The Connecticut Department of Transportation will look into the possibility of adding a "value priced" toll to I-95 between Greenwich and New Haven in a effort to relieve congestion on the highway.


Officials will conduct a $1.4 million study to determine the feasibility of either adding electronic tolls to all lanes of the roadway, or adding a toll to one lane as an express option for motorists who would pay for the privilege of bypassing traffic in other lanes.

According to a story in the New Haven Register, the idea is to balance travel "demand" with roadway "supply" during peak rush hour travel periods by charging motorists who travel during those periods a toll for the privilege.

"The goal would be to encourage motorists to either shift to other routes or other modes of transportation - such as mass transit - during peak periods, or get those who are able to travel at other times of the day to do so," Bureau of Policy and Planning Bureau Chief, Thomas J. Maziarz was quoted as saying.

Similar schemes are already in place in various areas, such as Miami, Fla. and London, England, where a £5 fee has reportedly reduced traffic jams by 40 percent and raised the average speed on the city's motorways by 11 mph. The typical driver also spends 13 percent less time in the vehicle, reports the BBC.

Commuters who pass through the Interstates 91 and 95 interchange in New Haven experience a total of 5.7 million hours of delay per year, the paper says, while commuters who pass through the Bridgeport-Stamford corridor suffer 16 million hours of delay per year.

The study is expected take 18 months to complete.