HARTFORD, Conn. (1010 WINS) -- Building a bridge across the Long Island Sound was the focus of a hearing in Hartford this week, and while the idea is only in the beginning stages, advocates say it’d come with many benefits for Tri-State residents.
Since the 1930s there have been all types of proposals to build a connector between Connecticut and Long Island. Robert Moses was among those who pitched the idea.
The latest dream is a bridge that would stretch 14 to 15 miles from Bridgeport to Sunken Meadow State Parkway in Kings Park, Suffolk County.
No vote was held at Tuesday's hearing, which included current and former elected officials, but the idea is getting a lot of attention.
The cost could exceed $50 billion, but Connecticut real estate developer Stephen Shapiro, who testified at the hearing, said it can be done.
"There's no doubt it's expensive, and a lot of people think, 'Hey, it's been tried for 90 years, why's it going to get done now?'" Shapiro told WTNH News 8.
“We’re going to be fully interconnected,” Shapiro said. “It’s only 14 miles. We’re talking Bridgeport to Norwalk. We know people commute a heck of a lot further than that in Connecticut.”
The bridge would need state and federal funding a toll of at least $40, according to testimony.
Bill Finch, the former mayor of Bridgeport, said the benefits of a bridge are clear.
"To think it'd save a lot of time for commuters and a lot of pollution, so I think it's a green project, as well," Finch said.
Tim Herbst, the former first selectman from Trumbull said, “I think it’s going to spur a lot of economic development, new businesses, residential development, which frankly Bridgeport needs.”