The state has secured $2 million in federal funding to study ways to make the Berlin Turnpike safer, an effort that officials say could impact residents and businesses along the 11-mile corridor that spans across several towns south of Hartford.
The U.S. Department of Transportation gave the $2 million award to the Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG), state Department of Transportation, CTtransit and the towns of Berlin, Newington and Wethersfield as part of its recent $1.8 billion round of allocations through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity grant program.
CRCOG said the grant money will go toward a comprehensive study of the Berlin Turnpike and surrounding areas to identify what needs to be done to make the thoroughfare safer and more inclusive of different means of travel such as bicycles and walking. CRCOG said the turnpike, which is a major retail and commerce hub in the area, has been identified as a “high-crash corridor” within the region.
“This area of the Turnpike stands out as one of our region’s highest crash corridors, including several pedestrian fatalities in recent years. It’s also an important commercial corridor with potential for more mixed-use development,” CRCOG Executive Director Matt Hart said. “With this funding, we’ll be able to develop a comprehensive plan to make the corridor safer for all road users and to add pedestrian, bicycle, and transit infrastructure to position the corridor for future development and redevelopment opportunities.”
After the study, CRCOG said it hopes to receive future funding for recommended construction projects.
In addition to the Berlin Turnpike study funding, Connecticut received $14 million for the MLK Corridor Equitable Mobility Enhancement Project in Norwalk and $5.7 million for Naugatuck River Greenway Trail Project in Naugatuck and Thomaston in this grant round.
