The Connecticut General Assembly’s “short session” ended at midnight this past Wednesday. In light of recent projections that the national economic recession will impact Connecticut to the tune of a $68 million budget deficit, many of the bold transportation initiatives proposed by the Legislature either failed to move forward or were drastically scaled down through the legislative process. A reduced version of HB 5734, “An Act Concerning New and Expanded Bus Transportation Services Throughout Connecticut,” did pass, meaning that ConnDOT will be able to purchase 20 new buses using $5 million in capital funding.
One promising move was the passage of HB 5600, a Connecticut Fund for the Environment-supported bill which makes the state’s previously enacted greenhouse gas emission reduction goals (a 10% cut below 1990 levels by 2020, and an 80% cut below 2001 levels by 2050) mandatory and directs agencies to take specific actions towards meeting these goals. On the transportation side, the bill directs ConnDOT to study expanding high-speed rail, light rail, and freight rail within the state.
Another bold (but misguided) initiative, the split of ConnDOT into a Department of Highways and a Department of Public Transportation, Aviation and Ports, died a quiet death in the Joint Committee on Appropriations. While we agree with backers of the bill that ConnDOT needs to devote the same amount of attention to public transportation as it does to highways, we felt that splitting ConnDOT was the wrong way to go (we outlined our reasoning in the Hartford Courant back in March).
Newly confirmed ConnDOT Commissioner Joseph Marie, set to begin work in June, will now be able to set a progressive transportation agenda that incorporates land use into transportation planning decisions, emphasizes maintenance and repair of roads and bridges over expansion, and fast tracks high-priority mass transit projects like the New Britain-Hartford busway and the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield commuter rail.
New Haven Board of Alders Passes Anti-ConnDOT Split Resolution
In related news, the New Haven Board of Alders passed a resolution last week opposing the ConnDOT split bill. Congratulations to the Board members, and particularly Alderwoman Erin Sturgis-Pascale, who championed the resolution.
