🔒Larson: $10B tunnel plan will reshape Greater Hartford

Q&A talks to U.S. Rep. John Larson (D-CT) who recently unveiled a $10 billion plan to replace a stretch of I-84 and I-91 through Hartford with two separate highway tunnels.

Q: What was the genesis of this plan?

A: This is all about a long-term vision. I wanted to examine the big infrastructure challenges our region faces and what we want our communities to look like for generations to come. Replacing the Aetna viaduct presents an enormous opportunity to reshape the Greater Hartford region for the better. In my view, there is no reason we should be wedded to a highway configuration that was laid out in the middle of the last century in order to accommodate the G. Fox department store, which has long since closed. Let's have a vision for our future.

What I am proposing is burying I-84 in a tunnel under much of Hartford and into East Hartford as well as tunneling I-91 in Hartford along the Connecticut River. This will cost more than the current alternative under consideration but it will provide greater benefits and has the advantage of solving the region's infrastructure challenges in a holistic manner.

The Aetna viaduct will become an urban boulevard that will reconnect neighborhoods in Hartford that have been tragically divided for a half-century. It will also be a tremendous boost to East Hartford by allowing the current mixmaster interchange that takes up acres of valuable real estate to be repurposed into developable land. When you add to this reverting the Bulkeley, Founders, and Charter Oak bridges into boulevards for local traffic, pedestrians and bicyclists, what you are left with between Hartford and East Hartford is a livable, interconnected community.

Furthermore, it provides a solution for one of the most crucial challenges facing both sides of the River: the continued erosion of our levees.

On top of that, by tunneling I-91, you open up access to Hartford's riverfront from downtown all the way to Coltsville, our newest national park. Not only will this make the riverfront accessible to recreational and development opportunities but it will facilitate needed improvements to the levee system, which remain vulnerable due to the current configuration along I-91. Finally, by keeping the viaduct in service during construction of the tunnels, we avoid the massive disruption to the city that businesses and residents are fearing may happen under the current plans to replace the viaduct.

Q: You said you are going to pursue federal money to help pay for the project. How much in federal funds are you chasing after? How much would the state have to chip in? What are the chances of a divided Congress passing such a spending measure?

A: I strongly believe that no matter the outcome of the upcoming election, there will be a bipartisan push in Congress to do something big on infrastructure. Connecticut needs to be ready with a plan if funding becomes available. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, our nation needs to invest $3.6 trillion by 2020 to maintain our crumbling infrastructure. We know that investing in infrastructure boosts the economy. This is the type of project that we need to put people to work and to build the foundation for our economic future. We are working with ConnDOT to include this more comprehensive approach in their study, but we're confident this is a solution that will pay off in both the short and long term.

Q: Your plan calls for tolls at the entrances of the tunnel. Won't tolls discourage people from driving into Hartford and have the opposite intended effect of what this project sets out to do? Why not put tolls at the state's borders instead? Are there any other funding options?

A: All funding options have to be on the table. That includes a federal infrastructure bank, gas tax revenue, and we need to examine tolling as well. A significant portion of the 275,000 vehicles that utilize the I-84/I-91 interchange every day are driving through Connecticut. These interstate vehicles get a free ride while they clog our highways and create wear and tear. Tolling may not be the only solution but we ought to take a hard look at it as an option. Connecticut residents pay tolls in other states. It is about time out-of-state drivers pay us in return. Furthermore, current highways and bridges will be repurposed, providing Connecticut residents with a variety of local routes.

Q: Why make this proposal now, especially when the state Department of Transportation has been studying the reconstruction of the I-84 viaduct for several years and recently ruled out tunnel construction?

A: The decisions we make now will shape our region for generations. What is important is that we take the time to get it right so that we don't build something that is obsolete the moment a shovel goes into the ground. That is what happened with the Aetna viaduct. Because of decisions made in the 1960s, Hartford was divided for half a century. It would be a tragedy if we didn't seize this opportunity with a long-term vision. I also look at our major employers such as the Aetna, Travelers, St. Francis Hospital, and others who would be greatly affected if we have to shut down I-84 for an extended period of time while the viaduct is rebuilt. Tunneling allows us to keep the viaduct open during construction so that we don't have to shut the city down.

Q: What kind of response have you received from this proposal?

A: The reception that this concept has received has been tremendous.  The business community has embraced the idea, the mayors of Hartford and East Hartford understand the benefits, and this will be great for our construction industry.  People are excited to do something for our future.   Will there be a cost?  Of course, but those costs will be spread out over multiple years during construction, and once you've made the investment up front, the benefits will be there for generations.