🔒Planners for transportation

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Transportation across Connecticut is buzzing with possibility. There are massive roadway improvement projects underway, new airline routes on the horizon, and rail service expansions in the works, providing commuters and sightseers alike with more ways to get around. Perhaps most important, say transportation officials working on these bold, often complicated projects, is an overall effort to coordinate efforts across the state, building towards a more cohesive plan that makes traveling Connecticut more fluid, from the tarmac to the bus stop to evening rush hour. Rail lines are undergoing improvements, which may mean delayed travel times in the immediate future, but much smoother trips ahead. A $4 billion Metro-North improvement plan will address movable railroad bridges in Milford, Greenwich and Westport. And a $164 million improvement plan for the recently opened Hartford Rail Line – which runs from New Haven to Springfield – includes funds to purchase new cars (the current cars are leased from Massachusetts). The line could also be crucial if future transportation plans link rail service to the airport, said Connecticut Department of Transportation (CT DOT) Commissioner Joseph Giulietti. “We know we can put rail into Bradley airport,” he said, noting that Connecticut might benefit from a more “European model,” linking air travel to all other modes of transport. “Things like that excite me. What are the potentials we could be considering?” Meanwhile, there are massive plans for the state’s roadways in store, including improvements to the state’s most traveled thoroughfares. “We are looking at highways that were designed to carry 50,000 cars a day that are now carrying much more,” Giulietti said. Commuters will be happy to know that there are several projects in the works to improve congestion on I-95; a detailed study released last year showed congestion along both the western and eastern portions of the highway caused 54 million hours of delay and cost $1.2 billion in lost time annually. Several projects are currently in “design” phase, according to Judd Everhart, director of communications for the CT DOT. The I-95 West project calls for widening in “strategic locations” where there are traffic bottlenecks between Greenwich and New Haven. Another project still in design phases – with work slated to begin in the next five to 10 years – is the Hartford Viaduct project, aimed to replace the 2.5-mile elevated portion of I-84 through Hartford, which carries more than 175,000 vehicles per day and is the busiest route in Connecticut. Depending on the final design, the project could cost up to $5.3 billion. The I-84 Hartford project team is also planning a new multimodal rail and bus station that would sit about 1,000 feet west of the existing tracks. In May 2020, work will begin on the northbound Gold Star Bridge, which carries I-95 over the Thames River between New London and Groton and is the longest bridge in the state. The $290.5 million “state of good repair” project will keep the bridge – which carries 120,000 vehicles per day – in good shape. “Roads and bridges are key to keeping Connecticut, and its economy, moving forward. The efficient delivery of goods is paramount to every business in the state. The Connecticut Department of Transportation is responsible for maintaining more than 35,000 lane miles of roads and 4,000 bridges,” said Everhart. “In addition, the agency handles about 40 million passenger trips on trains and 40 million passenger trips on buses every year. Maintaining these systems is not optional. It is money well spent on behalf of every traveler in the state, no matter what mode of transportation they use.” And of course, you can’t talk about the roadways in Connecticut without mentioning the contentious topic of tolls, which Governor Ned Lamont has proposed adding to certain highways in order to help fund transportation and infrastructure projects. Giulietti said he understands why the prospect makes residents nervous, but that he is in support of sustainable funding sources for necessary projects. “That money will go into infrastructure. That’s a good public purpose,” he said. “You want to come up with revenue streams that will have a direct impact on people’s lives.” Kevin Dillon, Connecticut Airport Authority (CAA)’s executive director, is thinking about how to positively impact residents’ travel experience, as well. In charge of Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks and five other general aviation airports in the state, Dillon and his team are – needless to say – busy. But Dillon says that with a “very healthy air traffic market in the region,” these are very exciting times in air travel. Bradley’s primary current focus is route development, said Dillon. The CAA recently announced two new airlines at Bradley: Via Airlines, with nonstop service to Pittsburgh, and Frontier Airlines, with nonstop service to Denver. The ultra low-cost carriers give Bradley an edge in the regional market, he said. Dillon believes Seattle would be another excellent addition to Bradley’s non-stop service, both as an attractive city for travelers and as a jumping-off point for air service to Asia. He also hopes to add new international locations in addition to Bradley’s popular Aer Lingus Dublin flight, naming London as a potential. “I truly believe Bradley could become a 10 million-passenger airport,” Dillon said of the airport’s future. “It’s a matter of convincing the airlines to put their limited resources here.” Thinking big means adding resources, he said, and that’s why the CAA just completed a master plan that calls for $1.4 billion of investment in Bradley over the next 20 years. Improvements planned include rental car access in one spot (meaning no more having to catch a bus to the rental car centers) and a new airport roadway built to handle additional capacity. Just like Giulietti, Dillon is eager to move forward on plans to connect rail line service to the airport. He said the plan is to increase the frequency of bus service, and eventually move to light rail service that would bring travelers to the Hartford Line. “We are working hand-in-hand-with the DOT on this,” he said. There are “fun” plans in the works, too, like announcing new concessions offerings for passengers at the airport, joining recent additions like Two Roads Brewing Company and Phillips Seafood. “Again, we are trying to enhance efficiency, but we are also trying to make sure that when you’re at the airport, it’s a pleasant experience,” he said.