Source: https://www.cga.ct.gov/2013/SUM/2013SUM00277-R02SB-00975-SUM.htm
Timestamp: 2018-02-25 15:56:36
Document Index: 539345453

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 1', '§ 10', '§ 77', '§ 14', '§ 8', '§ 23', '§ 15', '§ 4', '§ 62', '§ 7', '§ 11', '§ 16', '§ 65', '§ 76', '§ 68', '§ 12', '§ 1', '§ 2', '§ 3', '§ 4', '§ 5', '§ 6', '§ 7', '§ 8', '§ 10', '§ 11', '§ 12', '§ 13', '§ 14', '§ 15', '§ 16', '§ 26', '§ 21', '§ 1', '§ 22', '§ 23', '§ 24', '§ 29', '§ 29', '§ 30', '§ 31', '§ 32', '§ 34', '§ 35', '§ 36', '§ 37', '§ 38', '§ 39', '§ 40', '§ 41', '§ 42', '§ 43', '§ 44', '§ 45', '§ 46', '§ 47', '§ 48', '§ 49', '§ 53', '§ 75', '§ 33', '§ 50', '§ 51', '§ 52', '§ 54', '§ 55', '§ 56', '§ 58', '§ 62', '§ 63', '§ 64', '§ 65', '§ 13', '§ 68', '§ 76', '§ 77', '§ 80', '§ 29', '§ 194']

SUMMARY: This act changes the way the Department of Transportation (DOT) disposes of excess property (§ 1) and makes a number of other changes in transportation laws, including:
1. expanding the ban on drivers' use of hand-held cell phones to include use when a vehicle is temporarily stopped because of traffic, road conditions, or traffic control signs or signals (§ 10);
2. tightening laws affecting the taxicab industry (§§ 77-79);
3. expanding the DOT commissioner's ability to designate certain projects for alternative bidding procedures (§ 14);
4. limiting the vehicles that can travel on the Hartford-New Britain Busway (§ 8);
5. requiring DOT to study railroad improvements, including electrifying all New Haven Line branch lines and increasing parking at commuter train stations (§ 23);
6. requiring the Connecticut Airport Authority (CAA), instead of the Bradley International Airport Enterprise Fund, to pay specified amounts annually to the four towns in which Bradley International Airport is located; and applying to the CAA the same rules that govern state agencies when constructing or altering buildings (§§ 15, 58-61);
7. authorizing DOT to issue permits allowing filming on property it owns or controls (§ 4);
8. potentially allowing heavier trucks carrying agricultural products to use state roads (§ 62);
9. requiring vessels carrying marine pilots to obtain a certificate of insurance from their insurers, rather than a DOT certificate of compliance, and setting fines for noncompliance (§ 7);
10. barring, with certain exceptions, billboards on state-owned or -controlled land, and increasing billboard permit fees, (§ 11);
11. eliminating the requirement that DOT prepare, publish, and regularly update a master transportation plan (§§ 16-20, 25-28, & 81);
12. changing how the highway work zone safety account is funded (§§ 65-67);
13. limiting the use of the Special Transportation Fund (STF) to transportation purposes (§ 76);
14. reinstating the Connecticut Public Transportation Commission (§§ 68-74); and
15. prohibiting transit districts and parking authorities from banning political advertising (§ 12).
It also names bridges and roads, and requires certain signs to be erected notifying motorists of ferry services, the Stewart B. McKinney Wildlife Refuge, and vehicle height restrictions on the Merritt Parkway.
EFFECTIVE DATES: Various, see below.
§ 1 — DISPOSITION OF EXCESS LAND
By law, the DOT commissioner, with the advice and consent of the Office of Policy and Management (OPM) secretary and the State Properties Review Board, may sell, lease, convey, or otherwise dispose of excess land. The law generally requires DOT to transfer excess property to state agencies or through public bid or auction.
Prior law required DOT, for 25 years after acquiring residential land on which there is a single-family house, to first offer the owner of the property at the time it was acquired the opportunity to buy the home at its appraised value. If the former homeowner did not accept the offer, DOT had to offer (1) parcels that meet local zoning requirements for residential or commercial use to other state agencies and (2) other parcels to abutting landowners.
It requires DOT to hold a public bid or auction for properly recorded lots. But it allows the department, if it does not receive any bids at the initial bid or auction, to (1) keep marketing the property and accept offers for it or (2) hold another bid or auction.
