Obituaries
Jim Cameron Jim Cameron 8-2-16

Customer Service at the Stamford Station — an ‘Ambassador’ But Not Proper Signage: Cameron on Transportation

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Anthony Scasino is an ambassador, not for a foreign country, but for Metro-North. He doesn’t have a consulate or embassy, just the Stamford train station as his headquarters. Scasino is one of six Customer Service Ambassadors (CSA) who work at the railroad’s busiest stations — White Plains, Harlem, 125th Street, Fordham, New Rochelle, Croton-Harmon and Stamford. After a six-month trial, the CSA program is now permanent and may be expanded. Scasino has worked for Metro-North for six and a half years, having previously been a ticket agent at Stamford.

Transportation
Variable Message Sign Wikimedia https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MN_Changeable_Message_Sign.jpg

CT Dept of Transportation Plans to Install More Variable Message Signs on I-95 Starting in Fall 2020

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The Connecticut Department of Transportation’s Office of Engineering is developing plans for the replacement and installation of variable message signs on Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 7 in Greenwich, Stamford, Norwalk and Westport. — an announcement from the Connecticut Department of Transportation

The present schedule indicates that the design will be completed in April 2020, with construction anticipated to start in the fall of 2020, assuming acceptance of the project and availability of funding.  This project will be undertaken with 100% federal funds. It is the Department’s policy to keep the public informed and involved when such projects are undertaken.  It is important that the community share its concerns with the Department to assist in the project’s development. At this time, it is not anticipated that a public informational meeting will be necessary. Anyone interested in receiving information on this project may do so by contacting Susan M. Libatique, Principal Engineer, at (860) 594-3179 or by e-mail at Susan.Libatique@ct.gov.  Please make reference to State Project No.

Transportation
Aerial Construction site Exit 9

ConnDOT Releases an Up-Close and Time-Lapse Video Showing Exit 9 Bridge Replacement

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Here’s a view of the bridge replacement at Exit 9 last month in a video from the Connecticut Department of Transportation that shows an up-close view of the construction project, with time-lapse video techniques and, at some points, aerial drone camerawork. “This is too good not to share,” First Selectman Jayme Stevenson said in an email.  “What a fantastic project from planning through execution.” “Amazing time-lapse video,” said a tweet from Darien TV79, as it shared the video in the same tweet. The video lasts nearly five minutes. Here’s an aerial view of one of the two spans being put in place (looking toward Darien).

Transportation
Metro-North Train

New Haven Line Normal Schedule Resumes After Cancelled, Combined Trains Due to Stamford Project

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Full, regular train service returns to the New Haven Line on Monday after constricted service, including cancelled and combined trains, as the result of a project to replace the Atlantic Street Bridge, Metro-North announced on Sunday. Here’s the Metro-North announcement:
For Monday, July 8, Metro-North expects to operate regular New Haven Line service as a result of the good progress being made by the Connecticut Department of Transportation to replace the Atlantic Street Bridge in Stamford. For New Canaan Branch customers, train service will resume during Peak periods and Off-Peak Substitute busing for New Canaan shuttles will continue. Starting Monday, July 8, please refer to our new New Haven Timetable (July 8 through Sept. 28) for schedule details go here.

Opinion
Jim Cameron Jim Cameron 8-2-16

ConnDOT’s New Commish Should’ve Been Talking to More Commuters by Now: Cameron on Transportation

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A good boss cares about his customers.  He wants to keep them happy and actively seeks out their feedback.  Such is not the case at the Connecticut Department of Transportation. The CDOT’s new Commissioner, Joseph Giulietti, has missed several important opportunities to interface with riders in his first 100 days in office.  Not that he hasn’t been working. He just hasn’t been meeting with customers. Remember that Giulietti came to his new job after a stint as President of Metro-North and in that role he held a number of “meet-the-commuter” events, handling himself quite well in answering questions and defusing angry riders. A year ago, after leaving the railroad, he became a consultant to T Y Lin’s study of how to improve running times on the railroad to achieve the “30-30-30” dream espoused by the Fairfield Business Council’s Joe McGee.  That $400,000 study, using Giulietti’s input, said it could be done.

Government & Politics
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.