Earlier this week, a broad coalition of nearly three dozen transportation advocates, including the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, gathered at New Haven’s Union Station to release their 2014 Candidate Bulletin Moving Transportation Forward in Connecticut. The Bulletin lists four actions that Connecticut’s elected officials, particularly the gubernatorial candidates, must take in order to develop a safe and reliable system that supports several alternative transportation options:
Protect Funding. Since 2005, $1.2 billion of the state’s motor fuel taxes have gone into the general fund, instead of being used as a down payment on the transportation improvements the state needs. Connecticut must quickly repair this breach of the public trust. Last year, lawmakers passed legislation restricting the use of transportation funds for transportation projects. That’s a good start, but only an amendment to the state constitution can keep the transportation fund in a protected lockbox.
Expedite Projects. Improving ConnDOT’s ability to deliver projects could add thousands of new jobs in Connecticut next year and expedite much needed improvements across all modes of transportation. Authorized funding must turn into designed and constructed projects in a timely fashion, which could have a positive, lasting effect on Connecticut’s workforce, infrastructure, and economy.
Plan for the Uncertain Future. After 2014, Connecticut faces a transportation funding cliff. Federal funding is projected to sharply decline, and authorities estimate that the state could see up to an 87 percent reduction in federal transportation funds. Connecticut needs a plan for this worst-case scenario, and can look to its peers: While Washington has not addressed the funding challenge, dozens of states – from Wyoming to Massachusetts – have chosen to dedicate more funding to transportation.
Invest Wisely. Connecticut has huge needs, both to repair our infrastructure, and improve the highway and transit systems in key areas. Million- and billion-dollar decisions about how to invest have to be justified and prioritized using cost-benefit analysis.
At the event, the coalition also called for the gubernatorial candidates to hold a debate this fall that focuses on transportation needs in the state, saying “Connecticut’s next governor has two choices: provide safe and efficient transportation, or allow our infrastructure to crumble.” The broad group of advocates and supporters has asserted that it will continue to work together to elevate the discussion of transportation issues during the upcoming campaign season.