But before putting properly recorded properties up for bid, DOT must offer them to other state agencies and the towns in which they are located, regardless of how they are zoned. The department must offer parcels that are not properly recorded to abutting landowners, according to regulations.
By law, unless excess property is going to be transferred to another state agency or a municipality, DOT must get it appraised before selling it. Prior law required DOT to get a second appraisal if such property was (1) valued at more than $100,000 and (2) not going to be sold through public bid or auction. The act instead requires the department to get a second appraisal if the property is (1) valued at more than $250,000 and (2) to be sold to an abutting landowner or the former owner of a single-family home on the property. As under existing law, property DOT transfers to other state agencies is exempt from the appraisal requirement.
§ 2 — NEW HAVEN-HARTFORD-SPRINGFIELD RAIL LINE
The act authorizes the DOT commissioner, in consultation with the OPM secretary and with the governor's approval, to enter into agreements with Vermont, or an entity acting on that state's behalf, necessary for Connecticut's participation in the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield passenger rail line. The commissioner already has this authority with respect to Massachusetts.
§ 3 — DELEGATION OF DOT COMMISSIONER'S AUTHORITY
The act allows the commissioner to delegate to DOT bureau heads or other appropriate agency staff the authority to sign any document the commissioner may sign, and deems any such signature binding and valid. It authorizes bureau heads of operating bureaus to attest that certified copies of any documents relating to DOT operation or the commissioner's records are true copies, and deems these records competent evidence, in any court, of the facts they contain. The commissioner can already delegate this authority to DOT deputy commissioners and DOT's chief engineer.
§ 4 — FILMING PERMIT
The act authorizes the commissioner to issue a filming permit, on a form he requires, to anyone seeking to film on (1) a state highway right-of-way or (2) property in DOT's custody or control. Under the act, filming includes creating photographs, moving images, and footage and sound recordings for commercial, entertainment, or advertising purposes. The DOT commissioner must develop the permit in consultation with the economic and community development commissioner.
The permit must specify the insurance coverage required of the permittee, as determined by the DOT commissioner in consultation with the state's insurance and risk management director, with the state named as an additional insured. Under the act, the state, its agencies, and employees are not liable for injuries or damages to any person or property resulting from the permittees filming on state property or a highway right-of-way.
§ 5 — EASEMENTS OF STATE LAND FOR UTILITY PURPOSES
The act allows the DOT commissioner to grant easements on state land to a public service company (e. g. , electric, gas, telephone, or cable TV company) for bringing utility service to a DOT facility or office. The State Properties Review Board must approve these easements.
§ 6 — EXEMPTION FOR MINIMUM HEIGHT REQUIREMENTS FOR FAIRFIELD BRIDGE
The act exempts a bridge for the structure carrying the Metro Center Access Road over the Metro-North Railroad in Fairfield from a law requiring the minimum overhead clearance for structures crossing railroads with overhead electrical wires to be 22 feet, six inches. The Fairfield bridge has a minimum overhead clearance of 22 feet, two inches.
§ 7 — INSURANCE CERTIFICATES FOR CERTAIN MARINE VESSELS
The act requires the owner or operator of a vessel that carries a licensed marine pilot to or from another vessel in open and unprotected waters to obtain a certificate of insurance from an insurance carrier. (These are waters located east of the area depicted on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration charts of the eastern portion of Long Island Sound as “the Race. ”) The insurance certificate must be based on a survey conducted and documented by a qualified marine surveyor guided by applicable U. S. Coast Guard regulations, if any, and vessel insurability standards set by insurance companies. The act eliminates (1) a requirement that these owners or operators obtain a certificate from the commissioner certifying that the owner or operator complies with applicable DOT regulations and (2) certain provisions stating what these regulations must cover. The act instead requires the commissioner to adopt regulations specifying the procedures for embarking and disembarking pilots, and, as under existing law, operating and equipping each vessel. As under existing law, these regulations may establish standard rates for the use of each vessel carrying pilots.
Under the act, the fine is between $500 and $1,000 for violating the insurance requirement. Fines under prior law ranged from $60 to $250 for each violation of the DOT certificate requirement and regulations.
§§ 8-9 — HARTFORD-NEW BRITAIN BUSWAY
The act defines roadways dedicated for bus rapid transit service (e. g. , the Hartford-New Britain busway) as a “highway” under state law, thereby applying all laws affecting highways to the busway.
