4/11/05-A budget proposal by Gov. M. Jodi Rell could raise the state’s fuel tax by 6 cents over the next eight years.
The tax is part of a larger $1.3 billion transit improvement plan proposed by the governor. The plan is just one part of a $31 billion budget, all of which can be revised – and must be approved – by the state Legislature before it can take effect.
Rell told The Associated Press that the proposed fuel tax would create an additional $13 million to $15 million in revenue. Much of this money, she said, would be used to increase and improve traffic flow and repair ramps on Interstate 95.
Other designations for the money include $150 million for improvements to I-84 and I-91, $7.5 million for new buses and $667 million to add 342 new passenger rail cars to the Metro-North railroad fleet.
If approved, the fuel tax would go up by a penny starting July 1. Currently, Connecticut has a 25-cent gasoline tax and a 26-cent diesel tax.

2/9/05-Gov. M Jodi Rell announced Feb. 9 that she would seek to raise the state’s fuel tax by 6 cents per gallon over the next eight years.
Revenue from the tax hike, and a $1 surcharge on Metro-North tickets in Connecticut, would be used to fund proposed improvements in transportation funding.
The governor would spend $1.3 billion on the state’s transportation infrastructure, including improvements to Interstate 95, new rail cars for Metro-North’s New Haven line, and new transit buses. A state transportation advisory board has suggested that a dedicated funding stream is needed to reduce gridlock on state roads.