Connecticut Poll shows Connecticut Residents would approve of tolls on highways as long as they were fair: Either just at the Connecticut borders of the state, targeting out of state commercial truckers, out of state passenger vehicles, and not next to their Home exit ramps.

New AAA Poll Supports Highway Tolls

A new poll by AAA shows that 47 percent of Connecticut drivers support interstate highway tolls, and they also strongly favor a special "lock box'' to ensure that the money is spent exclusively on transportation. Only 5 percent supported the so-called "mileage tax'' that involves a fee that would be based on the number of annual miles that a person drives.

 From article, (A new poll by AAA shows that 47 percent of Connecticut drivers support interstate highway tolls, and they also strongly favor a special “lock box’’ to ensure that the money is spent exclusively on transportation.

Only 5 percent supported the so-called “mileage tax’’ that involves a fee that would be based on the number of annual miles that a person drives. In addition, 16 percent said they would support increased state and federal gasoline taxes, rather than tolls.

Overall, 30 percent did not support any of the payment options, and only 2 percent said that “no additional funding is needed.’’

Nearly 1,000 drivers were questioned about the payment methods for the highly expensive transportation improvements that the state is facing for roads, bridges and highways.

A hotly debated topic for years, tolls have been highly controversial and have not been approved by the legislature since the old-fashioned tollbooths were dismantled after a tragic accident that killed seven motorists in 1983 on Interstate 95 at the Stratford toll plaza. The new tolls would be electronic and would not involve the old-fashioned tollbooths.

House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz said last year that it is "absolutely insane'' to continue allowing out-of-state drivers to cut through Connecticut for free, adding that highway tolls are "inevitable."

"We let people from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Vermont, Maine and Quebec ride through the state of Connecticut and pay nothing,'' he said. "It's absolutely insane to me. So tolls, yes.''

The poll showed that 87 percent support a “lock box’’ that would ensure that money from tolls or other taxes would be set aside exclusively for transportation purposes. Only 13 percent said they would oppose the idea.

Tolls could raise as much as $18.3 billion in revenue by 2040 – with at least 30 percent paid by out-of-state drivers and 24 percent paid by heavy trucks, according to estimates by a special panel that studied the issue. Supporters said the state needs to fix its crumbling transportation infrastructure and currently serves as an anomaly as the only state on the Eastern seaboard without tolls.

House Republican Leader Themis Klarides issued a statement late Tuesday: "We all recognize the need to pay for road and bridge repairs, but funding for transportation projects is not a partisan or Republican caucus issue. That is why Republicans put forth a comprehensive plan, beginning in 2015, to do that: prioritize our needs with our available resources. Republicans committed $63 billion over 30 years to do that, not a small sum. Public opinion shifts when respondents find out where the tolls will be located. Some people have been misled to believe that they can be solely located at our borders.'')

For More Info