A Connecticut panel is considering studying a special electronic toll system, similar to the EZ Pass technology in other states, to help reduce traffic congestion on several state highways.

The Transportation Strategy Board plans to discuss a possible study of the toll system, called "congestion mitigation pricing," next week, according to the Associated Press. The concept is a way to encourage people to drive during off-peak hours, reducing the number of cars on the roadway at busy times, state officials said.
The Department of Transportation would conduct the study, evaluating how a toll system might work along portions of Interstates 95, 84 and 91, and Route 15 between Greenwich and Stamford. The DOT would submit a final report to the board by March 31, 2004.
Such an evaluation could cost $500,000 to $1 million.
The state got rid of tolls on I-95 in response to a deadly truck accident in Stratford in 1982.
The toll concept, used in Southern California, New York City and other areas, typically involves charging drivers a premium for using a heavily traveled road during peak periods, such as the commuter rush hours and holidays.
Drivers sometimes pay a toll to enter a congested area. The fee is paid electronically from a device installed on a dashboard, similar to the EZ pass technology used in Massachusetts and New York tollbooths.
In the case of California, drivers pay the special fee to use an extra lane that has fewer delays. In New York, people pay higher fees to use some bridges during busy times of the day.
The Transportation Strategy Board also is considering widening the Merritt Parkway. A majority of the board's members is leaning strongly toward recommending a study of potential Merritt Parkway upgrades. The parkway could be easier to widen than the narrow I-95 corridor because wide swaths of state-owned land border the parkway's lanes, and improvements would make the parkway safer, the supporters said.
The parkway's landscaping and the unique architecture of its bridges earned it a spot in 1991 on the National Register of Historic Places. Its devotees praise the 37.5-mile stretch as an irreplaceable part of Connecticut's character.