The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Lamont seeks transit agreement
Gov. Ned Lamont said Wednesday that he’s more interested in getting a bipartisan deal in the General Assembly to tackle Connecticut’s transportation infrastructure crisis than promoting any particular tolling scheme.
Speaking with reporters at an aerospaceindustry event in Hartford, Lamont indicated he was leaning toward this week’s offer from House majority Democrats to shift back to his 2018 campaign proposal of trucksonly tolls, since it would be able to extract some infrastructure funding from outofstate traffic.
But he also acknowledged last week’s proposal from Senate minority Republicans, for an $18billion plan without tolls.
“The senate Republicans have a credible plan out there, I’ve got to look at it,” Lamont said at the Connecticut Convention Center. “The House Democrats, they have a credible plan out there. We have a plan, which I think is very good. I want to get together with the leadership soon. My job is to get people together, My job is to bring a solution for this transportation.”
But Senate Republican Leader Len Fasano, RNorth Haven, was critical of Lamont’s comments. “I cannot fathom how the governor can say he is leaning toward supporting a plan that does not even exist, based on an idea he has already rejected. House Democrats yesterday issued a press release, not a plan, containing a single number with no further details,” Fasano said in a prepared statement. “The governor’s efforts to get leaders together are moving at a snail’s pace. If legislative leaders are not willing to make their schedules flexible, there is no chance we will be voting on any transportation plan before the next legislative session. Every day we delay means further damage to our state. The
Special Transportation Fund’s solvency is in question. “If the governor is serious about leaning toward a trucktoll proposal without any details, then I can only assume he is not serious about fixing transportation,” said Fasano. “He is only serious about installing tolls and any path that leads him to that end result.”
Lamont has offered a 10year, $21billion strategy that would include 14 toll gantries on selected state highways.
“All the different groups know that we have to increase our investment in transportation,” Lamont said. “Most of them subscribe to the priorities that we have in terms of rail and ending the gridlock. We don’t all agree on how we’re going to pay for it, but I think we’re going to find common ground.”
He said that emulating the Rhode Island model of trucksonly tolling which is being challenged in court would generate at least some of the revenue stream that federal officials find important in order to obtain lowincome loans. “Rhode Island continues to get funding from Trump’s DOT, and they think they have a very strong position in the legal case,” Lamont said.
He stressed the need to push forward with some kind of solution, because the transportation crisis has worsened over the decades. “The legislature has spent the last 30 years avoiding how we get this economy growing again and fix transportation.” He stressed that the state’s dedicated fund for transit improvements is on track to become insolvent within five years.
“Right now Senate Republicans have a plan. House Democrats have a plan. I have a plan. How many plans do you want?” Lamont asked. A meeting Lamont had scheduled for Wednesday with legislative leaders has been postponed to later this week or early next week.
“Our problem is we’re asking people to make a tough vote to get this state moving again,” Lamont said. “I’m optimistic that the Senate Republicans have come up with a plan, with numbers that add up. I’m optimistic that House Democrats have come up with a plan with numbers that add up. That’s the beginning of a consensus.”