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Huh, so CDOT should close all the roads to citizens and businesses for this? What's the takeaway here? I mean, we're not really in a devastating snow storm are we?
You’d think it was devastating judging the roads and how long it took to go short distances.
Well here is a bit more. Nothing, anywhere, from any sources that I did research from have Ella Grasso having anything to do with the cancellation OF the beltway. Look at the dates below. Before Ella was even Governor. Only during the Public hearings was she Governor. I base my opinion on documented summaries like below, a personal relationship with Barbara's husband for many years , and at the time, a resident of Rocky Hill . You owe Ella ( may she rest in peace) an apology. The other issues regarding CT is another subject, but in this particular case, you are wrong. She had no " influence" on the project. It was thought of, started, and was taken to Court before she was Governor.
Heavy opposition surfaced in West Hartford as residents expressed concern for the safety of the water supply in the MDC reservoirs and about the proposed road’s impact on residential neighborhoods in West Hartford and Bloomfield. West Hartford resident Charlotte F. Kitowski, a nurse, turned her energy to opposing the new highway, chairing the Committee to Save the Reservoir. She held countless rallies, gathered thousands of signatures on petitions, stirred anti-highway sentiment, and advocated mass-transit alternatives. Surwilo and Kitowski quickly became well known to politicians, highway officials, and reporters as they fought to save the neighborhoods and the reservoir from the I-291 encroachment.
In November 1973, local opponents cited deficiencies in the environmental-impact reports that ConnDot had developed to support the project and won a court injunction against further planning for the Newington-Rocky Hill section of I-291. The injunction was eventually lifted, though, and in the fall of 1977 the DOT held public hearings in each of the seven towns in the southwest quadrant of I-291. Surwilo, as the leader of those opposed to I-291, attended at least six of those hearings, and her comments and questions fill more than 120 pages of the hearing transcripts. Her comments indicated a complete grasp of details on the plans. Her command of the material drew praise even from the frustrated officials she was addressing.
You are talking about two totally different sections of the beltway. As you can see in your quote above the Rocky Hill section was under court order to hold public hearings in 1977 when Ella Grasso was Governor. The state had designed the highway and purchased the land for it. CTDOT’s headquarters was built on land that was supposed to be part of an interchange with the Berlin Turnpike. It was Ella Grasso that stopped that section from going to construction.
Surwilo claimed her agent lied to her and her husband about the highway but even my friend that knows her said that was highly suspect. She was a smart woman and it was unlikely they did not bother to check local records on what was going on with all that vacant land in the neighborhood. It was well publicized in articles in the newspapers that the highway was being built there. Maps and plans were on file at town hall. The towns staff knew about it. How could anyone in the Hartford area not know?
It was the West Hartford section that went through the reservoir property that was stopped in 1973 but as I said CTDOT had developed an alternative that was away from the reservoir. Again Ella Grasso stopped staff from pursuing it. She set the priorities for the state and highways and the beltway was not one of them. Jay
You are talking about two totally different sections of the beltway. As you can see in your quote above the Rocky Hill section was under court order to hold public hearings in 1977 when Ella Grasso was Governor. The state had designed the highway and purchased the land for it. CTDOT’s headquarters was built on land that was supposed to be part of an interchange with the Berlin Turnpike. It was Ella Grasso that stopped that section from going to construction.
Surwilo claimed her agent lied to her and her husband about the highway but even my friend that knows her said that was highly suspect. She was a smart woman and it was unlikely they did not bother to check local records on what was going on with all that vacant land in the neighborhood. It was well publicized in articles in the newspapers that the highway was being built there. Maps and plans were on file at town hall. The towns staff knew about it. How could anyone in the Hartford area not know?
It was the West Hartford section that went through the reservoir property that was stopped in 1973 but as I said CTDOT had developed an alternative that was away from the reservoir. Again Ella Grasso stopped staff from pursuing it. She set the priorities for the state and highways and the beltway was not one of them. Jay
You’re talking in circles. THe house Barbara and her husband wanted to buy was right near exit 23. That’s where the 291 interchange was going to be built. That’s the area she was interested in. At the time, and for some time after, some of the evidence of where the roads would be could be seen from the northbound lanes.Like I said, I lived right near it. I didn’t have to read about it. Ask your friend what Barabara’s husbands’s business interest was, without doing a google search , of course.
You can believe what you want. Ella had absolutely nothing to do with the cancellation of plans for that interchange in Rocky Hill. It may come as a surprise , but there may be times when other people here actually know more than you regarding a particular subject.
CT leaders are smiling after a study that conducted for tolls it recommended to have atleast 82 tolling sites that will spread across the state. The new toll plan will bring in 1 billion a year for the state. A rumor that is going around saying that the state already lay ground work for tolls on Merrit Parkway.
