Proposed CT toll booths would bring more harm than good

State lawmakers met before the General Assembly’s Transportation Committee on Friday, Feb. 17 to discuss the proposal of bringing toll booths back to Conn. highways after 25 years, in order to bring in revenue for the state’s transportation needs.

However, such alterations to the state's toll booth-free highways would bring more inconveniences and complications than benefits, and therefore should not be undertaken.

Conn. toll booths were removed in 1986 after a Secretarial Agreement with the federal government was made because of safety issues, notably the deadly 1983 crash in Stratford where a tractor-trailer smashed into a toll center along the I-95 highway, killing seven people.

Those in favor of placing tolls back on Conn. highways have proposed ideas such as: opening tolls on major Conn. highways along the borders, building E-ZPass toll stations to collect feeds from large cargo trucks, and placing tolls on new highways or extensions.

However, numerous officials and locals are opposed to the revival of Conn. tolls stations for various reasons.

Reinstituting tolls in Conn. could jeopardize the state’s annual $500 million federal transportation funding, which Conn. has relied on since the removal of tolls in 1986. Because of certain federal highway regulations, such as the federal government’s disallowance for states to place tolls on existing highways, Conn. could end up owing more money than they would actually make.

"We would compromise the flow of funding we’ve been getting for the last 25 years," said State Rep. David Scribner.

Placement of tolls along Conn. borders would have a more negative impact on border cities like my hometown of Danbury, which is located directly across the N.Y. state border, than other towns that are centrally located.

Danbury has been a significant economic provider for the state, with its stores collecting and sending more than $67 million in sales tax to Hartford. The Danbury Fair Mall greatly contributes to that revenue and draws in 40 to 50 percent of its customers from N.Y. State.

Toll booths would not only hurt Danbury’s economy, but also burden its revenue streams as well. The average number of people from surrounding states who travel to Conn. to shop at places such as the Danbury Fair Mall would decrease because they would not want to constantly pay toll fees.

Toll booths would also put an unfair financial burden on residents, such as my father, who commute to neighboring states such as N.Y. for school, work, and other obligations.

My father works in Mahopac, N. Y., therefore crosses the I-84 border between Conn. and N.Y. at least twice a day, five days a week. If Conn. decides to place tolls along the border, this would mean he would have to pay toll fares at least ten times a week, 520 times a year. In an already unstable economy, who wants to have to pay in order to go to work? My father certainly does not.

The reinstallation of Conn. tolls would also congest and add wear and tear on local roads, as travelers would take alternate routes to avoid paying toll fees, and Danbury, once again, would feel the brunt of toll installations.

According to State Senator Michael McLachlan, an estimated 13,800 vehicles would travel local roads in order to avoid tolls at the I-84 N.Y. State border.

"In the Greater Danbury area, many people use I-84 like a local road, as the quickest way to get from Point A to Point B, and typically only travel it for an exit or two," said State Rep. David Scribner. "Placing tolls on the I-84 corridor would cause drivers to avoid the highway and the impact on small roads and businesses would be devastating."

Those in favor of bringing tolls back to Conn. believe it would be a good way to acquire desperately needed revenues, but as you can see, negative consequences of installing tolls ultimately outweigh any of the potential benefits.

 Works Cited

Glykokokalos, Steven. "Tolls Proposed on Connecticut Highways." Danbury Patch. Patch, 18 Feb. 2011. Web. 18 Feb. 2011.

Haigh, Susan. "Mixed Opinions on New Tolls on Connecticut Highways." Litchfield County Times. The Litchfield County Times, 18 Feb. 2011. Web. 18 Feb. 2011.

Perrefort, Dirk. "Area officials object to toll proposal." News Times. Hearst Communications, Inc., 18 Feb. 2011. Web. 18 Feb 2011.