Senator Kissel Testifies in Opposition of Tolls at Transportation Public Hearing

HARTFORD, Conn. – Today State Senator John A. Kissel (R-Enfield) testified before the General Assembly’s Transportation Committee in opposition of installing tolls on Connecticut roadways.

“As the State Senator for several border towns in North-Central Connecticut, I cannot state how strongly I am opposed to the proposal of tolls,” said Sen. Kissel. “There are so many unknowns about the installation of tolls and how this would impact our daily commute – I’ve seen estimates from the Department of Transportation show toll rates must be between 10 and 20 cents per mile in order to even break even or make a profit. These rates are outrageous and represent another huge tax burden on hard-working families across our state. As a state we can obtain similar objectives without a ‘mileage tax’ on our residents – even within our current funding resources.”

Senator Kissel testified before the Transportation Committee on two bills that would implement tolls throughout the state including – House Bill 5046 – An Act Concerning the Sustainability of Transportation Projects and House Bill 5393 – An Act Establishing the Connecticut Transportation Finance Authority to Maintain Major State Highways.

“We must examine other ways to improve our infrastructure instead of asking hard-working families to fork over thousands of dollars to the state just to get to work each day and put food on the table,” said Sen. Kissel.