Governor Dannel P. Malloy announced on Tuesday that ten Connecticut municipalities and three transit districts will share a $20 million federal grant for transportation projects designed to improve the flow of traffic, improve air quality, and reduce energy use.
“Growing and modernizing our transportation system in a way that’s beneficial to air quality is absolutely critical,” Governor Malloy said. “We must keep working to provide a best-in-class transportation system – the future of our state hinges on it.”
The grant was awarded under the Federal Highway Administration’s Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program, which funds projects that improve air quality and reduce traffic congestion.
To qualify, municipalities must demonstrate that their projects will result in reduced vehicle exhaust emissions and, at the same time, be cost effective.
The transit projects will assist in retaining current transit users and attract new ones by providing additional bus routes in heavily traveled corridors along with improved real-time passenger information signage at major hub locations. This will result in less personal automotive use.
“Local leaders know best how to solve town traffic problems and reduce energy use. We need more federal investment in these areas, and that’s why I fought hard for passage of the FAST Act in Congress, which increases investments in our roads and rails, creating jobs and making it easier for Connecticut commuters to get to work safely and reliably,” Senator Richard Blumenthal said.
The towns and transit districts awarded funding include Greenwich, which will receive $2 million to upgrade the existing traffic signal system along the Glenville corridor and to make geometric improvements to the Glenville Road/Pemberick Road intersection.
Other towns and transit districts awarded funding include:
- Bridgeport: $3 million to upgrade traffic signals along Park Avenue at the intersections of Vine Street/Wood Avenue, Laurel Avenue, Washington Avenue, Prospect Street, South Avenue, South Frontage Road, and Railroad Avenue (Railroad Avenue eastbound and westbound).
- Bristol: $60,000 to purchase route management software to enhance the efficient use of vehicles in the Department of Public works that will lead to reductions in fuel consumption and emissions.
- Estuary Transit District: $377,405 to fund bus service from the town of Madison to the City of Middletown. Bus service along this route would reduce congestion in this heavily traveled route between the two regions.
- Greater Bridgeport Transit: $174,000 to purchase real-time passenger information signage at major hub locations in the Greater Bridgeport Transit service area.
- HARTransit: $205,858 to fund a bus route that will provide commuter bus service to major trip generators inside The Reserve, a 546 acre development site in western Danbury that houses a significant number of major employers.
- Meriden: $2.99 million to upgrade twelve traffic signals in the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) District in the city center.
- Milford: $56,000 to purchase 25 bike lockers at the Milford Train Station to encourage multi-modal transportation to and from the station.
- New Britain: $3 million to improve the downtown traffic signal system at intersections along West Main Street, Columbus Boulevard, Myrtle Street, East Main Street, Broad Street and Main Street.
- New Haven: $1.732 million to upgrade traffic signals along Route 34 (East and West bound) at the intersections of Ella T. Grasso Boulevard (RT 10) and Sherman Avenue/Winthrop Avenue.
- Norwalk: $2.547 million to improve the flow of traffic through the urban center of the city. This includes the upgrading of five traffic signals, the installation of six roadway weather sensors, and the installation of fifteen blank out/dynamic message signs at selected decision points on diversionary routes.
- Stamford: $3 million for signal system upgrade and synchronization along Route 1 at the intersections of Seaside Avenue, Wilson Street, Liberty Street and Fairfield Avenue, and also at the intersections of North State Street with Elm Street and Canal Street.
- Windsor: $1.32 million to install adaptive traffic control signal system on Day Hill Road. This system improves travel times while reducing congestion, queue lengths and delays by improving operating conditions and maximizing the capacity of the roadway.
Over the next month, the towns and transit districts will be contacted by the Connecticut Department of Transportation to begin the scoping process for the project proposals in order to advance them towards implementation/construction.