A state legislative committees vote Friday put Connecticut a step closer to reinstituting tolls. However, Republican members of the body, including one Stamford-based lawmaker, are voicing their disapproval.
While I have sympathy for my colleagues who are waiting on improvements to their local highways, tolls are not the best solution to getting these projects off the ground, said state Rep. Michael L. Molgano, R-144, in a release.
Molgano is a member of the General Assemblys Transportation Committee, which voted to recommend to the General Assembly a bill that would allow tolls on newly constructed highways and highway extensions. Molgano, who is serving his first term in the House, joined most of the Republicans on the committee in voting against the measure.
The argument of the bills proponents is that it would generate revenue that would help pay for construction. Opponents, like Molgano, counter that residents cant afford the financial burden.
As residents prepare for a whole list of new taxes and fees, Molgano said, how can we make it tougher for people to get to school or work?
The bill stipulates that the tolls would be discontinued when revenues collected cover the bonds issued to build the road and the estimated cost of repair and maintenance. Molgano is not convinced that would occur.
Though the bill describes the toll booths as a temporary measure, how can we promise to someday cut a source of revenue? he asked. Approving tolls would open a Pandoras box of potential booth locations.
It has been almost 25 years since tolls were a part of the Connecticut landscape. They were last used in the state in 1987.
If voted into law, the new tolls would take effect Oct. 1.
Would you like to see tolls reinstated in Connecticut? Do you think that is a good way to pay for highway construction? Or are there other alternatives?
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