Gov. Ned Lamont has proposed a big investment in high-speed rail to shrink travel times between the state’s biggest business centers down to 30 minutes. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia user Jehochman / CC BY-SA 4.0

Gov. Ned Lamont and his administration are expected to spend the coming days and weeks pitching the Democrat’s new transportation improvement plan.

The 10-year, $21.1 billion CT2030 initiative unveiled on Thursday is a scaled-down proposal that focuses heavily on fixing major chokepoints on Connecticut’s highways and speeding up commuter rail travel times. It will be funded with mostly borrowing and 14 new bridge tolls.

Lamont says he expects to be talking with “every single mayor” in the state, business leaders, chambers of commerce and state legislators. The Democrat has already been making his pitch to business leaders and lawmakers about the need to tackle the state’s transportation challenges, meeting privately on Friday with House Democrats. Republicans in the General Assembly have been raising concerns about the plan since its release.

Lamont’s spokesman says the administration will highlight how the plan will ultimately improve residents’ lives.