As the Hartford Courant observes in an editorial, 50 years ago bridges were built to last 50 years. A half century later those bridges need to be replaced but where is the money going to come from?
According to the editorial, “[T]he state faces $3 billion in transportation infrastructure improvement projects. Unfortunately, the state doesn’t have the $3 billion.”
In addition to the state’s bridges, there’s also the matter of the rail service between Connecticut and New York. The editorial points out, “At both the state and federal levels, the cost of transportation is outstripping the funding mechanisms created to pay for it.”
Also, “The federal Highway Trust Fund has been essentially bankrupt since 2008. It brings in about $90 billion a year, but the federal government spends about $140 billion on roads, bridges, airports and transit, so the general budget has to make up the difference. This adds to the country’s deficit and, things being as they are in Washington, is not likely to continue.”
The Courant says the solution is to sell taxpayers on the need for these improvements. “Most people aren’t stupid; they understand that transportation is essential to the state’s economy and quality of life, that it costs money and that the money doesn’t come from the tooth fairy. But they need to know what they are paying for,” the editorial concluded.
