In a major step towards a more sustainable transportation policy, the Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) has announced that it will conduct a $1.4 million study of congestion pricing along the I-95 corridor between Greenwich and New Haven. An additional $800,000 study will examine road pricing along I-84 in Hartford.

Both studies, funded by the federal government, will take approximately 18 months to complete and will look at congestion pricing in the two corridors as well as the feasibility of high-occupancy tolling (HOT) lanes.

Tri-State has long called for congestion pricing or tolling along Connecticut’s roads as a means to reduce congestion and generate revenue for the state’s transportation system. The now-defunct Transportation Strategy Board commissioned a study on tolling options nearly four years ago, and it is heartening to see ConnDOT investigate the issue further. ConnDOT Commissioner Jim Redeker and Bureau of Policy and Planning Chief Thomas Maziarz should be applauded for their leadership.