HARTFORD - A plan to slap tolls on state highways and increase gas taxes and other fees is hitting a wall of opposition and raising doubts about Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s $100 billion vision to upgrade Connecticut’s transportation system.
“They want a gas tax hike, a sales tax hike and higher fees,” said State Sen. Toni Boucher, R-Wilton and ranking member on the General Assembly’s transportation committee.
“And they want tolls in Connecticut. How predictable,” said Boucher, an avowed opponent of tolls.
Malloy’s transportation funding panel last week released a long awaited report on how to fund the governor’s bold, 30-year transportation plan over the next 15 years. The report relies heavily on new fees, including raising $8 billion through electronic congestion tolls on I-95 between Greenwich to Stonington, and I-84 from New Haven to Danbury. Along with additional borrowing, the panel proposed raising the gas tax by 14 cents over seven years, to 39 cents a gallon, increasing motor vehicle fees, rail and bus fares and boosting the sales tax byone-half percent over 15 years.
The billions in revenue raised would be used to widen I-95 between Greenwich and New Haven, build a new Hartford viaduct, increase volume on Metro-North and create tens of thousands of construction jobs. Toll rates would vary during the day, with higher fees during rush hour. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Work at West Haven Veterans Memorial Field to start soon after years of delay
WEST HAVEN >> After years of delay, the city appears ready to move forward on a project to build dedicated bathrooms and locker rooms at Veterans Memorial Field, officials confirmed Monday.
Mayor Ed O’Brien said he hopes to see work begin around the end of February or the beginning of March following a recommendation by the West Haven Building Oversight Committee last week to award contracts to the low bidders for both construction and site work.
“We are glad and excited to get this thing started — and under budget,” O’Brien said.
A meeting to discuss scheduling and the scope of the project with the two contractors, Panza Construction Co. of West Haven, which will receive a $382,000 construction contract, and Complete Construction Co. of Ansonia, which will receive a $38,000 contract for site work, will take place Thursday, said O’Brien and Director of Finance Kevin McNabola.
“It’s definitely moving forward,” said McNabola. O’Brien and McNabola said they expect the project to be done in advance of the August start of practice for the West Haven Seahawks/Ray Tellier Youth Football League. The first time the project went out to bid, the low bid came back $126,000 over budget. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
NAUGATUCK — The longer Naugatuck waits, the more expensive it will be to repair the Whittemore Bridge on Maple Street. At least, that is what history has proven. The project, once estimated to cost about $4 million, is now double that at about $8 million, said Public Works Director Jim Stewart. If there is a silver lining in the ongoing bridge saga, it's that the borough plans to finally begin construction in the spring after about 10 years of delays. Last month, officials put out a request for bid proposals from developers interested in the job. A prebid meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 26, at Town Hall. The job is expected to take two years to complete. During construction, the bridge in the center of the community that separates the east and west sides of Naugatuck will only be open in one direction — to cars going east toward Route 8.
In the meantime, traffic going in the opposite direction will be detoured onto Water Street, Cedar Street, Meadow Street, Cherry Street, over the Salem Bridge and onto South Main Street.
While businesses in the area have expressed concerns about having traffic closed in one direction, Stewart said it's not possible to leave both lanes open. Emergency responders have said that adding a temporary traffic light for emergencies could be an alternative. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
In the meantime, traffic going in the opposite direction will be detoured onto Water Street, Cedar Street, Meadow Street, Cherry Street, over the Salem Bridge and onto South Main Street.
While businesses in the area have expressed concerns about having traffic closed in one direction, Stewart said it's not possible to leave both lanes open. Emergency responders have said that adding a temporary traffic light for emergencies could be an alternative. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE