East Lyme - A driver study that is intended to glean information about the commuting habits of drivers near Route 11 began, unannounced, Wednesday.

State Department of Transportation staff handed survey cards to motorists at the intersection of Route 85 and Chesterfield Road (aka Rt. 161) and also at the intersection of Beaver Brook Road and Route 156 in Lyme.

Staff will continue to hand out the survey cards at 19 locations for a couple of weeks this month and again in mid-September.

The agency will not announce when and where in the region the surveys are to be distributed in an attempt to avoid a type of ballot-stuffing scenario that could skew the results.

The distribution will take place mostly on side roads and entrance/exit ramps, according to the DOT.

The postage-paid cards, which include about 20 questions, ask drivers about the routes they use in the area.

The survey is part of a funding study whose goal is to determine if tolls, and in particular electronic tolls, can generate enough revenue to finance, in whole or in part, the proposed extension of Route 11 from Salem 8½ miles south to Interstate 95.

- Karin Crompton