Here is CTDOT's press release on tolling. $1 billion a year with 40 percent of that amount coming from out-of-state drivers is significant. Connecticut residents would be given a discount and frequent commuters would be given an even bigger discount. This seems kind of like a no-brainer to me. Jay
CTDOT Releases Report on All-Electronic Tolling
The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) today released documents showing that, should the General Assembly and new Governor approve, Connecticut could raise approximately $1 billion annually with all-electronic tolling on highways around the state.
“The report we are releasing today is designed to inform a dialogue among our elected leaders and the citizens of Connecticut about the potential for instituting tolls in the state,” said CTDOT Commissioner James P. Redeker. “Governor Malloy’s Transportation Finance Panel concluded that current revenues are insufficient to maintain our roads and bridges or to remove traffic bottlenecks and reduce congestion and recommended tolls as one way of generating new revenue.”
The study documents released today are in advance of an anticipated in-depth operational, environmental and engineering analysis for an all-electronic toll system, for which the State Bond Commission recently approved $10 million.
The study examined options for implementing tolls in CT that would help pay for needed transportation infrastructure improvements. It demonstrated that a statewide all-electronic tolling system on limited access highways could raise substantial revenue with low rates for Connecticut drivers who would be offered a discount for using a Connecticut-issued E-Z Pass plus a commuter discount if they use the highways frequently. Without a Connecticut E-Z Pass, out-of-state drivers would pay more. As a result, it is estimated that about 40 percent of toll revenue would come from out-of-state cars and trucks.
For purposes of discussion, toll rates were developed that might be as low as 3.5 cents per mile for a frequent, off-peak car driver with a Connecticut E-Z Pass. The average trip made by a Connecticut driver on limited access highways is 12 miles. With discounts, a 12-mile toll trip would be 42 cents off-peak and 53 cents during peak hours. Charging higher rates during peak traffic periods and lower rates in the off-peak will help reduce congestion during the peak period.
The full report can be found here. An Executive Summary can be found here and a Fact Sheet about tolls can be found here.
Tolling plan looks pretty good to me. It would be about $1.75 a day. I would gladly pay for that in exchange for a significant amount of congestion relief on 691, 84, and 84 which I use copiously.
Tolling plan looks pretty good to me. It would be about $1.75 a day. I would gladly pay for that in exchange for a significant amount of congestion relief on 691, 84, and 84 which I use copiously.
The state better have lockbox you can’t trust CT with 1 billion dollars for transportation.
The state better have lockbox you can’t trust CT with 1 billion dollars for transportation.
The lockbox passed with around 70% of the vote. The most likely outcome is that we will get these new tolls, 1 billion will go to the STF, and the legislature will stop diverting 350 million in the sales tax to the STF. This will alleviate some of our problems in the general fund. This is clearly a win-win across the board.
Here is CTDOT's press release on tolling. $1 billion a year with 40 percent of that amount coming from out-of-state drivers is significant. Connecticut residents would be given a discount and frequent commuters would be given an even bigger discount. This seems kind of like a no-brainer to me. Jay
CTDOT Releases Report on All-Electronic Tolling
The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) today released documents showing that, should the General Assembly and new Governor approve, Connecticut could raise approximately $1 billion annually with all-electronic tolling on highways around the state.
“The report we are releasing today is designed to inform a dialogue among our elected leaders and the citizens of Connecticut about the potential for instituting tolls in the state,” said CTDOT Commissioner James P. Redeker. “Governor Malloy’s Transportation Finance Panel concluded that current revenues are insufficient to maintain our roads and bridges or to remove traffic bottlenecks and reduce congestion and recommended tolls as one way of generating new revenue.”
The study documents released today are in advance of an anticipated in-depth operational, environmental and engineering analysis for an all-electronic toll system, for which the State Bond Commission recently approved $10 million.
The study examined options for implementing tolls in CT that would help pay for needed transportation infrastructure improvements. It demonstrated that a statewide all-electronic tolling system on limited access highways could raise substantial revenue with low rates for Connecticut drivers who would be offered a discount for using a Connecticut-issued E-Z Pass plus a commuter discount if they use the highways frequently. Without a Connecticut E-Z Pass, out-of-state drivers would pay more. As a result, it is estimated that about 40 percent of toll revenue would come from out-of-state cars and trucks.
For purposes of discussion, toll rates were developed that might be as low as 3.5 cents per mile for a frequent, off-peak car driver with a Connecticut E-Z Pass. The average trip made by a Connecticut driver on limited access highways is 12 miles. With discounts, a 12-mile toll trip would be 42 cents off-peak and 53 cents during peak hours. Charging higher rates during peak traffic periods and lower rates in the off-peak will help reduce congestion during the peak period.
The full report can be found here. An Executive Summary can be found here and a Fact Sheet about tolls can be found here.
Dreading tolls. Read an article mentioning averafe woule br around 4 cents z mile. Uncertainty with Route 8 but 91 and 84 will probably be rolled. I could be paying $600 a year in tolls meh! With gas tax br anout $775-$800 a year.
Last edited by RunD1987; 11-16-2018 at 11:13 AM..
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