If CT Roads Get Tolls, Here’s How Much Your Commute Could Cost

Traveling on our state highways is bad enough, but if you haven't heard yet, Connecticut Governor Elect Ned Lamont is supporting limited tolling, and there's a possibility that all major highways in Connecticut will have tolls installed. So what does that mean for you, the commuter?

According to a new study done just last week, the State Department Of Transportation estimates that the state could collect more than $1 billion per year by installing tolls on the state major highways.

Also revealed in this study were the roads where you'll see these tolls popping up. They would be located approximately every 6.6 miles on interstates 95, 84, 91, 395, 691 and 291 and routes 2, 9, 8 and 15.

Here's how the new toll system would break down monetarily. Connecticut drivers would be paying 5.5 cents per mile during rush hour, with a lesser amount of 4.4 cents per mile during off peak hours. So how will that affect your commute? Here are some possible scenarios and how much it will cost you to drive around the state.

According to the Hartford Courant, if you commute from Danbury to Waterbury on I-84 you would have to pay $2.38 per round trip during rush hour, and $1.90 if the trips were made during off-peak hours. If you do the math and add them up, provided these trips were during rush hours, the driver’s weekly bill for a normal five day work week would be $11.90, for a yearly cost of $571.20.

If you traveled from Danbury to New Haven during rush hour, and took major highways like I-84 and I-91, it would cost you $3.34 per round trip, or $16.70 for a five-day work week. If you add it all up, based on 48 weeks a year with two weeks vacation and various holidays when you wouldn't be working, the yearly cost would be $801.60.

So when will this all start happening? We're not sure yet, but there's a good possibility that once Governor Elect Ned Lamont takes over in January, we may start to see some kind of toll system popping up on our area highways.