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In the past, money from the Special Transportation Fund has been used to help balance the General Fund. State Sen. Toni Boucher, a writer of the omnibus bill SB 975 and ranking member of the Transportation Committee, has been vocal about the need to keep transportation money for transportation needs.
“Since we live in one of the most heavily traveled corridors in the entire nation, our state must pay proper attention to our roads and railways by investing in this essential infrastructure," Boucher, a Republican who represents Bethel, New Canaan, Redding, Ridgefield, Weston, Westport and Wilton, said in a statement.
This bill, she said, will stop the practice of transferring money out of the Special Transportation Fund in the future. This year, more than $120 million was transferred.
One section of the bill would allow the state commissioner of transportation to begin developing a modernization initiative to improve the state’s commuter railroad service and infrastructure.
This plan includes the electrification of all branches of the New Haven Line, including the Danbury and New Canaan branch lines, before Jan. 1, 2023, and to expand commuter parking at rail stations. The bill requires the commissioner to submit these plans to the legislature’s Transportation Committee by Feb. 1, 2015, for further action.
“While we can debate whether raising more revenue is necessary, it remains true that the transportation-related revenues we do raise from mass transit fares and gasoline taxes have never been safe from plunder for other purposes. Just last year, $70 million was taken from the Special Transportation Fund to close the fiscal 2012 deficit," State Rep. Gail Lavielle, R-Wilton, said in a statement. “Despite our pressing need for not only improvement, but also repair and maintenance, of our transportation infrastructure, the state never seems to have the necessary funds.”
State Rep. Jonathan Steinberg, D-Westport, also praised the bill. “We've kept a spotlight on preserving the Special Transportation Fund all session, and it’s gratifying to see that commitment enshrined in statute,” Steinberg said in a statement. “But we still have work to do to assure these funds are applied as designated.”
Part of the bill looks toward improving the roadway and signs along the Merritt Parkway.
The bill passed unanimously through both the state House and Senate. It now waits to be signed by Gov. Dannel Malloy.
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