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Malloy praised the progress the state made in 2015 to improve the state’s transportation infrastructure. At the beginning of the year he launched his “Let’s Go CT!” plan to address the state’s aging infrastructure.
“We are moving aggressively to provide Connecticut’s residents and businesses with a best-in-class transportation system. The future of our state depends on it – and 2015 was a success. We moved the ball down the field on this critical issue,” Malloy said at a press conference where he was joined by state Transportation Commissioner James Redeker.
Malloy had proposed a constitutional amendment that would create a secure lockbox that would ensure money allocated for transportation improvements could only be spent on transportation projects. The proposed amendment passed in the state Senate in early December but failed in the state House of Representatives.
Among the accomplishments that Malloy highlighted Monday was the creation of Let’s Go CT! and the development of a strategic plan for DOT organization. He also praised the DOT’s handling of the 19 storms the state experienced in the winter of 2014-15, when DOT workers cleared a cumulative total of 1,600,000 lane miles, enough to circle the globe 65 times.
Malloy has also proposed upgrades to the Metro-North New Haven Line, which is the busiest rail line in the country with 125,000 daily rider trips and 39 million passengers per year. He said that the upgrades will cost an estimated $3.9 billion, but it will have future economic benefits amounting to $9.7 billion.
The goal of the line improvements is to double peak-hour service, increase the number of express trains per hour between New Haven and New York City, reduce the express service travel time between New Haven and New York City by at least 15 minutes, and increasing local non-express trains from the current rate of about every 20 minutes to every four to eight minutes.
Malloy said that 405 new M-8 cars have been introduced to the line since they first went into service in 2011. The cost of the cars is $1.1 billion, with Connecticut paying 65 percent and Metro-North paying the additional 35 percent.
Malloy highlighted the completion of the Moses Wheeler Bridge in Stratford. The $270 million construction project began in September 2009 and was completed in December 2015, a year ahead of schedule.
The design of a new Walk Bridge in Norwalk is progressing and remains on schedule, Malloy said. The 120-year-old bridge broke down multiple times last year, delaying train traffic for hours and leading to calls for its replacement. Interim repairs were made to ensure its functionality, and Malloy said construction on an entirely new bridge is expected to begin in 2016 and be completed in 2020.
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