I’m ambivalent about highway tolls, in theory.
As a professional, I can support either side of the issue. Tolls are taxes in sheep’s clothing, painlessly toted up under those gargantuan gantries than scan your transponders as you speed by trailing gobs of personal information. Gantries:the word makes you sound like part of something much bigger, like the Apollo moonshots, as the rockets cleared the gantries on their vectors with destiny and the Sea of Tranquillity.
I can write how we need tolls because of the cash for direly needed infrastructure improvements. Plus, chips could be added to transponders, so that those idiots who drive 80, 90 mph, can get trailed, nailed, and mailed speeding fines for their petulance and self-absorption. It’s really past time that reckless, smirking road jerks, the weavers and speeders pay for their threats to public safety, rather than mumbling vague apologies in courtrooms months after the damage is done. I freaking want them to pay.
This rocket called tolls, however, is having particular trouble clearing the gantry, as Democratic opposition from places like Danbury and Stamford have joined what seems to be pretty rock-solid Republican reticence to stall the bill like an old jalopy.
Republicans in recent years have gained seats in the House and Senate through what can be called a classic Groucho Marx bit. In the 1932 classic “Horsefeathers,” Groucho sings “Whatever it is, I’m against it.” Go ahead and look for it on YouTube now. I’ll wait for you to come back. It seems to be working for the GOP, but it’s accomplishing less for you seething taxpayers, especially this year when budget talks have fallen off a cliff. The near ties in the House and Senate should necessitate some cooperation, but very little has occurred. The big accomplishment in this last week of the legislative session, was the agreement that the June 7 deadline to craft a new two-year spending package will be missed by the General Assembly.
Ah, the budget.
Anyway, there are some things conveniently missing in the “discussion” on tolls, as they call the yelling and posturing that passes for discourse in the Capitol. Pesky things such as exact toll locations, the costs of construction and the eventual bottom line in annual revenue have not really been fleshed out. There seem to be a wide variation — everything from 20 percent to 40 percent — on how much of traffic is from out of state. Lawmakers are being asked to blindly accept a bill that would let the state DOT study, then enact tolls.
Democratic leadership stress that the depleting area of the budget for highways, bridges and rails, called the Special Transportation Fund, inevitably forces us to bring back tolls. The STF was set up after the infamous collapse of the Mianus River Bridge on Interstate-95, when a 100-foot section gave way in the summer of 1983, killing three and injuring three. The STF is fueled by taxes on gas, petroleum and other fees including motor carrier road taxes and DMV fees. In tougher fiscal times, it is also a convenient cash cow for lawmakers to raid for operating expenses. No wonder it will go broke by 2020.
A couple months after the Mianus Bridge ended up in the tidal river below, the state reached an agreement to remove highway tolls in exchange for about $12 million a year in additional federal funding. By the time of the fiery crash at the Stratford toll plaza in January of 1983 that killed seven, tolls were already on the way out. According to a history of tolls prepared by the legislative Office of Legislative Research, the last toll was on the Charter Oak bridge near Hartford, which was closed down in 1989.
If they bring back tolls — and I’m figuring the next governor, Republican or Democrat will push them if they don’t happen sooner — motorists will eventually realize they’re paying 10 cents a mile to sit in their portable living rooms every morning and afternoon in the conga lines on Interstate-95 and the parkway, Route 8, I-84, etc. By the time the stealth commuter tax of maybe $10 a day is noticed, it’ll be way too late and you’ll have to pay. CLICK TITLE TO CNTINUE
SoNo Collection change awaits final approval
NORWALK — The Norwalk Zoning Commission will invite public comment Thursday evening on General Growth Properties’ request to remove a hotel from The SoNo Collection.
The public hearing is set for June 8 at 7 p.m. in the Common Council chambers of City Hall, 125 East Ave.
Commissioners will be asked afterward to vote upon the modified site plan for the upscale, regional shopping center that is to be built off West Avenue and Interstate 95.
Two other public bodies have given their blessings to the Chicago-based mall developer’s request to yank the 152-room hotel and more broadly define the term anchor tenant.
“GGP is pleased that both the Common Council and Redevelopment Agency have approved the modification,” GGP Senior Director Douglas T. Adams said Friday when asked about the project. “We look forward to the modification being considered by the Zoning Commission on June 8th. We believe a vote by the Commission would be the final step necessary to complete approvals.”
The previously approved site plan calls for 728,000 square feet of retail space, including anchor stores Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s, as well as 80 to 100 smaller retailers, public realm space and the hotel on the dozen-acre development site.
GGP has deemed the hotel, as well as offices or apartments, economically unfeasible as third uses alongside retail and public realm space in the mall. The company has agreed to pay the city $3.5 million for permission to remove the hotel from the plan.
Last month, GGP paid the city $348,000 for a foundation permit to begin excavation work on the mall, which it hopes to complete in October 2019. Major excavation continues at the site along with some utility relocation, Adams said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Hartford tunnels proposal gets a boost from state Senate
HARTFORD - The Connecticut Senate has given a boost to a plan proposed by two politician brothers to bury parts of Interstates 84 and 91 in Hartford underground in tunnels.
It's now up to the House of Representatives to pass legislation which allows the state Department of Transportation to consider using available federal funds to construct the tunnels. The bill passed the state Senate 30-to-6 on Friday night.
The idea is being pushed by U.S. Rep. John Larson and East Hartford state Sen. Tim Larson, both Democrats.
Tim Larson says the Senate vote “sends a strong message to the federal government that the state of Connecticut is serious about seeing this project through.”
The brothers say a tunnel system would connect Hartford to its waterfront and free land for recreation and development.
Trump plans week-long focus on infrastructure, starting with privatizing air traffic control
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump will seek to put a spotlight on his vows to privatize the nation's air traffic control system and spur $1 trillion in new investment in roads, waterways and other infrastructure with a week-long series of events starting Monday in the Rose Garden.
The events - billed as "infrastructure week" - are part of a stepped-up effort since the president's return a week ago from his first foreign trip to show that the White House remains focused on its agenda, despite cascading headlines about his administration's ties to Russia.
Trump's plans next week also include a trip to the Ohio River, where it separates Ohio and Kentucky, to talk about the importance of waterways and to lay out his vision of infrastructure investments more broadly, aides say. And before the weekend, he will also welcome a bipartisan group of mayors and governors to Washington to discuss the topic and venture to the Transportation Department to talk about roads and railways.
"In many of these areas, we're falling behind, and the falling behind is affecting economic growth in the United States," said Gary Cohn, Trump's chief economic adviser, who is helping lead a task force developing Trump's infrastructure plan. "The president wants to fix the problem."
The flurry of planned activity comes as two other marquee Trump promises - overhauling the Affordable Care Act and cutting taxes - remain stalled in Congress, largely because of differences among fellow Republicans and the intricacies of the plans.
It's unclear whether Trump's promised infrastructure package, for which the administration hopes to attract bipartisan support, will fare any better when formally introduced in coming months.
Democrats sharply questioned Trump's commitment to the issue following the administration's release last month of a budget proposal that, by one accounting, included more cuts to existing infrastructure programs over the next decade than it contemplated in new federal spending.
Citing the analysis by his office, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., declared on the Senate floor that "President Trump's campaign promises on infrastructure are crumbling faster than our roads and bridges."
Trump has proposed spending $200 billion over the 10-year period with the aim of attracting a total of at least $1 trillion in new investments with the help of the private sector and state and local governments. Democrats prefer a much larger infusion of federal money.
In a briefing for reporters, Trump administration officials acknowledged the timing of their infrastructure package remains up in the air but said they hope to move much more quickly on one piece of it: an effort to spin off control of day-to-day air traffic control functions from the federal government.
Trump has invited executives from the major airlines to join him in the Rose Garden on Monday as he touts a plan that aides argue would allow more rapid modernization of the air traffic control system if run by a nonprofit corporation rather than by the Federal Aviation Administration.
For months now, Cohn has been making presentations to interested parties, arguing the benefits of moving to a new GPS-based system for flights rather than the current land-based radar system. Among other things, he says, GPS will help pilots fly more direct routes, cutting down both flight times and fuel usage.
Cohn and other privatization advocates argue that government procurement rules and the uncertainties of the annual congressional budget process have undercut the FAA's ability to move in that direction.
Aides say Trump's proposal, which will be sent to Congress separately, is largely based on legislation authored last year by Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., chairman of the House Transportation Committee. The White House previously called his bill "an excellent starting point" for separating more than 30,000 FAA workers from the government.
Instead of current taxes on fuel and airline tickets, Shuster's plan would rely on fees paid by aircraft operators. The FAA would retain its role as an oversight agency, much like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which issues auto regulations and recalls faulty vehicles.
Although Shuster's bill emerged from his committee last year, it never got a vote on the House floor. In the Senate, reaction was lukewarm among some key Republicans.
Some opponents cited concerns about the transition period to a new system, as well as legal difficulties of transferring the FAA's assets to a nonprofit corporation. Others questioned whether privatization would save money and argued that it could drive up airline ticket costs and pose national security risks.
A recent White House budget document points out that dozens of other nations have moved in a similar direction.
The document highlights Canada as an example of a country that successfully privatized its air management responsibilities two decades ago, a move that has resulted in new infrastructure investments and "cutting-edge air traffic technology." CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Tappan Zee Bridge on Track for Fall Opening
The new Tappan Zee Bridge still under construction over the Hudson River north of New York City is now fully drivable — several months from its official opening.
Commuters will still have to wait for one of the new bridge's two parallel spans to officially open sometime in the fall, but The New York Times reports (http://nyti.ms/2skK4M8 ) the bridge can support the weight of large trucks driving across the new structure.
The original bridge opened in 1955. That span will be torn down after the new bridge opens.
This is the second major bridge project to be completed in New York this year. In April, New York City opened the new Kosciuszko (kuh-SHOOS'-koh) Bridge which connects Brooklyn and Queens. The old bridge is scheduled for demolition in the summer.—AP
Hartford’s 11th-hour casino game is ‘Let’s Make a Deal’
The Connecticut legislature’s long debate about the implications of expanding casino gambling has come down to a stark question of transactional politics: What do a relative handful of urban Democratic legislators want in return for allowing the Mashantucket Pequots and Mohegans to jointly develop the state’s third casino, its first off tribal lands?
In the final days of a legislative session that ends at midnight Wednesday, some members of the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus have emerged as swing votes on what had once been three clear options: Allow the tribes a casino to compete with the MGM Resorts casino under construction in Springfield, accept MGM’s inducements to deny the tribes and instead open competition for a gaming resort in Fairfield County, or reject any expansion.
By a 2-1 margin on May 24, the Senate voted for a bill authorizing the tribes to open a satellite casino off I-91 in East Windsor, a community of about 12,000 people between Hartford and Springfield. It is a bid to slow the loss of gaming jobs and revenue as the two tribal casinos, Foxwoods Resorts and Mohegan Sun, face new competition in New York, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz, D-Berlin, and House Majority Leader Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, say they do not see votes in the House to pass the Senate casino bill unless the Senate first passes a companion bill — sweeteners sought by some urban Democrats, such a “boutique casino” in Hartford and slots machines at off-track betting facilities in Bridgeport, New Haven and Waterbury.
“This is a complicated subject. Gaming is lucrative, so people see opportunities to be part of it, and the Senate was able, maybe, to contain it a little bit. It’s been harder for us down here” in the House, Ritter said.
The sweetener bill represents its own problems.
There is no guarantee it could pass the Senate, where some supporters of the East Windsor casino made clear they were disinterested in any further expansion of gambling. Legislators and lobbyists on the both sides of the issue say the sweetener could drive away as many legislators in the House as it attracts.
Rep. Chris Davis, R-Ellington, whose district includes East Windsor, said he and many other legislators see a satellite casino in the I-91 corridor as a limited and well-considered expansion of gaming that competes for a share of gamblers who otherwise would go to Springfield. He is unlikely to support gaming in Hartford, Bridgeport, New Haven and Waterbury.
“I think the only one that makes sense to me, public-policy wise, is in East Windsor or a facility in that area. It would ultimately, potentially, save revenue from going up to Springfield and protect those jobs,” Davis said. “The idea of them spreading it out to four of five more places, I think is a true public policy question for most people. It opens up gaming across the state.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
The idea is being pushed by U.S. Rep. John Larson and East Hartford state Sen. Tim Larson, both Democrats.
Tim Larson says the Senate vote “sends a strong message to the federal government that the state of Connecticut is serious about seeing this project through.”
The brothers say a tunnel system would connect Hartford to its waterfront and free land for recreation and development.
Trump plans week-long focus on infrastructure, starting with privatizing air traffic control
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump will seek to put a spotlight on his vows to privatize the nation's air traffic control system and spur $1 trillion in new investment in roads, waterways and other infrastructure with a week-long series of events starting Monday in the Rose Garden.
The events - billed as "infrastructure week" - are part of a stepped-up effort since the president's return a week ago from his first foreign trip to show that the White House remains focused on its agenda, despite cascading headlines about his administration's ties to Russia.
Trump's plans next week also include a trip to the Ohio River, where it separates Ohio and Kentucky, to talk about the importance of waterways and to lay out his vision of infrastructure investments more broadly, aides say. And before the weekend, he will also welcome a bipartisan group of mayors and governors to Washington to discuss the topic and venture to the Transportation Department to talk about roads and railways.
"In many of these areas, we're falling behind, and the falling behind is affecting economic growth in the United States," said Gary Cohn, Trump's chief economic adviser, who is helping lead a task force developing Trump's infrastructure plan. "The president wants to fix the problem."
The flurry of planned activity comes as two other marquee Trump promises - overhauling the Affordable Care Act and cutting taxes - remain stalled in Congress, largely because of differences among fellow Republicans and the intricacies of the plans.
It's unclear whether Trump's promised infrastructure package, for which the administration hopes to attract bipartisan support, will fare any better when formally introduced in coming months.
Democrats sharply questioned Trump's commitment to the issue following the administration's release last month of a budget proposal that, by one accounting, included more cuts to existing infrastructure programs over the next decade than it contemplated in new federal spending.
Citing the analysis by his office, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., declared on the Senate floor that "President Trump's campaign promises on infrastructure are crumbling faster than our roads and bridges."
Trump has proposed spending $200 billion over the 10-year period with the aim of attracting a total of at least $1 trillion in new investments with the help of the private sector and state and local governments. Democrats prefer a much larger infusion of federal money.
In a briefing for reporters, Trump administration officials acknowledged the timing of their infrastructure package remains up in the air but said they hope to move much more quickly on one piece of it: an effort to spin off control of day-to-day air traffic control functions from the federal government.
Trump has invited executives from the major airlines to join him in the Rose Garden on Monday as he touts a plan that aides argue would allow more rapid modernization of the air traffic control system if run by a nonprofit corporation rather than by the Federal Aviation Administration.
For months now, Cohn has been making presentations to interested parties, arguing the benefits of moving to a new GPS-based system for flights rather than the current land-based radar system. Among other things, he says, GPS will help pilots fly more direct routes, cutting down both flight times and fuel usage.
Cohn and other privatization advocates argue that government procurement rules and the uncertainties of the annual congressional budget process have undercut the FAA's ability to move in that direction.
Aides say Trump's proposal, which will be sent to Congress separately, is largely based on legislation authored last year by Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., chairman of the House Transportation Committee. The White House previously called his bill "an excellent starting point" for separating more than 30,000 FAA workers from the government.
Instead of current taxes on fuel and airline tickets, Shuster's plan would rely on fees paid by aircraft operators. The FAA would retain its role as an oversight agency, much like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which issues auto regulations and recalls faulty vehicles.
Some opponents cited concerns about the transition period to a new system, as well as legal difficulties of transferring the FAA's assets to a nonprofit corporation. Others questioned whether privatization would save money and argued that it could drive up airline ticket costs and pose national security risks.
A recent White House budget document points out that dozens of other nations have moved in a similar direction.
The document highlights Canada as an example of a country that successfully privatized its air management responsibilities two decades ago, a move that has resulted in new infrastructure investments and "cutting-edge air traffic technology." CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Tappan Zee Bridge on Track for Fall Opening
The new Tappan Zee Bridge still under construction over the Hudson River north of New York City is now fully drivable — several months from its official opening.Commuters will still have to wait for one of the new bridge's two parallel spans to officially open sometime in the fall, but The New York Times reports (http://nyti.ms/2skK4M8 ) the bridge can support the weight of large trucks driving across the new structure.
The original bridge opened in 1955. That span will be torn down after the new bridge opens.
This is the second major bridge project to be completed in New York this year. In April, New York City opened the new Kosciuszko (kuh-SHOOS'-koh) Bridge which connects Brooklyn and Queens. The old bridge is scheduled for demolition in the summer.—AP
Hartford’s 11th-hour casino game is ‘Let’s Make a Deal’
The Connecticut legislature’s long debate about the implications of expanding casino gambling has come down to a stark question of transactional politics: What do a relative handful of urban Democratic legislators want in return for allowing the Mashantucket Pequots and Mohegans to jointly develop the state’s third casino, its first off tribal lands?
In the final days of a legislative session that ends at midnight Wednesday, some members of the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus have emerged as swing votes on what had once been three clear options: Allow the tribes a casino to compete with the MGM Resorts casino under construction in Springfield, accept MGM’s inducements to deny the tribes and instead open competition for a gaming resort in Fairfield County, or reject any expansion.
By a 2-1 margin on May 24, the Senate voted for a bill authorizing the tribes to open a satellite casino off I-91 in East Windsor, a community of about 12,000 people between Hartford and Springfield. It is a bid to slow the loss of gaming jobs and revenue as the two tribal casinos, Foxwoods Resorts and Mohegan Sun, face new competition in New York, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz, D-Berlin, and House Majority Leader Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, say they do not see votes in the House to pass the Senate casino bill unless the Senate first passes a companion bill — sweeteners sought by some urban Democrats, such a “boutique casino” in Hartford and slots machines at off-track betting facilities in Bridgeport, New Haven and Waterbury.
“This is a complicated subject. Gaming is lucrative, so people see opportunities to be part of it, and the Senate was able, maybe, to contain it a little bit. It’s been harder for us down here” in the House, Ritter said.
The sweetener bill represents its own problems.
There is no guarantee it could pass the Senate, where some supporters of the East Windsor casino made clear they were disinterested in any further expansion of gambling. Legislators and lobbyists on the both sides of the issue say the sweetener could drive away as many legislators in the House as it attracts.
Rep. Chris Davis, R-Ellington, whose district includes East Windsor, said he and many other legislators see a satellite casino in the I-91 corridor as a limited and well-considered expansion of gaming that competes for a share of gamblers who otherwise would go to Springfield. He is unlikely to support gaming in Hartford, Bridgeport, New Haven and Waterbury.
“I think the only one that makes sense to me, public-policy wise, is in East Windsor or a facility in that area. It would ultimately, potentially, save revenue from going up to Springfield and protect those jobs,” Davis said. “The idea of them spreading it out to four of five more places, I think is a true public policy question for most people. It opens up gaming across the state.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE