🔒Larson’s $10B tunnel vision intriguing, but worrisome

Connecticut and Hartford in particular are in need of bold visions and Congressman John Larson's $10 billion plan to put I-84 and I-91 in tunnels to ease traffic congestion and open up Hartford to the Connecticut River, certainly qualifies.

Larson recently unveiled his unexpected proposal to the Hartford Courant, outlining what he called a “100-year vision for the region” that would create two tunnels: one replacing the I-84 stretch connecting Hartford to East Hartford; the other where I-91 currently runs along the Connecticut River.

We applaud Larson for his bold thinking — although it's not totally an original concept (his Republican opponent in this year's election, Matthew Corey, told the Courant he pitched the same idea two years ago) — and certainly agree that interstate highways, particularly I-84, have harmed the Capital City by dividing Hartford's neighborhoods and cutting off access to the Connecticut River.

Traffic congestion is also a problem as the aging highway system carries more passengers today than it ever intended to serve.

But Larson's plan raises numerous concerns and questions. The timing is also suspect, considering the state Department of Transportation — after years of planning and input from various stakeholders, including the business community — recently ruled out building a tunnel to replace the I-84 viaduct through Hartford, because it's too expensive.

Most concerning is the price tag. Larson said he'd like to get federal funds to help pay for his tunnel plan, but federal transportation funding, much like the state's, has become anything but reliable in recent years. If the federal government remains divided after the November elections, it would make it harder to stir bipartisan support for such a major infrastructure investment.

To Larson's credit, he has been actively lobbying Republican U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, who chairs the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and is reportedly open to the tunnel plan. But securing billions of dollars would be a tough slog, particularly when real highway spending per mile has fallen 50 percent in the U.S. since the 1950s, according to the National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission.

Meantime, Connecticut's budget constraints are well documented and state DOT officials in June ruled out building a tunnel to replace the I-84 viaduct because the $10 billion to $12 billion price tag was unaffordable.

Instead, DOT officials largely settled on a lowered highway alternative, which would entail complete reconstruction of I-84 at ground level or slightly below. The cost would be as high as $5 billion.

Additionally, one of the key ways Larson wants to finance the tunnel construction is by adopting tolls at each tunnel entrance. We think that's a bad idea.

While we don't completely reject the adoption of tolls in Connecticut, placing them in the Capital City would only encourage people to avoid Hartford, which is the complete opposite of what this investment would intend to do. If lawmakers were to adopt tolls they should be placed at Connecticut's borders so that out-of-state travelers who consistently use our roads and bridges pay their fair share of the maintenance costs. Placing tolls in Hartford would punish mostly Connecticut residents who work in the city, and raise the costs to employers who have made it widely known in recent years that Connecticut is already an overly expensive place to operate.

We applaud Larson for thinking big and bringing the two-tunnel idea to the table, however we wish he did it years ago in conjunction with the state DOT's planning to replace the viaduct. If Larson can get the federal government to shoulder a large portion of the construction we'd certainly want to learn more. Until then, Larson's plan will remain a pipe dream.