Hartford Business Journal Special Editions

Digital Media & Film 88 Doing Business in Connecticut | 2015 Long-range Plans ese and other projects are only the be- ginning. In February, Governor Dannel Mal- loy unveiled his proposal for a 30-year, $100 billion transportation initiative that would begin with a $10 billion investment of state and federal funds over the next five years. is 60-month "ramp-up period" will include $2.8 billion in new state transportation spend- ing beyond the $3.8 billion in planned state expenditures and $3.4 billion in expected federal funding. A significant portion will go towards planning and engineering. It's not yet clear how the state will pay for the remainder of 30-year initiative. e governor recently appointed a commission to suggest the most cost-effective way to un- derwrite the massive rebuilding and expan- sion of Connecticut's transportation systems. e grand plan also includes dredg- ing of the state's deep-water ports, airport improvements, expansion of bus service, ad- ditional funding for towns to maintain their local roads, and the completion of pedestrian walkways and bicycle trails. Redeker said while Connecticut is a great place to live and do business — and has an excellent quality of life — its roads, bridges and railways are sadly lacking, and require im- mediate and ongoing improvement. Over the past 120 years, he said, investment in the state's transportation infrastructure has not kept pace with the growing demands placed upon it. A recent DOT report says 10 percent of state routes are currently over capacity, with that number expected to rise to 20 percent by 2035 if transportation spending remains at status quo. It goes on to say that 42 percent of businesses surveyed by the Connecticut Business and Industry Association believe the state's traffic congestion limits their territory, while 15 percent have considered relocating because of regional transportation concerns. Redeker estimated that Connecticut drivers spend about 40 hours each year sit- ting in traffic jams, at a cost of $4.2 billion in lost time, productivity and fuel. While some feel the governor's trans- portation plan is too expensive, "the cost of doing nothing is huge," he said. "If we don't reduce congestion on our roads, expand bus and rail service, build pedestrian access, and focus on safety, things will deteriorate. People won't want to live here, locate busi- nesses here, or travel through here." With the announcement of the $100 billion plan, "we're setting out on a course to completely and dynamically change that." Underway Other projects in the works for this year and next include the rebuilding or repair of three major bridges on I-95 — the Moses Wheeler Bridge between Stratford and Mil- ford, the Gold Star Memorial Bridge between New London and Groton, and the Pearl Har- bor Memorial ("Q") Bridge in New Haven. Redeker said the Q Bridge will be completed by the end of 2015 or in early 2016. Also underway is work on Norwalk's moveable Walk Bridge, a complex project that "got stuck" last year aer a design flaw was discovered. "We're designing a replace- ment structure in which all four tracks are on one bridge, everything opens and closes in the busiest railroad in the country, and [we're working] in a very, very confined space within feet of the aquarium," Redeker said. "It has to be built offsite and lied into place in the river with tides, so it's a massive undertaking." Some $53 million in state funding for the project was approved late last year, aer the 118-year-old railway bridge — which carries more than 140 trains each day — failed to open twice within a two-week period. Redeker said DOT is using a similar approach to that used for the I-84 replace- ment bridge in Southington. "Instead of two to three years of closing down lanes of traffic in either direction, we installed that bridge in one weekend. ese projects reflect our commitment as a department to designing and building cost-effective structures, with an eye toward timeliness and minimizing inconvenience to the public." Rail is also high on the commissioner's priority list. Building on last year's progress, the state is working on further upgrades for Metro-North and Shoreline East. is spring, DOT completed delivery of all-new rail cars on the New Haven line, and opened a new maintenance facility. Work is also continuing on double tracking the New Haven-Hartford-Spring- field line (the "Hartford Line"), which will make that route a viable one for commuters and significantly increase freight capacity. at line is expected to be in operation by the end of 2016, Redeker said. Once complete, the Hartford Line will allow Connecticut residents and visitors to travel easily between Springfield and New Haven, then on to New York if they choose. INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT › Transportation DOT Commissioner James Redeker participated in Bike To Work Day. PHOTO/CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION > Continued from page 87

• Cover