Associated Press reports, “State lawmakers are revisiting whether to install electronic tolls on Connecticut highways. The General Assembly’s Transportation Committee will hold a public hearing [today, February 27, at 11 AM] on several bills that would require the tolls.”
Hartford Courant reports, “With a public hearing just days away, top proponents of highway tolls in Connecticut presented their case to lawmakers [on February 24]. They keyed in on state budget office projections that without new money, the Special Transportation Fund will spiral into deficits in just a few years. And they circulated a new notice from federal officials that appears to weaken a major argument against tolling state highways.” In the notice, the Federal Highway Administration informed Connecticut DOT “that Connecticut could install tolls without repaying previous federal aid – or losing future grants – under the right circumstances. Border tolls wouldn’t be acceptable, but a system aimed at reducing traffic congestion would be, it said.”