[JayCT]

Well the Republicans in Connecticut have now proposed spending less than half of the amount proposed under Governor Malloy's $100 billion 30 year plan. They say we have to live within our means and do not need to look beyond current funding sources (i.e. no tolls). They also think that the Federal government will increase the amount they contribute in the future to roadways but that is not likely given the way things are going in Congress today.

Amazon.com ramps up for CT hiring | HartfordBusiness.com

Personally, I find the Republican plan to be more of the same old thing. Our transportation infrastructure is falling apart and there is a strong need to do something bold to fix things. State Senator Fasano's statements on Federal funding and that you can only do "one project" at a time on I-95 show he knows very little about transportation projects. Right now there are several projects going on along the highway including the Q Bridge, the West River Bridge, the Moses Wheeler Bridge and the operational lane project near Route 7 in Norwalk. In the past they rebuilt I-95 in Bridgeport when projects were going on in Darien and Stamford. I also like how former CTDOT Commissioner and Deputy Secretary of Transportation at the USDOT, Emil Frankel, told him his assumptions on Federal money increasing were not the best assumption to make.

So the question is, do we keep going along at the same pace we have been for the past 20 years or do we change? What do you think? Jay

[Mr_250]

Originally Posted by JayCT

So the question is, do we keep going along at the same pace we have been for the past 20 years or do we change? What do you think? Jay

I am all for more spending even if it includes tolls. I work in this industry so the more jobs out there the better opportunities I have. #beingselfish.

Our roads/bridges/rails are bad. I work mostly on bridges on major highways in CT and could tell you first hand they are failing. Infrastructure work does two things 1) provides very well paying jobs 2) creates jobs because the supply chain is so large.

CT is lacking in keeping up with transportation projects. We have old technology and old ways of doing business. Hopefully the method they are using on the Walk Project (Design-Build) will catch on and be used in CT. MI, for example, replaced 500 bridges in 2 years using 1 Prime Contractor and the DB method. Using lowest bid is outdated.

We need to watch out for what Congress does. CT said that if no solution is reached we have 6-months to fund the current projects we have. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.

PS-JayCT, not sure the link is correct or not. It brings me up Amazon hiring.

[Lintu]

I agree with you, Mr_250.

[hucareshokiesrul]

I'm fine with tolls because they're just usage fees. If people don't want to use the new infrastructure, they don't have to and they won't have to pay the tolls.

[JayCT]

Sorry about that. Here is the correct link. Jay

GOP proposal halves money for Malloy's transportation plan - Connecticut Post

[Comp625]

I'm OK with the idea of tolls as long as the EzPass booths (a) do not add to the already horrendous traffic situation, (b) do not cause more accidents/deaths and (c) truly bring in the revenue that the State is looking for due to out-of-state travelers. Not to reiterate the tolls topic, but IMO, this means placing a booth at the Greenwich/Port Chester line, the Stonington line, the Union line, and the Enfield line.

On a greater scale, the state needs to leverage the fact that Stamford and Norwalk collectively represent one of the strongest business/economic centers in Connecticut. Infrastructure that allows a greater volume without hindering traffic flow through Fairfield County would be very beneficial in that regard. The same holds true for the Hartford area - the 91/84 traffic is so terrible that it's a turnoff for employers and employees alike.

[MiaMia411]

Originally Posted by Comp625

I'm OK with the idea of tolls as long as the EzPass booths (a) do not add to the already horrendous traffic situation, (b) do not cause more accidents/deaths and (c) truly bring in the revenue that the State is looking for due to out-of-state travelers. Not to reiterate the tolls topic, but IMO, this means placing a booth at the Greenwich/Port Chester line, the Stonington line, the Union line, and the Enfield line.

On a greater scale, the state needs to leverage the fact that Stamford and Norwalk collectively represent one of the strongest business/economic centers in Connecticut. Infrastructure that allows a greater volume without hindering traffic flow through Fairfield County would be very beneficial in that regard. The same holds true for the Hartford area - the 91/84 traffic is so terrible that it's a turnoff for employers and employees alike.

There is no need for booths anymore for tolls, for years now you can see how tolls work without booths.

All-electronic, no-cash tolling is a set of technologies that allow for the payment of tolls electronically, using special equipment located over the traffic lanes. Simply put, it refers to a toll road without cash tollbooths, where traffic flows unimpeded at ramp or highway speeds. Tolls are collected through a EZPass transponder or through TOLL-BY-PLATE—a system that captures images of license plates and bills customers. All-electronic toll collection provides added convenience for drivers who no longer have to slow down or stop to pay a toll.

Put these up at the borders.

[AnonChick]

For citywide and suburbian transport, I'd love to see overhead light rail. Moveable sidewalks connecting buildings, trolleys, a subway system. I especially like the idea of moveable sidewalks and overhead light rail (like a monorail that connects you from one side of a downtown area to another, and then back down to the ground for city-to-suburb commuter parking lots.

But that's just me and my fantasy "what if" situation. We used to have trolleys though. It'd be pretty neat to see them return.

[NewJeffCT]

I've lived in CT basically my entire life, and Connecticut almost never thinks boldly and long-term. Maybe because we're a small state between New York and Massachusetts, it gives us a "small" thinking mindset? We just half-ass our way through repairs/infrastructure, paying for things bit by bit as they become problems instead of trying to be proactive.

[Mike 75]

With the Fed contribution its about 2/3 of what Malloy is proposing, but the big question is whether that Fed money will materialize. Who knows? But the Reps make a good point that there needs to be prioritization of projects. If everything is important, then nothing is important. Bike lanes and pedestrian paths are great, but they are luxury when you have bridges and roads in extreme states of disrepair. And they don't really address the congestion problems we have. And I don't agree that we need a best in class transportation system - we need an adequate transportation system. Considering the current state of things, an adequate system will seem like a best in class one.