There's once again talk of tolls coming back to Connecticut, this time based on a White House proposal to loosen restrictions on tolling federal interstates.
Danbury State Senator Mike McLachlan says tolls on Connecticut's western border would drive motorists to avoid them by taking local roads creating traffic bottlenecks in neighborhoods, adding to air pollution. Proponents say most of the revenue would come from non-Connecticut residents, but McLachlan says commuters taking the train in New York would be punished, especially those leaving from Brewster because of ongoing signal issues on the Danbury Branch.
He notes that in recent years the state has raided more than $187 million from Transportation funds to balance the budget.