2020 CTDOT Press Releases

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• 8/21/2020 CTDOT Wins Historic Preservation Award for Merritt Parkway Bridge Project

  The Connecticut Department of Transportation has won an historic preservation award from Preservation Connecticut – formerly the Connecticut Trust for Preservation – for its work in rehabilitating the 1940-era Lake Avenue bridge over the Merritt Parkway in Greenwich.

• 8/19/2020 CTDOT Seeks Input on Statewide Transportation Improvement Program and Public Information Procedures

  The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) is seeking public input as it updates its four-year Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) and revised Public Involvement Procedures (PIP). Comments will be received at two virtual public information meetings on Wednesday, September 23, 2020.

• 8/18/2020 CTDOT INTRODUCES PODCAST ABOUT THE CT PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM

  The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) has launched its first episode of “Along the Lines,” a new podcast about public transportation in Connecticut. The podcast series will explore a wide range of topics from the role transit plays in our communities to the past, present and future of Connecticut’s public transportation system.

• 8/18/2020 CTDOT Community Connectivity Project is Regional Winner and National Finalist

  The Connecticut Department of Transportation’s Community Connectivity Program – designed to look for opportunities to improve connections for biking, walking, and public transit in community centers – has won the top regional prize for “Quality of Life/Community Development” in a competition sponsored by the Northeast Association of State Transportation Officials (NASTO).

• 8/13/2020 GOVERNOR LAMONT ANNOUNCES CONNECTICUT RECEIVES $6.7M GRANT FOR ELECTRIC BUS FACILITY UPGRADES IN STAMFORD

  (HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont, together with Senator Richard Blumenthal, Senator Chris Murphy, and Congressman Jim Himes, today announced the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) has been awarded a $6.7 million federal grant to modernize the CTtransit bus facility in Stamford by providing accommodations for battery electric buses, which will soon be used on the system. The grant comes from the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Buses and Bus Facilities Program.

• 8/12/2020 CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION JOINS WITH LT. GOVERNOR SUSAN BYSIEWICZ, OTHER STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS TO DISTRIBUTE MASKS TO RAIL PASSENGERS

  In the ongoing effort to promote and reinforce the importance of wearing masks on Connecticut’s rail system to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT), joined also by Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, other state and local elected officials, and Metro-North's safety superhero "Metro-Man," today distributed masks to rail passengers at train stations across the state.

• 8/11/2020 CTDOT to Distribute Face Masks to Rail Riders at Stations Across the State

  On Wednesday, August 12, Connecticut Department of Transportation officials will distribute free face masks to passengers at railroad stations around Connecticut. Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz and DOT Commissioner Joe Giulietti will be in attendance at the New Haven Union Station venue at 8:30 AM, Wednesday morning.

• 7/31/2020 CTDOT Initiates Additional Review for Walk Bridge Project as Follow-up to Public Meeting

  In response to public comment and feedback received during and after the June 16th online public informational meeting regarding the use of Manresa Island as a construction staging area for the Walk Railroad Bridge replacement project, the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) is further reviewing potential traffic, noise, and environmental concerns, as well as compiling additional information for site staging alternatives.

• 7/28/2020 CTDOT DISTRIBUTES MASKS TO BUS RIDERS

  In an effort to promote the use of masks on public transportation vehicles to reduce the spread of COVID-19, the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) partnered with the state’s bus operators to distribute masks to public bus riders statewide on Tuesday, July 28th.

• 7/27/2020 CTDOT and the Connecticut Childrens Medical Center Issue Warning about High Heat Levels in Cars

  With temperatures soaring into the 90s, the Connecticut Department of Transportation and the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center today issued a reminder to parents and pet owners about the dangers of high levels of heat that can rapidly develop in parked cars.

• 7/24/2020 CTDOT AND STATE TRANSIT OPERATORS TO DISTRIBUTE MASKS TO BUS RIDERS ACROSS CONNECTICUT

  On Tuesday, July 28, the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) in partnership with CTtransit and other transit operators will be distributing masks to bus passengers statewide, including the cities of Hartford, New Haven, and Stamford to help combat the spread of COVID-19. Masks will be available for bus riders in the morning (7:00-9:00 AM) and the afternoon (3:00-5:00 PM).

• 7/14/2020 Connecticut Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Public Transportation to Survey Commuters about Commuting Habit Changes Due to COVID-19 Pandemic

  he Connecticut Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Public Transportation (CTDOT) is conducting a survey of Connecticut commuters about changes to their commutes, as well as their thoughts on commuting when returning to work in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• 7/10/2020 Added Service on CTrail Hartford Line and Danbury Line Service Restoration

  The Connecticut Department of Transportation is announcing, beginning Monday, July 13, additional train service on the CTrail Hartford Line as well as the resumption of the Danbury Line train service. The Danbury Line service was temporarily replaced with scheduled bus service to accelerate a track-work program that would have otherwise required additional time and further disruption to riders. Waterbury Line train service remains suspended with ongoing track and signal program work that will enable future expanded rail service.

• 7/2/2020 Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) Proposed Service and Fare Equity Policy

  The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) operates a multimodal public transportation network of commuter rail and bus systems, as well as paratransit services. To ensure fairness and equity in the delivery of these services, CTDOT wishes to engage the public in a collaborative process to develop its public transportation equity policies. The purpose of these policies is to establish clear parameters and procedures to evaluate impacts to minority or economically disadvantaged populations whenever there is a major service or fare change proposal. No major service or fare changes are being proposed at this time.

• 6/19/2020 CTDOT Receives 37 Million in Federal Grants

  The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) today announced that it has received more than $37 million in federal grant awards, which will be used to finance more train service on the Hartford Line, rebuild a railroad bridge in Norwalk, purchase three new buses for the CTfastrak service in central Connecticut, and test advanced technologies on the CTfastrak guideway.