Hartford Business Journal

10 Hartford Business Journal • October 1, 2018 • www.HartfordBusiness.com FOCUS Larson: Business community support crucial to highway tunnel plan Q&A talks with Congressman John Larson about his multibillion-dollar I-84/I-91 tunnel plan. Q. It's been about two years since you first publicly discussed your idea of re- placing a stretch of I-84 and I-91 through Hartford with two separate highway tunnels. How has your plan evolved since then and what progress has been made to get this plan closer to reality? A. Since this proposal was put forth, we've held more than 50 meetings, public forums, and other events to engage with the community, explain the benefits of the proposal, and solicit feedback. The response has been tre- mendous — as demonstrated by the nearly 200 people who showed up on a recent Monday morning to hear from a group of Seattle stakeholders to learn about their tunnel project. We've received letters of support from key community stakeholders, includ- ing MetroHartford Alliance, Travelers, the Connecticut Construction Industry Association, Riverfront Recapture, St. Francis Hospital, to name a few. The Connecticut General Assembly enacted legislation last year supporting the plan by authorizing the state Department of Transportation to construct tunnels for I-84/I-91 if funding becomes available. Congressman Bill Shuster, the Chairman of the House Transporta- tion Committee, and Congressman Peter DeFazio, the committee's leading Democrat, came to Hartford last year and came out in support of the tunnel proposal. I've briefed the current U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao on the project. We've built a lot of support and elevated this proposal as a serious alternative to be considered. The tunnel proposal as currently conceived isn't cut in stone. This project will be refined as we continue to have robust community engagement, but it is imperative that we choose a plan that solves the infrastructure challenges of our region and creates a livable commu- nity around our Capital City. Q. Why are you pushing so hard for this tunnel project? What are the benefits as you see it to the city of Hartford, East Hartford and the region as a whole? A. Our region faces significant challenges: a divided city, a riverfront blocked by a multilane highway, a crumbling levee system and poor traffic flow. The I-84/I-91 tunnel proposal is a solution to these challenges. Not only that, this proposal frees up acres of land on both sides of the river for economic development, green space and recre- ation. The tunnels could be constructed with minimal disruption to the city. When you talk to Andy Bessette (ex- ecutive vice president and chief admin- istrative officer of Travelers), they have 7,000 employees who commute into Hartford every day. If you look at some of the current plans to rebuild I-84, they would require shutting down the city for years during construction. That would be unacceptable for businesses like Travelers and others that employ so many of our citizens. A turnkey operation, like tunneling, is compelling because it would allow for traffic to flow on the existing surface highways during construction in addition to reconnect- ing neighborhoods, opening up the riv- erfront, fixing the levees, solving traffic issues and creating economic vitality. Q. Costs have been a major part of the discussion. There are estimates that the tunnel project could cost any- where from $10 billion to $50 billion. You say the federal government must foot that bill. How will you help secure that federal funding? A. Any project involving reconstruc- tion of the Aetna viaduct and the I-84/I-91 Interchange is going to cost in the billions of dollars. The current Aetna viaduct proposal being floated is around $5 billion. When you add on some of the interchange alternatives you get north of $10 billion. The key is choosing the right plan that has the greatest long-term ben- efit visa-a-vis the upfront capital costs. Unlocking federal funding is going to be key to however we choose to shape the future of Hartford's region and I do think we have a good shot at a federal infrastructure bill. I serve on the House Ways & Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over the revenue to fund an John Larson Congressman, 1st District planning to walk to a meeting in the city, and finds a LimeBike, can make the trip a lot quicker. A key demographic using the bikes, Rees said, is individuals testing cycling as their main urban trans- portation. That includes people who are thinking about getting their own bike, but want to give it a try first. Another demographic is those who can't afford to buy a bicycle. Lower- income riders can use the Lime Access program, which charges people who qual- ify for any form of government assistance $5 for 100, 30-minute rides. It also enables individuals without smart- phones to access LimeBikes using the PayNearMe service, which allows people to pay for rides in cash at certain convenience stores. But one problem Cherolis points out is bike vandalism. People have cut, damaged and removed wheel locks to "liberate" them, he said. "We're kind of bummed that folks are abusing and stealing these bikes," Cherolis said. "Outside of downtown, there's a significant amount, and I don't know what (Lime's) tolerance level for loss is, or what's their long- term plan for managing that." Bikes have been vandalized, Rees admits, but the overall damage hasn't presented much of a problem. Across all of Lime's markets, the rate of van- dalism is less than 1 percent, Rees said. In Hartford, he said his eight-person team corrals damaged bikes so a staff mechanic can repair them. Going forward, it's unclear how LimeBike will op- erate during the cold and snowy winter months, Rees said. Bikes will be available, but Lime hasn't decided whether to reduce the fleet during that time, which will be a slower period. The company is also weighing whether to bring its motorized scooters to Hartford, which have be- come popular in other major cities. As far as expansion, there has been talk of establishing LimeBike in West Hartford, Rees said, but nothing is concrete. Widening Lime's footprint even further in the state is another goal the company is pedaling toward, Rees said. "I'd like to see bikes in East Hartford, West Hartford, Bloomfield, Manches- ter," he said. "I hope that everybody jumps onboard, and takes advantage of this great (program)." plans regarding downtown Hartford service. The Boston-based company currently does offer car sharing at nearby Trinity College's campus. Several people who attended the Aug. 17 meeting confirmed that two Zipcar officials were there and did a walking tour of downtown Hartford, which Cherolis brokered. Other attendees in- cluded Jacqueline Marciano and Laurie Wadell of Spectra; Terryl Mitchell Smith of the Capital Region Development Au- thority; and Jennifer Cassidy of Business for Downtown Hartford. Spectra offered Zipcar use of two parking spaces each at its boutique apartments on Constitution Plaza and its under-construction apartments on Pearl Street. Property manager Laurie Wadell said Spectra has been advocating for Zipcar to bring service downtown for more than three years. Zipcars are parked in designated spots where riders can access them and reserve trips via a mobile app. "We finally have some traction with Zipcar, and met with a representative that covers this region recently," Wadell said in an email. "Her communication to us was it was going to be a go as a trial. No real timeline was offered." William Kemp, concierge and property manager at 777 Main, said management from that building of- fered two free parking spots to Zipcar, should they come downtown. After the meeting, Kemp said he's BY THE NUMBERS 6M The total number of LimeBike rides taken globally during the company's first year in service, from June 2017 to June 2018. 27 The number of states Lime currently operates in. 27% The percentage of LimeBike riders in major urban markets who reported using Lime to connect to or from public transit during their most recent trip. 20% The percentage of LimeBike riders in major urban markets who reported using Lime to travel to or from a restaurant or shopping destination during their most recent trip. >> LimeBike continued >> Zipcar continued Riders scan a QR code with their mobile app to access LimeBikes. HBJ PHOTO | SEAN TEEHAN

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