Malloy transportation initiative funded by State Bond Commission
By DAVID BEDNARZ
(HARTFORD) – Governor Dannel P. Malloy announced that the State Bond Commission today voted to fund the first batch of projects under his “Let’s Go CT!” initiative, which will transform Connecticut’s transportation infrastructure, modernize the system statewide to make it best-in-class, and attract businesses and grow jobs.
Earlier this year, Governor Malloy unveiled the historic plan, funding for which was approved under the adopted state budget. The Governor explained that for two generations, the state fell short on necessary transportation investments and failed to implement a long-term strategic plan.
“Over the next five years, Connecticut will invest billions in transportation, so we can revitalize our aging system. This first round of funding is one piece in a long-term vision to transform our infrastructure – a vision for transportation on a scale Connecticut has never seen,” Governor Malloy said. “Over time, we all will begin to see the transformation and improvement of our infrastructure – including roads, bridges, and public transit – and that begins here with these allocations today. If we want to improve our state’s economy, if we want to grow jobs and support business, then we must make these crucial investments in our infrastructure. Connecticut’s future depends on it, and that's why we're leading on this important issue.”
“Improving transportation is fundamental to strong economic and market growth,” Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman said. “It’s clear that Connecticut’s economy is headed in the right direction – we’ve added more than 80,000 private sector jobs and made important progress in improving the business climate. Addressing highway gridlock, rail and bus capacity, and other barriers to commerce is a smart, strategic next step to continued growth and development.”
The allocation approved today represents the first group of projects approved by the Bond Commission under this initiative, with more to be bonded at a later date.
Today’s round of allocations, which totals $24.9 million, includes:
Roadways
$10 million toward the design and engineering for the widening of I-84 in Danbury between exits 3 and 8. This will widen the highway in both directions and will ease rush-hour traffic along that heavily congested section of the highway.
$1 million to begin design and engineering work to improve the interchange around the area of I-91, I-691 and Route 15 in the Meriden and Middletown area. This is an area that routinely bottlenecks, frequently resulting in traffic jams.
$1 million toward the design and engineering of the eventual replacement of the Mixmaster on the I-84 and Route 8 interchange in Waterbury.
Public Transit
$500,000 to begin a study on expanding bus service to parts of the state not currently serviced by public transit.
$500,000 to take the first steps necessary for expanding CTfastrak east of Hartford into Manchester.
$400,000 to review how the state can implement a bus rapid transit corridor for Route 1 between Norwalk and Stamford.
$4 million for the design, engineering, and construction of a new dock yard on the Danbury Branch Rail Line in Norwalk that will allow the state to increase capacity and service on the Danbury Line.
$7 million to install real-time location devices on all public transit buses statewide, which will utilize GPS and give riders the ability to locate any public transit bus in the state utilizing an app on mobile devices. This is already successfully in use on CTfastrak, and this allocation will expand that capability throughout the entire system.
$500,000 to begin a study of centralized paratransit service coordination statewide.
