Hartford Business Journal

6 Hartford Business Journal • June 24, 2019 • www.HartfordBusiness.com FOCUS: Transportation/Logistics CT sees ports as major economic drivers Q&A talks to Scott Bates, chair- man of the Connecticut Port Authority, about the growing role of the state's maritime industry. Q. In May, the Connecticut Port Au- thority and the terminal operator of New London's State Pier announced a partnership with Bay State Wind, a joint venture between Eversource and Denmark-based global offshore wind energy producer Ørsted, to upgrade the pier into an offshore wind hub as part of a $93 million project. Can you talk about what the project entails? A. The harbor development plan is a public-private partnership that will transform State Pier into a world- class, state-of-the-art port by upgrad- ing the facility for heavy-lift cargo. First, a three-year development proj- ect will upgrade the facility infrastruc- ture to meet the heavy-lift requirements of Orsted/Eversource's offshore wind components as they are transferred from shore to vessel. Then, following the successful completion of the project, Ørsted/Eversource will enter into a long-term lease agreement providing them with use of State Pier for wind tur- bine generator assembly and staging. Construction is tentatively sched- uled to begin in Jan. 2020 and it is expected to be finished in March 2022. Q. Why is the New London Pier suit- able as an offshore wind hub? What's the growth potential in that industry? A. From Maine all the way down to Virginia, New London is the only port without any bridges or other obstacles that limit the flow of cargo, a key fac- tor for large wind-mill components on their way out to sea. The offshore wind industry is poised for significant growth in the coming years, and this new port development deal, along with the state's own com- mitment to offshore wind, position Connecticut to be at the forefront of this emerging industry. Our deal at State Pier means short-, medium-, and long-term benefits to southeastern Connecticut and across the state. In the short term, jobs will be cre- ated as the infrastructure improve- ments start at the facility, requiring expertise from the local workforce. Longer term, the multi-year pres- ence of the offshore wind industry will encourage an increase in regional manufacturing and jobs, as subsidiary industries are drawn to the region. Q. What role does the Pier play in Connecticut's logistics industry? Will Scott Bates Chairman, Connecticut Port Authority By Joe Cooper jcooper@hartfordbusiness.com I f you build it, they will come is an often-used adage. But sometimes it takes a little — or a lot — more to convince people to try something new. After investing more than $1 billion in two major Greater Hartford mass-transit services in recent years, state transportation officials are now aggressively push- ing new perks and technology to spur ridership. They include an expanded rider reward program, a new fare card, and launch of a new mobile app, all of which aim to simplify and make public transportation more appealing, state officials said. "There's a broader goal here," said Rich Andreski, bureau chief of public transportation at the state Depart- ment of Transportation (DOT). "For the riders who don't know about pub- lic transit, these programs are a few ways to get them out of their cars and to try the [bus and railway] services." The state DOT this month marked its one-year anniversary operating the long-awaited CTrail Hartford Line, which carried more than 634,000 pas- sengers during its first 12 months, a benchmark that exceeded DOT's early forecasts, Andreski said. The state is also now in year five of managing the controversial New Britain-to-Hartford busway known as CTfastrak, which is important to keep busy given it gener- ates $3.9 million in annual fares and costs $22 million to operate. Over the last seven months or so, DOT has unveiled new perks to try to convince residents and businesses that these transportation services are accessible, affordable and easy to navigate; and to reinforce benefits for existing riders. They fit into a national trend of cities and states offering apps or reward pro- grams to encourage mass-transit use. DOT has created most of the new reward programs and has charged its Rocky Hill-based public transportation arm, CTrides, to promote and market them to individuals and employers. The task is challenging given that Greater Hartford remains a car-centric region. CTrides' staff of about 15 is working on grassroots outreach programs, market- ing and advertising, and manning cus- tomer-service phone lines at all hours, all on a budget of almost $4 million. The state will soon be able to streamline its various incentive programs through a newly designed mobile app debuting this summer. Branded as the Go CT Card app, also the name of the state's new fare card, transportation officials envision it becoming a one-stop shop for riders ac- cessing their transit accounts and paying transit fares across all systems, including the Hartford Rail Line, Shore Line East rail line, CTfastrak and CTtransit buses. Development of the app is part of an $18.6 million contract with a Massa- chusetts-based company for new fare technology systems, the fare card and replacement of more than 600 fare- boxes in the CTtransit fleet. "The long-term goal is an app that works on all services to wherever you want to go," said Andreski, who has worked in transportation for two de- cades. "There's a lot of work that needs to be done." Programs at work One of the mobile app's roles will be to leverage the state's Transit Rewards Program, which was expanded last November to also provide consumer discounts for Hartford Rail Line and Shore Line East riders. The program allows DOT's transit customers to score discounts by present- Mass-Transit Buzz CT uses perks, technology to spur public-transportation use After spending more than $1 billion on new rail and bus services in Greater Hartford, state transportation officials are using a rewards program, a new fare card and an app to entice riders and make public transportation easier and more appealing. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED PHOTO | HBJ FILE

• Cover