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WILTON, Conn. The following letter from State Sen. Toni Boucher, R-Wilton, urges making sure that transportation fees are spent on transportation projects.
Tolls and taxes are two words sure to raise the temperature in any room. I was recently on a panel discussion on the future of transportation funding. And yes, those two words were repeated often.
U.S. representatives reported that the state of the nations infrastructure is in dire condition and in need of modernization. As the most congested and oldest transportation corridor in the nation, we experience this on a daily basis.
State Transportation Commissioner Jim Redeker noted that, although his agency is in preservation mode, some headway is being made on certain projects like the Q Bridge on I-95 in New Haven, which is under budget and on time. The DOT Commissioner also mentioned that the new M-8 rail cars are running well and are getting positive reviews.
Large scale priority projects include:
I-84 Aetna Viaduct I-84 RT 8 mix master Moveable rail bridges Rail signal and power system improvements
These projects could cost up to $8 billion. However, if the state's share of funding goes down, as predicted, DOT will only be able to complete federally funded projects. It is widely reported that the states financial situation continues to be serious. How will we continue to fund state projects? Emil Frankel, with the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) and former DOT Commissioner, spoke of the creation of the Special Transportation Fund (STF). This pool of money was dedicated solely to road and bridge infrastructure. However, over time it became an easy target during budget shortfalls and was often raided to pay for other department expenditures.
Frankel believes we should prioritize and only invest in projects that are essential to safety and growth. He then uttered the dreaded words, tolls, and taxes (gas or sales taxes).
Many of the panelists were in favor of tolls. I, and others, offered opposing views. Fairfield County residents continue to express their opposition to tolls and appropriately ask if these funds would be safeguarded and used for transportation purposes only.
There is a visceral reaction from businesses and chambers of commerce, particularly in cities like Danbury, where 40 percent of their mall business comes from New York. If the state considers putting tolls on its borders, it must also consider the inequity of those who will pay them. Some residents work across state lines and would pay the toll tax daily, others work locally and would not be so burdened.
The funding issue can be viewed from a different perspective. I would like to see the legislature prioritize and redirect funding from other areas of the state budget. Why do we need to create another tax? We already have 378 sources of revenue.
Controversial topics in addition to tolls on highways, such as red light cameras for speeders and new protocols for stranded planes at airports, are sure to come up.
No matter what fee proposal makes it through the legislature, transportation fees must be for transportation needs ONLY.
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