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Preface

PREFACE

What originated 100 years ago as a three-member commission with an initial budget of $75,000 has developed into a department with some 4,000 employees and an annual combined operating/capital projects budget of nearly $1 billion. In 1895, the $75,000 was distributed to towns on a matching basis to fund the construction of roads that met state standards. Now, a century later, the Connecticut Department of Transportation (the Department) continues to administer a town aid program for local highway and bridge improvements. While providing assistance to local communities for roadway improvements was the principal function carried out by the first three Highway Commissioners (and later the Highway Department), the current Commissioner, J. William Burns, is responsible for a multitude of transportation programs and projects involving not only highways, but also rail service, bus systems, airports, ferries, State Pier operations, highway safety, ridesharing and other mobility efforts.

This book has been written as an historical account of the Department's first 100 years and is to be distributed to libraries at the state's colleges and secondary schools, other state agencies, and, upon request, to Department employees. The book is part of a larger celebration that the Department has planned to commemorate the transition and growth of the Department over the past century. A variety of commemorative events and activities have been scheduled, including a Department luncheon, an Open House at the Department's headquarters in Newington, various exhibits presented by groups within the Department, a commemorative quilt, a cookbook, a commemorative calendar, a video, and a A run@ for Department employees. The people on the committees that made these many events possible are recognized at the end of this book.