Nothing better illustrates the failure to debate or even clearly articulate the transportation capital plan than the recent press conference in Waterbury announcing the commencement of the “Mixmaster” project. The new commissioner of the Department of Transportation said the rehabilitation of the highway interchange will cost $200 million and would provide a workable solution until 2047. Yet the cost of replacing the Mixmaster, which is anticipated in the projected STF deficit, is $7.06 billion — 35 times what the rehabilitation cost will be. The apparent decision made by the DOT itself is that it is better to spend $200 million on a rehab with 25-year life than $7 billion on a replacement with up to 50 years of life. That is the kind of tradeoff that deserves public debate, but it never happened.