SOUTH SALEM, NY -- As the toll debate continues in Hartford, New York State Senator Peter Harckham proposed tolls on Connecticut drivers Monday.
Harckham's pitch comes in response to Gov. Lamont's plan to collect tolls on a one-mile stretch of I-684 entering New York.
"So, it strikes me and many others as particularly galling that Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont and other Connecticut officials are going ahead with put a toll in place on the small 1.4 mile stretch of I-684 that crosses into Connecticut to pay for roadway infrastructure repairs in Connecticut," said Harckham.
Harckham criticized the Lamont administration and Connecticut lawmakers for not consulting with New York officials over the issue.
In addition to I-684, the New York senator proposed a series of tolls on Route 116 in North Salem, on Route 35 and 123 in Lewisboro, and Routes 124 and 137 in Pound Ridge, as well as a toll on the Hutchinson River Parkway in Rye Brook, and elsewhere along the Connecticut border as deemed necessary.
Harckham said that New York does not want toll gates along Connecticut's state and county highways and that legislators from both states should have an open discussion "instead of reaching into the pockets of each other's residents."
Connecticut has yet to approve a final transportation plan. Governor Ned Lamont, along with Connecticut’s top politicians, previously announced intentions for a special session in January 2020 to discuss their options.
Watch the Senator's proposal below.