ConnDOT slide for some presentation 2018 proposed parking garage Stamford railroad station

Public Meeting on New Stamford Train Station Parking Garage on Oct 24

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The Connecticut Department of Transportation will conduct a public meeting from 7 to 8:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 24 about the proposed Stamford Transportation Center parking garage to be constructed on South State Street in Stamford. The meeting will be held in the Senior Center Auditorium on the second floor of Stamford Government Center, 888 Washington Blvd., Stamford. — This article combines announcements from the Connecticut Department of Transportation (which, weirdly, didn’t state the time of the meeting) and the state Council on Environmental Quality (which did, and which had other information). The proposed parking garage will replace parking in the aging original garage structure (currently located on Station Place) with a low maintenance, long service life facility that meets the demand for state-owned commuter parking spaces located proximate to the station.

Metro-North Train

Metro-North, ConnDOT Say Most of the Recent Train Delays Due to Infrastructure Projects

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Metro-North and the Connecticut Department of Transportation issued this announcement late Friday afternoon to explain  some of the delays on the New Haven Line and its branches (we’ve added the boldface and subheadings):

The recent trend of late trains on the New Haven Line, including the New Canaan, Danbury, and Waterbury Branch Lines, has primarily been the result of extensive, ongoing upgrades to infrastructure to ensure safe operations and make our service more reliable for the future. While the infrastructure work is necessary and in many cases, the train delays are unavoidable, we realize there is room for improvement in how we communicate with our customers. On the New Haven Line, delays have been largely the result of track outages and speed restrictions necessary to accommodate an unprecedented infrastructure investment program funded by the State of Connecticut.  Much of this work will continue into 2019 and beyond. Projects include the construction of new bridges in Greenwich and Stamford, the continuation of our overhead catenary power replacement program, and the construction of a new railroad interlocking in East Norwalk. To accommodate the work, tracks have been taken out of service; unfortunately, however, with fewer tracks in service, our flexibility is reduced if another operational issue should arise.

Map Noroton Heights Railroad Station platform replacement 03-25-17

State Says Noroton Heights Station Platforms To Be Replaced By Next June, Town DPW Director Thinks by Christmas

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The project to replace all the concrete platforms at Noroton Heights Railroad Station is officially not due to be over until June 2019, according to the state Department of Transportation, but Darien Public Works Director Edward Gentile doesn’t believe it. He thinks commuters will be more likely to be using the new platform by this coming Christmas. The project got off to a slow start, with plenty of pauses, Gentile said, while the Manafort construction company became more accustomed to the work. Now that they have, the pace should continue to moving at a good clip, he said. According to a town DPW report Gentile gave to the Board of Selectmen before Tuesday mornings town government department heads meeting with the board, the fourth phase of the project, covering the platform around the station building and the northern (Heights Road-side) entrance to the pedestrian bridge, should be starting by Aug.

DOT

Lanes Closed Monday on Rt. 106 Under Merritt Parkway Bridge in New Canaan

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Right lanes for both north-bound and south-bound traffic will be closed at times from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, July 9 on Route 106, just over the New Canaan border, the state Department of Transportation announced. The lanes will be closed as bridge inspection and maintenance work is done on the bridge, the announcement said. (Route 106 in most of Darien, is Hoyt Street. Then it becomes Old Stamford Road in New Canaan.)

DOT

Nighttime Lane Closures on Merritt Parkway in Norwalk From Now to 2019 for Bridge Project

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Lane closures could take place on the Merritt Parkway in Norwalk overnight starting as early as 7 or 8 p.m. in a project already begun to demolish and replace the West Rocks Road Bridge over the parkway. Work started April 25 and could go on for more than a year. Lanes will be closed on the Merritt Parkway southbound and northbound between Interchanges 40 and 41 in order to re-stripe for stage construction. — an announcement from the state Department of Transportation

The contractor is permitted to close one lane of the parkway from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Route 15 northbound and from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. on Route 15 southbound.  The allowable lane closure hours vary depending on the weeknight traffic volumes. The project was awarded to New England Road, Inc. at a cost of $4,117,827 on Dec.

James Redeker DOT transportation commissioner

CT Transportation Commissioner Redeker: Rail and Road Debacle Coming Soon Unless Legislature Acts

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State Transportation Commissioner James Redeker recently announced in a letter and news release that proposed fare increases and service reductions would “undo decades of investment in our transportation infrastructure and initiate an economic death spiral for our economy.”

Here’s the news release, issued Tuesday, April 24, followed by the letter:

In a letter to Governor Dannel P. Malloy sent on Friday, Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) Commissioner James P. Redeker provided an update on the recently held public hearings the department hosted and made clear that without action by the General Assembly to fix long-term issues with the Special Transportation Fund, CTDOT will have “no choice” but to raise rail and bus fares and cut transit service effective July 1, 2018. Commissioner Redeker added that he “cannot support” the proposed fare increases and service reductions because they would “undo decades of investment in our transportation infrastructure and initiate an economic death spiral for our economy.”

“However, I may have no choice,” Redeker wrote. “The obvious alternative to these draconian actions is to fully support the revenue needs of the Special Transportation Fund (STF) in this legislative session to fully avoid the fare and service cuts and to restore funding for the critical capital investments needed for our transportation system.”

Over the last several months, CTDOT held seven public hearings and nine community meetings around the state to gather public comment on the proposed changes in fares and service. More than 400 people attended and more than 650 comments were submitted in writing or by email. Virtually everyone opposed the plan; in one case, a petition with 4,625 signatures was submitted in opposition.

Special Transportation Fund crisis 2018

Jim Cameron Speaks to Greenwich Audience About CT’s Transportation Funding Crisis

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The transportation in Connecticut is, to be blunt, in dire straits, commuter advocate Jim Cameron of Darien recently told a Greenwich audience. He also discussed possible solutions. Transportation costs in Connecticut are funded by the state government’s Special Transportation Fund, Cameron said in a talk given at Riverside Yacht Club on Wednesday in a presentation sponsored by the League of Women Voters in Greenwich. Like everything else in the Connecticut government, however, the STF is running out of money. — This article, in slightly different form, originally was published by Greenwich Free Press.

James Redeker DOT transportation commissioner

CT Transportation Commissioner James Redeker, Legislators Speak Wednesday at Norwalk Forum

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A two-hour public forum on state transportation issues and problems will be held Wednesday evening with the state transportation commissioner and three legislators, including state Rep. Terrie Wood, who issued this announcement:

If you are a commuter or if you are interested in learning more about state transportation issues, I would like to invite you to a transportation forum in Norwalk on Wednesday, March 28 with Department of Transportation Commissioner James Redeker. I am co-hosting the forum along with my Norwalk delegation colleagues, state Reps. Fred Wilms and Gail Lavielle.  We have scheduled it to give all of you an opportunity to discuss your thoughts and concerns about state and local transportation needs with ConnDOT Commissioner Redeker and local legislators. ConnDOT has proposed raising rail and bus fares 21.28 percent over the next 3 years,significantly reducing rail service on the Danbury and Waterbury Lines. Additionally,the governor has cancelled more than $4 billion in transportation projects statewide and introduced a proposal to bring tolls back to the state, raise the gas tax 7 cents over four years and implement a new tax on tires.