pm

WASHINGTON – In the wake of the fatal Amtrak crash in Philadelphia, railroad experts and lawmakers like Sen. Richard Blumenthal are touting safety technology that’s been slow to come to Connecticut. The state hopes to install Positive Train Control technology by 2018.

CT Viewpoints

Should Connecticut re-instate tolls on its major highways?

by HB 6818 Witnesses May 12, 2015 @ 5:31 amMarch 4, 2022 @ 11:45 pm

The Connecticut legislature is considering a bill (HB 6818) that would order the transportation commissioner to establish a toll-collection system on the state’s major highways at its borders. The bill would also set up “safeguards to ensure that any toll revenue is deposited in the Special Transportation Fund (STF) and used only for transportation purposes.” Witnesses — many from the state’s border communities — submitted testimony in opposition to the idea. A few were in favor. Here is an excerpted sampling of both. The full list of witnesses and their written testimony can be found here.

Money

Malloy administration shares ideas to fund transportation

by Keith M. Phaneuf April 28, 2015 @ 5:39 pmMarch 4, 2022 @ 10:37 pm

Adding 1 percentage point to the sales tax, imposing tolls or even selling some of Connecticut’s transportation assets were among the “potential” options Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s administration outlined Tuesday to pay for a major transportation overhaul over the coming decades.

Money

Price of first step on Malloy’s 30-year journey is $2.8 billion

by Mark Pazniokas April 27, 2015 @ 6:22 pmMarch 4, 2022 @ 10:37 pm

The administration of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy asked a legislative committee Monday to approve $2.8 billion in additional transportation borrowing over five years, a down payment on what Malloy hopes will be a $100 billion infrastructure investment over three decades.

CT Viewpoints

Protect Connecticut’s parks, not its politicians

by John Shaban April 20, 2015 @ 5:30 amMarch 4, 2022 @ 11:49 pm

As state legislators, my colleagues and I are charged with two basic tasks – forming sound public policy, and finding a way to pay for such policies in a responsible manner. Our continuing fiscal crisis, however, has once again caused good public policy to suffer at the expense of funding our government’s unsustainable spending habits.

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