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Health & Fitness

As Roads Begin to Crumble, State Continues to Pull from Transportation Fund

In a recent study on the nation’s infrastructure by the American Society of Civil Engineers, Connecticut and Illinois have been ranked last for having the worst roads in the nation.

 

According to the report, 73% of roads in Connecticut are in poor or depleting condition - the highest percentage in the nation.

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This shocking report was released just days after the Governor and majority party in the Connecticut General Assembly passed a state budget on party lines that swept $100 million in transportation money out of the Special Transportation Fund and into the state’s General Fund for miscellaneous spending projects. Along with the sweep of the transportation funds, we will now see a tax increase on gasoline and diesel on July 1st, new revenues that now may ultimately not be spent on our failing infrastructure.

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Included in the state budget was also a measure to make the controversial New Britain to Hartford Busway a permanent fixture in our budget, which means taxpayers will now be subsidizing 75% of the operating cost of the Busway, amounting to $7.5 million per year. This is transportation money that could have been much better spent in the coming years.

 

At a time when our state’s roads and bridges are in desperate need of repair, the Governor and majority party, in a desperate attempt to support other costly programs, stripped funds away from our roads and bridges and sent transportation funds to be spent elsewhere.

 

Delaying repairs to old roads and bridges can have catastrophic effects, as we have all witnessed with so many bridges and highways suddenly collapsing across our nation. Just recently in our community, a large portion of Route 140 in East Windsor was shut down because heavy rain and other extreme weather conditions caused the roadway to rapidly crack and sink. Luckily, because of swift action, nobody was injured. Nonetheless, there is no question that raiding of our Transportation Fund by millions of dollars puts our state roads and our commuters in danger.

 

The first and most vital responsibility of government is to protect its citizens, and the financial decisions being made in Hartford are putting our major highways and our local roads and bridges in jeopardy. In the end, the proper maintaining of our roads is an issue of public safety.

 

Yet,  despite Connecticut citizens paying for the largest tax increase in the state’s history over the last two years, legislative leadership in the General Assembly refuse to properly fund one of the state’s most basic and vital needs – our public infrastructure.

 

The sweeping of money from out of our transportation fund is one of the many things my Republican colleagues and I fought strongly against during the budget making process, but the majority party shut out any minority input during the negotiation process. Because of this, the people of Connecticut were left with a partisan budget full of gimmicks and empty promises.

 

Connecticut needs to change its course towards a more responsible direction, and the first step in the right direction takes finally setting our priorities straight.

 

Rep. Davis represents the 57th district covering East Windsor & Ellington


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