Fasano, Klarides signal willingness to work with Lamont on transportation compromise

Republican lawmakers are indicating that they might be willing to consider the addition of tolls in the state. While that would be a reversal of their longstanding opposition to the concept, they cautioned that they will not officially support tolling until they see Gov. Ned Lamont”™s revised transportation plan, which could be released later this week.

Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano and House Minority Leader Themis Klarides have both said they want to see the details of Lamont”™s plan before making a final judgment. While they repeated their opposition to tolls, they allowed that they could be swayed if they agree with other aspects of the governor”™s proposal.

As previously reported, Lamont”™s plan revolves around a 10-year investment of about $18 billion, or an average of $1.8 billion per year, compared with the $1.5 billion the state currently spends annually on infrastructure.

The governor”™s plan would rely in part on low-interest federal loans, with interest rates at around 2%. The state would have the option of deferring payments or accruing interest until five years after the completion of a major project, which itself would take five to 10 years.

And while Lamont had proposed tolls on four major highways involving about 50 gantries, the new plan reportedly calls for tolls involving 16 to 18 bridges.