A plan to study highway tolls in Connecticut has been axed after a heated debate Tuesday afternoon in the state House of Representatives.

Toll proposals have failed in the past, but the current bill would not have committed to adding tolls outright. Instead, it would have launched a yearlong study by the Department of Transportation to determine how they would work in the state and when and where they could be implemented.

"It would tell us how much these tolls would cost," explained state Rep. Antonio Guerrera (D-Rocky Hill). Then, he said, the results would return to lawmakers before another vote on whether to go through and add tolls.

The toll study bill struggled in recent days, but the House approved a constitutional amendment guaranteeing transportation money would be spent on roads and rails. Still, toll backers came up just short Tuesday.

The proposal may not be completely dead, however. Democrats may try to add the measure to the state budget session later this month.