The CT Department of Motor Vehicles will hold a public information meeting on Monday, May 12 to discuss options for a bicycle/pedestrian crossing at Flower Street in Hartford as part of the CTfastrak bus rapid transit project.

The meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Lyceum Resource and Conference Center, 227 Lawrence Street in Hartford.
Residents, business owners and other interested parties are encouraged to attend, compare project options, and to share their preferences.

      

Two additional public informational meetings have been scheduled for the Town of New Canaan and the Town of Trumbull for the Merritt Parkway Trail Study. The dates are as follows:

New Canaan:
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Outback Teen Center
71 Main Street
New Canaan, CT
Presentation at 7:00 p.m.

Trumbull:
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Trumbull Library Community Room
33 Quality Street
Trumbull, CT
Presentation at 7:00 p.m.


Find out more information here. 

The Connecticut Department of Transportation announced the next series of open house meetings to inform and update the public about Connecticut's first bus rapid transit system which is scheduled to begin operations in early 2015. 

The open house meetings will be held at the following venues and times: 

- Central Connecticut State University Institute of Technology & Business Development, 185 Main Street, New Britain, CT, on Wednesday, April 23, 2014, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. (presentation scheduled to begin at 6:00);

-Old State House, 800 Main Street, Hartford, CT, on Wednesday, April 30, 2014, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (presentation at 12:00);

- Hartford Public Library, 500 Main Street, Hartford, CT, on Tuesday, May 6, 2014, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. (presentation at 6:00)

 For more information about CTfastrak and updated information about the open house events, visit www.ctfastrak.com. 

Save the Date—the Connecticut Department of Transportation will conduct a public information meeting concerning the proposed construction of the Charter Oak Greenway Shared Use Path in the Town of Bolton, Connecticut, on Thursday, February 27, 2014, at the Bolton Town Hall. 

The meeting will start with an informal question and answer session at 6:30 p.m., followed by a formal design presentation at 7:00 p.m.

According to a press release from the DOT, the purpose of the project is to extend the Charter Oak Greenway in Manchester and connect with the Hop River State Park Trail in Bolton.  This will enhance continuity with the existing bicycle trail system throughout the State, while providing an alternative to motor vehicle transportation. 

The DOT anticipates construction to begin in the spring of 2016.   

 The Connecticut Public Transportation Commission released its 2013 Annual Report that contains six recommendations for improving public transportation services in the state. 

As a result of public testimony at meetings and hearings, the Annual Report states that cycling has become increasingly popular in Connecticut and as a result there is a demand for more bicycle amenities and facilities. 

Other recommendations in the report include: the importance of reserving all of the monies directed to the Special Transportation Fund for transportation purposes; secure more funding for the inter-regional Coastal Link bus service on Route 1 between Norwalk and Milford; restore full funding to the State Matching Grant program that provides funding assistance to municipalities for operating dial-a-ride programs for elderly and disabled persons; use the same techniques being used for CTfastrak for other high profiles projects such as the Stamford Transportation Center redevelopment; develop a privately-run, unsubsidized passenger rail service between Danbury and Pittsfield; and the need for more local scale marketing and information for local bus services to assist existing users and encourage new ones. 

The bike/ped community is invited to a presentation on Transform CT at this month's Bike Ped Advisory Board meeting on Tues., Jan 28.  The presentation will start at 9:30 am in Room RESHQ11312 at the CT Department of Transportation in Berlin. 

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT) released a report titled "Optimizing the State of Connecticut: Transportation Capital Infrastructure Program, December 2013.” 

The report reviews the performance of the DOT in delivering capital investments. The goal, Commissioner Redeker noted, is to optimize the capital funding for all its transportation modes and to improve continuously its ability to deliver maximum infrastructure improvements for each dollar expended. 

“Optimizing the State of Connecticut: Transportation Capital Infrastructure Program” can be found here.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT) released its five-year Capital Plan this week. The plan covers fiscal years 2014-2018 and includes projects in all modes of transportation – highways and bridges, public transportation, ports and waterways and bicycle/pedestrian enhancements. 

According to a DOT news release, the department updates the plan annually. The DOT anticipates $1.8 billion in total Capital Program funding in fiscal year 2014. 

The Five Year Capital Plan spreadsheet can be found here.

During a public meeting on Tuesday, August 20, Andrew Carrier, a Connecticut DOT consultant, said the state is working to fill the 9.1 mile gap in the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail. 

According to an article in the Hartford Courant, Carrier said the state assembled a map of the greenway's trails that show where the gaps are and are using this to work on linking as many trails as economically possible. 

One of the gaps that was discussed was in Plainville. Here the trail stops in Southington and resumes in Farmington, which forces cyclists to turn around or ride on the roads. 

Carrier told the 24 in attendance at the public meeting the state engineers are looking at possible routes to link the trail in Plainville, but it is a very complex situation that will require the state to receive a right of way on railroad property, installing at-grade crossings and most likely constructing a bridge to carry cyclists and pedestrians across Route 6 in Farmington. 

Carrier added that the state has already finished designs to fill in the smaller gaps of the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail in New Haven and Cheshire. 

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT) and Governor Dannel P. Malloy launched a strategic planning approach to transportation policies, programs and projects called Transform CT.

According the Governor’s office, Transform CT will help improve economic growth and competitiveness, build sustainability, and provide a blueprint for a world-class transportation system.

“Transportation is the backbone of our economy,” said Governor Malloy in a press release.  “The movement of people and goods, facilitating commerce, and bolstering tourism all depend on a highly functioning transit and highway system. Transform CT will help define the very future of Connecticut through a stakeholder process that will solicit input from residents and businesses about what works and what doesn’t in our multi-modal system. The complexities in transportation are enormous, but this process will help us plan for a more sustainable, more efficient future.”

 Through a series of public meetings, focus groups and surveys, DOT will engage businesses, elected officials, transportation advocacy groups, and other organizations and agencies as part of the Transform CT planning effort. 

“It is essential that we continue to improve transportation options and service in Connecticut,” said DOT Commissioner James P. Redeker. “This is a strategic approach to connecting our cities and towns and, most importantly, it gives the public a direct role in the process and the product. Improving our transportation system also makes Connecticut a more competitive, sustainable and livable state.”

 As part of the public outreach campaign, www.TransformCT.org was launched to offer residents a place to comment and share ideas on the transportation issues facing Connecticut. Visitors can also sign up to receive updates and public meeting schedules.

Public meetings are scheduled to begin this fall. The first report will be released by February 2014.

Visit www.TransformCT.org today to provide your own input.