1. a state-authorized motor vehicle providing public transit service,
2. an authorized emergency vehicle responding to an emergency,
3. a vehicle operated by DOT or a DOT contractor authorized to maintain the roadway, or
4. a motor vehicle the commissioner specifically allows in writing to enter or travel on the busway.
§ 10 — CHANGES TO CELL PHONE LAW
Prior law prohibited drivers from using a hand-held cell phone or mobile electronic device while their vehicle was moving. The act expands this prohibition to include using these devices when a vehicle is temporarily stopped because of traffic, road conditions, or a traffic control sign or signal. But it allows use of a cell phone or electronic device if the operator is parked safely on the side or shoulder of a highway. It applies this prohibition to the use of any cell phone or mobile electronic device, including those that are hands-free, by a (1) school bus driver operating a school bus carrying passengers or (2) driver age 17 or younger operating any motor vehicle. As under existing law, these restrictions do not apply in an emergency.
Prior law allowed anyone with a Federal Communications Commission amateur radio station license to use a hand-held radio while driving. The act prohibits these drivers from doing so except in an emergency.
§ 11 — BILLBOARD FEES
The act doubles fees related to billboards. It increases, from $50 to $100, the application fee for a permit to erect signs containing less than 300 square feet of advertising space, and from $100 to $200 the application fee for signs with at least 300 square feet of advertising space.
Table 1: Billboard Permit Fees
§ 12 — POLITICAL ADVERTISING
The act prohibits transit districts and parking authorities that allow advertising on their premises, including on or in any vehicle or bus shelter, from refusing to allow political advertising at those facilities. The prohibition applies regardless of whether the advertising is placed directly by the district, authority, a third-party, or independent contractor, or whether the facility is operated by the district, authority, third-party, or independent contractor.
§ 13 — ELECTRONIC BILLBOARD DISPLAY
§ 14 — ALTERNATIVE CONTRACTING
By law, the DOT commissioner may designate specific highway construction and maintenance projects to be completed using either a (1) construction-manager-at-risk contract (CMAR) with a guaranteed maximum price or (2) design-build contract, rather than being put out to bid in the traditional design-bid-build manner. The act allows him to use such alternative contracts for any project, not just those involving highway construction or maintenance.
In design-bid-build, the most traditional method, the owner (e. g. , DOT) has separate contracts with the designer and the builder, and the project design is completed before bids are solicited for a construction contract.
In CMAR, the owner generally contracts with a construction manager who works with the designer and provides labor, material, and project management during construction. Under this approach, the CMAR typically guarantees the maximum cost of the work.
§ 15 — CAA AND STATE BUILDING CODE
The act applies to the CAA the law concerning construction of state buildings and the state building and fire safety codes. This law requires, among other things, the state building inspector to issue a building permit and certificate of occupancy for new construction and additions to most state buildings over statutorily set “threshold” limits (see BACKGROUND). Neither a building permit nor certificate of occupancy is needed for a newly built or altered state building below these thresholds.
Under the law, state agencies must apply to the state building inspector before beginning work on buildings over the threshold limit and comply with the state building and fire safety codes. The state building inspector (1) must review agency plans and specifications for the building, structure, or addition to verify compliance with the State Building Code and (2) may inspect the buildings and order a state agency to comply with the code. He may ask the state fire marshal to review agency plans to verify compliance with the fire safety code.
§§ 16-20, 25-28, & 81 — ELIMINATION OF THE MASTER TRANSPORTATION PLAN
The act eliminates the requirement that DOT develop a master transportation plan and revise it every two years. Prior law required the plan to include, among other things, DOT's (1) recommendations for planning, engineering, rights-of-way acquisition, construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation and modernization of transportation facilities and (2) priorities for a five-year period.
The act eliminates, among other things, a requirement that any alterations in the state highway system or plans to establish or expand an airport be consistent with the master transportation plan (§§ 26 & 27). The act makes conforming changes to several other laws that require conformance with or consideration of the master plan.
§§ 21 & 81 — DISPOSAL OF EXCESS PROPERTY ACQUIRED FOR ROUTE 6
The act repeals a law allowing the commissioner, with the advice and consent of OPM and the State Properties Review Board, to dispose of land the state no longer needs for the Route 6 Expressway. Among other things, this law required two appraisals for a parcel valued at more than $100,000, if the property was not to be sold through public bid. The sale price of such a parcel was the average of the two appraisals. Existing law, modified in § 1 of this act, allows DOT to sell land no longer needed for highway purposes.
§ 22 — DISTRACTED DRIVING QUESTIONS ON KNOWLEDGE TEST
The act requires the driver's license knowledge test to include at least one question on distracted driving, the use of cell phones and electronic devices while driving, or the responsibilities of drivers under the law banning the use of these phones and devices while driving.
§ 23 — DOT RAIL STUDY
The act requires DOT to develop a railroad modernization initiative to improve the state's commuter rail service and infrastructure. The initiative must include a plan to electrify all New Haven Line branch lines (i. e. , the Danbury, New Canaan, and Waterbury branches) by January 1, 2023 and expand commuter parking at train stations.
§ 24 — ELIMINATING CERTAIN TRANSIT DISTRICT EXECUTIVE SESSIONS
The act eliminates a requirement that transit district boards of directors enter executive sessions twice annually to consider budgetary matters.
By law, the board of directors of each transit district must hold a public hearing at which itemized estimates of the district's expenditures are presented for the coming fiscal year. Prior law required the board, after the public hearing, to enter executive session to prepare and publish a report including itemized statements of receipts and expenditures in the previous fiscal year and anticipated revenue and expenditures in the coming year, among other things. The board had to meet again in executive session, two to four weeks after publishing this statement, to make specific appropriations. Under the act, the boards must still publish this report and make appropriations, but not in executive sessions.
§§ 29-32, 34-49, 53, & 75 — BRIDGE AND ROAD NAMING
§ 29. Bridge number 04324 on Route 175 in Newington, the “Sergeant Burton E. Callahan Memorial Bridge”;
§ 30. Bridge number 06246 on Route 73 in Watertown over Steele Brook, the “Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge”;
§ 31. Bridge number 01500 on Route 185 in Simsbury over the Farmington River, the “Bataan Corregidor Memorial Bridge”;
§ 32. Bridge number 03603 on Greenwoods Road in Torrington over Route 8, the “Jerry Dale Cox III Memorial Bridge”;
§ 34. the portion of Route 3 in Cromwell from the Cromwell-Rocky Hill town line south to Evergreen Road, the “Paul Roger Harrington Memorial Highway”;
§ 35. the portion of Route 118 in Harwinton from the Route 8 underpass east to the intersection of Route 4, the “Robert and George Oneglia Memorial Highway”;
§ 36. the portion of State Road 639 in New London from the intersection of Jefferson Avenue south to the intersection of Bank Street, “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Boulevard”;
§ 37. the rest area east of exit 28 on I-84 east in Southington, the “Auxiliary Trooper Edward W. Truelove Memorial Rest Area”;
§ 38. Bridge number 00323 on Route 10 in Cheshire over I-691, the “Lieutenant Myron Verner Memorial Bridge”;
§ 39. the portion of Route 137 in Stamford from Route 1 to Broad Street, the “U. S. Navy SEAL Brian R. Bill Memorial Highway”;
§ 40. Bridge number 03612 on State Road 745 in West Haven carrying Kimberly Avenue over the West River, the “Officer Robert Vincent Fumiatti Memorial Bridge”;
§ 41. Bridge number 05768 on Beckley Road in Berlin over Route 9, the “Berlin Lions Club Memorial Bridge”;
§ 42. the portion of Route 68 in Wallingford east of bridge number 01867, over Route 5, east to Bridge number 03132, over I-91, the “Christopher Columbus Memorial Highway”;
§ 43. the portion of Route 151 in East Haddam from the East Haddam-Haddam town line east to Route 149, the “Private First Class Peter P. Golec Memorial Highway”;
§ 44. Bridge number 00648 on I-84 east in Southington over Route 10, the “John A. Dolan Memorial Bridge”;
§ 45. the portion of Route 5 in Enfield from Connecticut Avenue south to Manning Road, the “Tanguay-Magill American Legion Post 80 Memorial Highway”;
§ 46. Bridge number 00036 on Blachley Road in Stamford over I-95, the “Leslie A. Padilla Memorial Bridge”;
§ 47. Bridge number 00153 on Quarry Road in Milford over I-95, the “John D'Amato Memorial Bridge”;
§ 48. the portion of Route 160 in Rocky Hill from the Rocky Hill-Berlin town line east to the intersection of Route 3, the “Rocky Hill Fire Department Memorial Highway”;
§ 49. the portion of Route 175 in Wethersfield from the Wethersfield-Newington town line east to the intersection of Route 99, the “Wethersfield Fire Department Memorial Highway”;
§ 53. the portion of Route 3 in Wethersfield from the Wethersfield-Rocky Hill town line north to the Route 99 intersection, the “Daniel R. DiNardi Memorial Highway”; and
§ 75. the portion of Route 137 in Stamford from West Broad Street north to High Ridge Road, the “Master Sergeant Homer Lee Wise WW II Medal of Honor Recipient Memorial Highway. ”
§ 33 — MYSTIC SIGNAGE
§ 50 — MCKINNEY WILDLIFE REFUGE SIGNS
The act requires DOT to place signs near the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge according to the department's Destination Guide Sign Program.
§ 51 — FERRY SERVICE SIGNS
§ 52 — MERRITT PARKWAY SIGNS
§ 54 — NOAH WEBSTER HOUSE MUSEUM SIGNS
§ 55 — PUBLIC CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT RECORDS
The law requires employers on large public works and highway construction contracts to keep records of wages and hours worked by mechanics, laborers, and workers to ensure they are properly paid. Prior law required employers to submit a complete copy of its certified payroll each month to the contracting agency (e. g. , DOT) by first class mail, accompanied by a statement signed by the employer providing certain information. The act (1) allows the employer to submit its payroll by any method the contracting agency accepts, including any class of mail and (2) requires that the accompanying signed statement be an original.
§§ 56 & 57 — OUTDOOR ADVERTISING ON STATE PROPERTY
The law generally prohibits the erection of billboards and advertising signs within 660 feet of the edge of the interstate and other limited access highways (e. g. , I-95, Route 2). However, the commissioner may allow certain types of signs, such as directional and other official signs. The act adds to these exceptions advertising signs, displays, or devices:
1. located on, built on, or abutting, property in areas owned, managed, or leased by a public authority for (a) railway or rail infrastructure facilities, including associated structures in areas zoned solely or mostly for development of rail facilities; (b) bus rapid transit corridors, including the Hartford-New Britain busway and associated shelters, structures, or facilities; (c) airport development zones designated by law; or (d) any other transit or freight purpose; and
2. on or in buildings, structures, or other venues in the state's custody or control and designed, operated, or intended to be operated for athletic, artistic, musical, or other entertainment events.
The act prohibits, except for the exceptions the act creates above, the construction of advertising signs, displays, or devices on land the state owns or controls. But it allows the commissioner to (1) issue permits to maintain existing signs, displays, or devices; (2) renew existing permits; or (3) issue new permits to replace existing signs, displays, or devices, on state-owned or -controlled property. The act specifically allows erecting or maintaining advertisements, displays, or devices on or in personal property, including motor vehicles, the state owns or controls.
§§ 58-61 — PAYMENTS TO VARIOUS TOWNS BY THE CAA
The act designates CAA's activities as “essential governmental functions,” exempting it from paying state, municipal, or special district taxes. But it requires CAA to pay specific “amounts representing property tax” to four towns in which CAA property (i. e. , Bradley International Airport) is located.
1. Windsor Locks: $3,319,685. 85,
2. Suffield: $693,909. 43,
3. East Granby: $657,991. 08, and
4. Windsor: $6,925. 43.
The law exempts from taxation land, buildings, and easements belonging to, or held in trust for, the state at Bradley and other state-owned airports (i. e. , Brainard, Danielson, Groton-New London, Waterbury-Oxford, and Windham airports). The act similarly exempts airports belonging to or held in trust for CAA, including those airports noted above, and any other airport CAA owns, manages, or operates in the future.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2013, and applicable to assessment years beginning on and after October 1, 2012.
§ 62 — VEHICLES HAULING AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES
Prior law allowed bulk milk tankers weighing up to 99,000 pounds to operate on state roads, provided federal law permits it. The act allows (1) bulk milk tankers and (2) trucks hauling agricultural commodities, to have a gross vehicle weight of up to 100,000 pounds. But, as under existing law, Connecticut needs Congressional approval to exceed the federal 80,000 pound weight restriction (see BACKGROUND).
Under the act, agricultural commodities include feed, seed and fertilizer, and agricultural products as defined by law. By law, agriculture includes dairying; forestry and lumber; the raising and management of livestock, including horses, poultry, and bees; and the raising and harvesting of shellfish.
§ 63 — PRIVATE AT-GRADE RAIL CROSSINGS
Regardless of any law or previous administrative proceeding decision, the act allows, under certain conditions, any private at-grade rail crossing that, for at least 20 years, has provided highway access to at least two single-family homes without direct highway access, to provide access for up to three additional single-family homes without such access. The affected property owners must (1) maintain and repair any rail crossing surface and (2) remove any obstruction preventing a view of the portion of tracks that cross at-grade. These responsibilities include removing or trimming trees and shrubs and maintaining and repairing existing passive rail traffic control measures, such as warning signs.
§ 64 — WALNUT HILL COMMUNITY CHURCH SIGNS
§§ 65-67 — HIGHWAY WORK ZONE SAFETY ACCOUNT
PA 13-92 required half of this additional fee to be deposited in a work zone safety account that the act created as a separate, nonlapsing account in the STF. It requires DOT to use this fund, which must contain any money the law requires, for highway traffic enforcement, including expanding the “Operation Big Orange” program, to protect the safety of workers in highway work zones.
This act eliminates the requirement that half the additional fee be placed in the work zone safety account. It instead requires the state treasurer to deposit $9,000 monthly in the work zone safety account from all money collected from certain DOT licenses, permits, and fees, and from the existing 50% surcharge assessed against people paying certain motor vehicle fines and penalties (CGS § 13b-70). It also makes a conforming change.
§§ 68-74 — REINSTATEMENT OF THE CONNECTICUT PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION
§ 76 —STF
By law, this fund is used to repay special tax obligation bonds issued to finance transportation projects. The remaining funds must be spent for the payment of general obligation bonds issued for transportation purposes, and budget appropriations for the departments of (1) transportation, (2) motor vehicles, and (3) emergency services and public protection (for State Police motor vehicle patrols). The STF is supported by a number of revenue streams, most notably the motor fuels tax.
§§ 77-79 — TAXICAB INDUSTRY
By law, people, associations, limited liability companies, and corporations seeking to operate a new taxi company must obtain a DOT certificate that public convenience and necessity require the operation of taxis in a specific territory. The act requires that the hearing on an application for the certificate be held no sooner than three months after DOT receives the application. As under existing law, DOT must give written notice of the pending application and the time and place of the hearing.
Existing law allows any taxi company to solicit, receive, and discharge passengers at Bradley International Airport, subject to a formal agreement with the transportation commissioner, as long as the agreement does not take precedence over the company's obligation to serve its territory. The act additionally requires that, before serving Bradley, a company prove to DOT that its service has been (1) active and (2) adequate in its territory and in compliance with all laws and regulations for at least two years since getting it certified.
Finally, it makes it a class A misdemeanor (see Table on Penalties) to advertise taxi services without holding a certificate or getting authority to operate a taxi from a certificate holder. By law, anyone who operates a taxi without a certificate or proper authority, or allows an unauthorized person to operate one under his control, is guilty of such a crime.
§ 80 — BRIDGE NAME REPEAL
The act repeals a 2009 law naming Bridge number 00043 on I-95 north and south passing over Route 1 in Darien as the “Speaker R. E. Van Norstrand Memorial Bridge. ”
An infraction is not a crime. Violators do not have criminal records and can pay the fine by mail without making a court appearance.
By law, the threshold limits are (1) four stories, (2) 60 feet high, (3) a clear span of 150 feet wide, (4) 150,000 square feet of floor space, or (5) occupancy by 1,000 or more people (CGS § 29-276b).
Federal law sets a maximum gross vehicle weight limit of 80,000 pounds, but allows higher maximum weights in states that permitted higher gross vehicle weights prior to passage of the federal law (“grandfather rights”). Connecticut does not have such grandfather rights for gross vehicle weight, and, according to the DOT, needs Congressional approval to exceed the 80,000 pound limit.
In 2010, Congress created a pilot program allowing Maine and Vermont to allow trucks with a gross vehicle weight above 80,000 pounds to operate on those states' interstate highways (P. L. 111-117, § 194).
OLR Tracking: PF: LH: VR: RO