Holiday traffic would generate millions in tolls
Seeking beaches, barbecues, friends and family, millions of Americans will cruise the nation’s highways this Memorial Day weekend and in every state on the East Coast, they will pay tolls — except in Connecticut, that is.
How much would the Nutmeg State collect if we had gantries erected? It’s impossible to pin down an exact number, but it could be more than $1 million
...(O)fficials predict tolls will bring in $800 million a year in gross revenue for the state, or about $2.2 million per day.
extra each day of the three-day weekend, based on a prediction of record numbers of drivers hitting the roads.
There’s no chance we’ll see tolls for at least four
years as lawmakers remain sharply divided. This week, the state’s largest labor union coalition, the Connecticut AFL-CIO, endorsed electronic tolls, saying they are vital to repair the state’s transportation infrastructure and keep the economy growing.
That was no surprise, as unionists have accompanied Gov. Ned Lamont on his stops to push for tolls. Somewhat surprising was the state’s largest business group, the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, which announced Monday its opposition to tolls, even though many of its members — especially downstate — favor the idea.
As for the holiday receipts, Massachusetts and the New York City area tolling authorities both said Friday they don’t have projections.
But here’s what we know: The record AAA forecast for drivers, predicts 43 million Americans traveling more than 50 miles by car, the second highest travel volume since 2000.
In New England, that’s 1.75 million people, or more than 90 percent of holiday weekend travelers. If they are driving through Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island or New Hampshire, that means a high likelihood of tolls.
Based on population totals, roughly 450,000 of those people are likely to live in Connecticut.
Drivers will pay between 3.1 cents and 5.7 cents per mile during peak times and 3.5 cents per mile off peak, under Connecticut’s latest tolling proposal released by Lamont Tuesday. Interstates 95, 91 and 84 will be tolled along with the Merritt and Wilbur Cross parkways.
So, some rough, back-ofthe-envelope math shows Connecticut might see $1 million or more in revenue just from Connecticut drivers heading to their weekend plans, assuming some drivers will travel Friday afternoon and some will drive off peak, and not everyone will get the maximum discount.
That figure does not include revenue from the vast flow of out-of-state drivers, who are expected to generate 40 percent of Connecticut’s toll revenue on normal days — maybe more on holiday weekends. AAA finds New York City is the second most popular Memorial Day weekend destination in 2019, which could put many New Englanders on Connecticut roads.
Overall, Connecticut officials predict tolls will bring in $800 million a year in gross revenue for the state, or about $2.2 million per day.
Naturally, all weekends bring less traffic than workdays, so that doesn’t mean $3 million on each of the holiday weekend days. But we know there’s a big bump over a normal weekend — likely $1 million in would-be tolls when we include in-state and out-ofstate drivers.
All of which can spur that much more debate, with supporters celebrating the millions to be made off out-of-state drivers now getting a “free ride” and opponents bemoaning how much Connecticut residents would have to pay just for a quick weekend getaway.
The legislature and Lamont — who has made toll implementation his mission — have agreed to debate the question in a special session this summer.
Perhaps by the time we see predictions for Independence Day traffic, we’ll know whether the state can cash in in those vehicles by 2023, or perhaps 2024.