Should Tolls Be 'Back On The Table' In CT? Take The Patch Poll

CONNECTICUT — The race for the Connecticut Governor's Office may have hit an unlikely speed bump this week: discussion of highway tolls is back on the table.

Nearly four decades since Connecticut collected its last coin in a hopper along the Charter Oak Bridge, the Ghost of Highway Tolls Past is once again rattling its chains.

State Rep. Josh Elliott (D-88), so far Lamont's only declared competition in his bid for reelection, told ‘This Week in Connecticut’ that he supports bringing tolls back. The lawmaker calls tolls a user fee, "So ultimately, you're asking people from out of state to pay your state to be able to use your resources."

Pressed for a reaction, Lamont fired back.

"I've been there, I've done that, people just don't want us to do the tolls," Lamont told reporters. The governor said he has asked legislators in January for suggestions on ways to bolster the state's transportaton fund, but "hasn't heard a peep from any of them."

In 2018, Lamont, initially campaigned on truck-only tolls and proposed toll gantries on I‑95, I‑84, I‑91, and Route 15. After more than a year's worth of political resistance and public protests, Lamont abruptly shelved the plan.

Last year, a move toward border tolls by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation rekindled the discussion, but most support for new tolling measures on both sides of the border drew swift and loud opposition.

See: State GOP Lawmakers Urge Lamont To Pump Brakes On Border Toll Talk

But now it's 2025, and anything is possible. Do you think highway tolls should remain a relic, or is there a place for them in the new economy? Take our reader poll: