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www.CTGreenGuide.com SUMMER 2015 • Connecticut Green Guide 15 The longer-term horizon re- flects a $100 billion dollar list of transportation projects — many of which were listed in the final report of the disbanded CT Transportation Strategy Board. While some of the needed proj- ects are clear — replacing the aging I-84 viaduct in Hartford, for example — others may need a second look depending on the level of resources that can be made available. The hardest work is yet to come. The governor has just launched a transportation funding commission tasked to come up with a set of funding options. By this summer, the commission will need to weigh fund- ing sources that can be mounted very quickly — the highly visible and unpopular gas tax can be turned on quickly while others will take more time to launch, such as nonstop road tolls and vehicle mileage charges. The commission should consider all reasonable op- tions, including fully using innovative federal loan and finance programs and establishing what the state itself will raise in transportation revenues — and whether it will ask regions and localities to bear more of the cost of transportation going forward. The good news is we now have the conversation in the right order with the Let's Go CT! initiative: first, the vi- sion; second, sensing the public appetite to actually move forward to address important issues; and finally, coming up with specific funding mechanisms that can be imple- mented over time. The challenge will be getting through the sorting out of priorities, the sequencing projects, and finding a spectrum of innovative and traditional financing mechanisms to match resources to our needs and appetite. We are on the right road (or bus) but need to keep moving ahead through the next two challenging phases. Lyle Wray has served as the executive director of the Capital Region Council of Governments since 2004. (Left) Gov. Dannel P. Malloy (in blue) announces the creation of a Connecticut Port Authority to better utilize the state's seaports. (Right) A dedicated toll lane on highways is one of many funding possibilities Connecticut is considering to pay for Malloy's ambitious transportation plan. PHOTO | HBJ FILE From Central Connecticut's trusted business news source. It's the up-to-date information you need to do better business! and HBJToday Get local breaking business news daily! Sign up today at HartfordBusiness.com: Click on the 'subscribe' button