Hartford Business Journal

24 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | JANUARY 22, 2024 Editor's Take Grand plans to reshape Hartford's transportation infrastructure are nice. But, how will we pay for it? What does the Greater Hartford Mobility Study recommend? T he Greater Hartford Mobility Study outlines the state Department of Trans- portation's long-term strategy to improve the region's transportation infrastructure by easing congestion and opening up more land for economic development. Here are the four larger-scale projects recom- mended in the study: City Link West • This would lower I-84 through Hartford to recon- nect neighborhoods on two sides of the highway. • The Sisson Avenue ramps would be replaced by an urban boulevard, and Capitol Avenue would be reconstructed above and over the highway. • Land occupied by I-84 and the Sisson Avenue ramps would be freed up for development. • The changes would also improve passenger rail service by realigning the tracks and constructing a new train station between Asylum Hill and downtown Hartford. This would allow for increased train speed and frequency and create a convenient transfer point for all transit modes, including CTfastrak, and local and express bus service, according to the study. • The capped and relocated highway would facilitate opportunities for open space and development between Bushnell Park and Broad Street in Hartford, the study said. T he state Department of Transportation recently released a detailed study recom- mending transformative changes to Greater Hartford's highway and other infrastruc- ture that aim to ease roadway congestion and open more land in Hartford and East Hartford for possible development. Many of the high-profile recommendations in the Greater Hartford Mobility Study have been discussed in the past, including the relocation of the I-84/I-91 interchange and lowering of the I-84 viaduct. Those are potentially smart long-term investments that could benefit the region and enhance economic development within the city of Hartford and neighboring East Hartford, including reconnecting both municipalities to the Connecticut River. Some of the recommendations mirror what was pitched a few years ago in the Hartford 400 plan, developed by prominent urban planner Doug Suisman and backed by the iQuilt Partner- ship in Hartford. The Greater Hartford Mobility Study also recommends a network of new trails, bikeways and transit options. While having a plan and vision are important to achieving any ambitious transportation infra- structure overhaul, the study doesn't seem to bring any of these projects closer to reality. That's because it fails to address perhaps the most important aspect of any major infrastructure plan: how to pay for it. In fact, the report mentions little about the cost of the dozens of recommended short-, medium- and long-term projects. Without a clear funding plan, one could skep- tically presume this will be another study that ends up on a shelf collecting dust. In a follow-up email exchange with the DOT, an agency spokesman provided HBJ with cost estimates. Overall, the entire program will prob- ably carry a $10 billion to $12 billion price tag, money the DOT and state obviously don't have in their coffers. The projects, DOT said, would need to be planned for and included in future capital programs, and require continued state funding to match future federal dollars over the next three decades. Yikes. Sustained investment from the state and federal governments over three decades? That would require ongoing support from new admin- istrations at the state and federal levels, each with their own priorities that might not include transportation infrastructure investment. Connecticut already has a checkered history on funding transportation. A January 2020 CT Mirror article, aptly headlined "Broken promises to fund transportation defined last 15 years," backs up that assertion. The article, penned by well-known state budget reporter Keith Phaneuf, said: "Connecti- cut's transportation program has been riddled, for more than a decade, by broken funding prom- ises from both political parties. Between 2007 and 2019, officials pledged hundreds of millions of dollars for highways, bridges and rail lines, only to frequently snatch portions of it away at the last minute." To be fair, coming up with a funding plan to underwrite billions of dollars in new infrastruc- ture investment isn't the responsibility of those involved in putting together the Greater Hartford Mobility Study. It's the job of state policymakers, and it may not be politically popular. The Greater Hartford Mobility Study recommends the construction of two new bridges over the Connecticut River connecting Hartford and East Hartford. One bridge would carry I-84 and Route 2 traffic to East Hartford. Another would connect the Sheldon/Charter Oak neighborhood with a new, river-oriented, mid-rise neighborhood in East Hartford. RENDERINGS | CONTRIBUTED Greg Bordonaro

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