Electronic tolls bill narrowly gets committee approval

A bill that would bring electronic tolling to Connecticut”™s highways scraped by on 26-25 vote in the state”™s Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee on Thursday.

The bill, which was approved by the Transportation Committee last month, now heads to the House of Representatives.

If passed, the legislation would require the Department of Transportation to study how to establish tolling on Interstates 84, 91 and 95, and on the Merritt and Wilbur Cross parkways. The department would also be required to study the amount of revenue that could be raised from tolls, congestion pricing, and possible discounts for Connecticut residents.

Toll proponents claim a new electronic toll system could bring the state as much as $600 million per year in revenue. Opponents say that many drivers would simply take side roads to avoid highway tolls, increasing congestion on smaller roads and drastically decreasing the revenue potential.

Should the measure be passed, the electronic toll system would likely not be a reality on Connecticut highways until 2021.