Sen. Hwang, Fellow Westport Representatives Comment on Tolls (Westport News)

Excerpts from the article as it appears in the Westport News:

WESTPORT — State representatives are speaking out both in favor and against tolls after Gov. Ned Lamont offered two potential paths for instituting highway tolls in his budget proposal last week.

State Sen. Tony Hwang, R-28, said tolls wouldn’t be an immediate “panacea to our transportation ills.” When asked about solutions, said he was open to exploring public private partnerships and a prioritization of transportation projects through the Legislature.

Although he does not have a vote in the Legislature, Westport First Selectman Jim Marpe said he’s concerned tolls may may aggravate traffic in town if people choose to use local Westport roads to avoid highway tolls. Marpe said he’s also worried about the impact of tolls on people who commute into Westport to work from out of state.

“I’m as much an advocate to fix our transportation system as anyone and recognize this will take billions of dollars,” Marpe said, adding he’s in favor of tolling trucks, but wants to see the state reduce costs through pension reform to free up money for transportation fixes.

“It isn’t enough to keep raising money. I think we need to save money as well and direct it toward important transportation infrastructure investments,” Marpe said.