Connecticut lawmakers are weary of Massachusetts' proposal to put tolls on the state’s border.
Last month, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healy (D) said she opposed new tolls in the state. But the state’s Transportation Secretary, and most recently, State Senator Robyn Kennedy (D-Worcester), said they are open to the idea.
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont (D) told reporters at an unrelated event on Wednesday that he’s not a fan.
“Look, I don't think it's a great idea. Obviously, it's a cost; it doesn't help tourism. But I also know that they're trying to pay for their roads and bridges,” Lamont said. “I've been there before.”
Earlier this month, Lamont said he was not open to installing tolls in Connecticut, which currently has none.
Connecticut Republicans asked Lamont, who is friends with Healy, to discourage his northern counterpart from considering the idea.
“Republicans agree wholeheartedly with the governor: Border tolls are not a great idea,” Senate Republican Leader Stephen Harding (R-Bethlahem) said. “However, Republicans would go further and say that border tolls are in fact a terrible idea which will kill jobs and tax Connecticut residents. People do not want tolls. They don’t want new taxes. They do not want increases in their cost of living.”
