Photo | Contributed
Alan Schnitzer, Chairman and CEO, Travelers
November 12, 2019
Business executives tout Gov. Lamont’s transportation focus
PHOTO | Steve Laschever
The Hartford's CEO Christopher Swift, shown in the insurer's Capital City headquarters.
By Sean Teehan, CT Mirror
Five executives from some of the largest businesses in Connecticut came out in support of Gov. Ned Lamont’s $21 billion transportation plan.
The executives, representing companies in the insurance, pharmaceutical and manufacturing industries, released separate statements that praised Lamont’s plan to address issues like rail and bridge repair, but none mentioned the most controversial aspect: tolls.
“Fixing the state’s transportation infrastructure is an essential component to improve Connecticut’s competitiveness, economic development and growth, as well as to improve the quality of life for all residents,” said a statement from Stanley Black & Decker CEO Jim Loree.
Lamont’s transportation plan would touch every aspect of Connecticut’s highway and rail system over the next decade, expanding and improving Metro-North, unclogging highway bottlenecks (by more than 20 minutes in a few cases), replacing aging bridges and connecting Bradley International Airport to a more robust regional rail system.
To finance a vision Lamont says is vital to economic growth, the governor would rely on a hybrid plan that combines a greatly down-sized version of the poorly received tolls system he proposed in February with elements of the Republican alternative that prioritizes current bonding capacity on transportation, mixing in a new reliance on low-cost federal financing.
"We can all agree that Connecticut needs to modernize its roads, bridges, airports and rail service to best position the state for future growth,” said Chris Swift, CEO of The Hartford. “We encourage legislators to work with the governor on a solution to the state’s transportation needs and to take decisive action together.”
Passenger car tolls of 50-cents to $1 would be charged on 14 bridges, with 20 percent discounts to Connecticut drivers with EZ pass transponders, dropping the cost to 40 cents or 80 cents depending on time of day. Heavy trucks would pay between $3.50 and $7.
The CT2030 blueprint offers everything Lamont’s original effort did not: It draws a vivid picture of what the plan would buy and how commutes would be improved by better highways, safer bridges and commuter rail cars that could reach speeds of 110 miles per hour and offer modern conveniences of wi-fi and mobile charging.
Travelers CEO Alan Schnitzer, in a statement, said addressing transportation issues is key to growth.
“Improving Connecticut’s transportation infrastructure is critical for enabling economic growth,” Schnitzer said. “We appreciate the Governor’s leadership on this important initiative, and we encourage legislative leaders to come to an agreement and move forward together.”
Karen Lynch, president of Hartford health insurer Aetna, also praised Lamont for addressing transportation in a systematic way, but stopped short of throwing support behind the plan as written.
“We’ll continue to review the different aspects of the plan and encourage a bipartisan dialogue going forward,” she said.
The plan’s inclusion of tolls, which Republican state legislators have railed against, has garnered opposition among GOP lawmakers.
Photo | Contributed
Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano (R-North Haven)
“A lot of people would say if you paid for something you use, it makes sense,” Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano said of the plan’s proposal to install toll gantries until infrastructure repairs are paid for. “It’s a trust-in-government issue and future legislatures and legislators that are are going to say, ‘Tolls are here, let’s do more.’ And that’s where the plan is running into a wall.”
But Ridgefield-based Boehringer Ingelheim CEO Wolfgang Baiker praised Lamont for releasing a comprehensive plan, and encouraged state legislators to respond to it in good faith.
“Transportation significantly impacts residents and business alike. We hope state leaders will continue the conversation and take action on this important issue,” Ingelheim said in a statement.
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Anonymous
November 13, 2019
The executives, released separate statements that praised Lamont’s plan to address issues like rail and bridge repair, but none mentioned the most controversial aspect: tolls. Enough said!
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