Democratic candidate for Governor of Connecticut Ned Lamont is pitching a plan to use truck-only tolls to fund improvements to the state’s transportation systems.
Lamont’s plan is to toll only out of state semi trucks to fund infrastructure repairs and to increase the frequency of train service. Lamont believes that by tolling trucks, he can generate as much as $100 million per year.
The Connecticut Post recently reported that Lamont told his supporters on the campaign trail, “When it comes to transportation I need a more reliable and predictable revenue stream that we can leverage and make the investments we need. That starts with electronic tolling, when some of our biggest trucks, coming in from out of state, using our roads, tax-free, create tons of maintenance issues, and we’ll see where it goes from there.”
Susan Bysiewicz, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, also supports the truck only tolling plan, remarking “We are running a multi-state charity for out-of-state vehicles.”
Connecticut trucking associations have already spoken out against Lamont’s plan. Joseph Sculley, president of Motor Transport Association of Connecticut, told the CT News Junkie that “The Connecticut trucking industry pays more than 6 times its fair share of road taxes. Let’s stop picking on the industry that brings food to stores, fuel to homes and gas stations, and medicine to hospitals. Instead, let’s focus on spending road and bridge tax money on roads and bridges.”
Sculley also points to Rhode Island, where truck-only tolls have recently gone into effect. Rhode Island has been sued by the American Trucking Associations, which argues that the truck-only tolls are unconstitutional because they “discriminate against interstate trucking companies and impede the flow of interstate commerce.”
You can click here for more on Lamont’s infrastructure plan.