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April 16, 2018

Study: CT highways among worst nationwide

HBJ File Photo

Connecticut highways rank nearly dead last nationwide for performance and cost-effectiveness, according to a study by the Reason Foundation.

The study says Connecticut highways ranked 46th in the nation in their annual study that ranks the performance of state highway systems in 2015 and draws from congestion data in 2016. The rankings are determined by 11 categories such as spending per mile, pavement conditions, deficient bridges, traffic congestion and fatality rates, among others.

Connecticut spent $497,659 per state-controlled mile on various transportation expenses including bridge maintenance, administrative costs, highway law enforcement and safety and bonded debt, ranking 44th in country, the study says.

About 34 percent of Connecticut bridges are in “deficient condition,” ranking 44th in the country, the study says.

The study says one of Connecticut’s silver linings was its low fatality rate per 100 million miles driven, which ranked sixth overall at 0.84 percent.

The condition of Connecticut’s city highways ranked 23rd overall.

Connecticut’s highway system ranked close behind Massachusetts and New York, which have long-established tolls that raise millions of dollars in annual revenues.

A major legislative committee this month approved a bill that could establish an electronic toll system on Connecticut highways, although advocates admit the measure’s fate is unclear.

House Bill 5046 would task the Department of Transportation (DOT) with studying how to establish a toll system on Interstates 84, 91 and 95, and on the Wilbur Cross and Merritt parkways.

The DOT would also be required to study how much revenue the toll system would raise and what discounts might be offered to Connecticut residents.

Read the full study here.

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