The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) is highlighting the infrastructure investments, transportation improvements, and road safety technology advancements made during 2024. Over the course of the last 12 months, CTDOT continued to improve safety, mobility, and accessibility across Connecticut.
“Whether someone is driving, biking, walking, or utilizing public transportation services, we’re delivering projects and programs that ensure people get to their destination safely. We’re improving lives through transportation, and I am thrilled to see the progress we’ve made this year,” said Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto. “This was an incredibly busy year and we’re laser focused on keeping this momentum going in 2025. Thank you to the CTDOT staff, contractors, and federal, state, and local partners who are helping us deliver on our mission.”
Here’s a look back at 2024.
The CTDOT continued to improve state roads and bridges through planned projects, emergency response situations, and routine maintenance.
- In May, a fiery crash shut down I-95 in Norwalk and damaged the Fairfield Avenue Bridge beyond repair. Crews demolished the bridge and opened up the highway in less than 80 hours. The replacement bridge construction was expected to take more than a year to complete, but it was completed on December 2, exactly seven months after the crash.
- Following a historic rain event in August, dozens of state roads and rail lines were washed out and needed emergency repairs. The CTDOT and contractor partners worked around the clock to have all roadways reopened in a matter of months. Washed out areas included Route 34 in Newtown and Oxford, Route 67 in Oxford, and Route 313 in Seymour, as well as the Waterbury Branch Line.
- During inclement winter weather events, the CTDOT cleared more than 10,000 lane miles for motorists.
- Throughout 2024, the CTDOT paved more than 460 miles of roadways, upgraded more than 46 miles of roadside safety barriers, and installed more than 4,500 miles of pavement markings.
- The CTDOT repaired and replaced bridges throughout the state through its strategic capital planning process. The overall condition rating was improved on approximately 60 structures.
The CTDOT broke ground, cut ribbons, and continued making progress on major infrastructure projects throughout Connecticut.
- In February, the new parking garage at the Stamford Transportation Center opened for use. The original garage has since been demolished, and the CTDOT and City of Stamford are working together to develop the property for transit-oriented development.
- In May, the Putnam Bridge Trail Connection opened providing non-motorized access over the Connecticut River.
- In June, the second of a three-phase project totaling $500 million to reconfigure the highway interchange connecting Interstate 91, Interstate 691, and Route 15 broke ground.
- In July, the CTDOT received a $38.9 million competitive grant from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to purchase 46 battery electric buses and install 29 chargers for the award-winning CTfastrak bus rapid transit service.
- In September, Amtrak and CTDOT broke ground on the $1.3 billion reconstruction of the century-old Connecticut River Bridge between Old Saybrook and Old Lyme.
- In October, the Route 8/I-84 Mixmaster Rehabilitation Project in Waterbury was completed, and the New Mix Program is underway to plan for the long-term future of the interchange.
- In December, CTDOT announced a statewide plan to expand truck parking. The first phase of the overall $31 project is underway at the Middletown rest area on Interstate 91 northbound.
- As of December 17, 2024, there are 235 active capital projects in construction in the state, and 187 CTDOT in the planning stages.
In addition to major roadway projects, the CTDOT continued investments in public transportation and planning for the future of transportation.
- The Hartford Line is on track to have its highest ridership year since its launch in 2018, with more than 750,000 recorded trips expected.
- More than 110,000 passengers and 50,000 vehicles were transported by the state’s historic Rocky Hill-Glastonbury and Chester-Hadlyme ferries.
- In March, a new microtransit pilot program was launched in Connecticut thanks to $19.5 million in state funding.
- Also in March, bus services were expanded in Connecticut. New routes and longer operating hours were made possible following an $18 million state investment.
- In June, the CTDOT published an update to its Customer Experience (CX) Action Plan. The progress report provided an update on 26 priority items based directly on input from transit users.
- In September, the CTDOT issued its statewide household daily travel survey. The survey, which was the first since 2016, will be finalized and released in April 2025, and will help inform future transportation investments.
- In October, the CTDOT launched a contactless Tap and Ride pilot program on select bus routes allowing customers to use their mobile wallet and debit or credit cards to pay for bus fares.
The safety of all roadway users and roadway workers remained a top priority for the CTDOT.
- In June, tragedy arrived at the CTDOT, when highway maintainer Andrew DiDomenico was hit by a driver and killed while working on the Wharton Brook Connector in Wallingford. He was 26 years old.
- To help keep workers safe, the CTDOT continued investing in new technologies, such as illuminated reflective safety vests, electronic sequential road flares, and synchronized flashers on trucks.
- The CTDOT Work Zone Committee celebrated its 25th year of raising public awareness about the dangers people face while working on the road. This year, the Committee introduced the state to the newest work zone safety mascot, Terri the Turtle, and launched a new website ObeytheOrange.com.
- The CTDOT launched a new Real Lives public service announcement campaign aimed at protecting incident responders and reminding the public to Slow Down and Move Over.
- Throughout the year, the CTDOT continued installing lifesaving wrong way driver countermeasures on high-risk ramps in the state. There are currently 130 wrong way detection systems active in the state, that have been activated more than 200 times, with 80 percent of drivers safely turning around.
- The CTDOT Office of the State Traffic Administration (OSTA) continued to review town and city applications to install automated traffic enforcement safety devices, such as red light cameras and speed safety cameras. The first approval was issued in December, with more expected in 2025.
- The CTDOT and Vision Zero Council recognized four school districts with Vision Zero Program Distinction Awards.
- The Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS) program continued, with outreach at dozens of events throughout the year. The program piloted in-vehicle alcohol detection sensors as a way to prevent drunk driving in the near future.
- The CTDOT provided state and local law enforcement with financial resources they need to keep Connecticut roads safe. The CTDOT issued nearly 200 grants totaling more than $17 million to improve safety.
- The CTDOT provided training to state and local law enforcement to help get dangerous drivers off the road. There are now nearly 30 trained law enforcement phlebotomists and more than 70 Drug Recognition Experts (DRE) across the state.
Federal and state funds helped improve safety, accessibility, and mobility throughout the state.
- The CTDOT has been awarded more than $1.9 billion for 29 federal discretionary grants since the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also called the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, since November 2021. In 2024, CTDOT received 11 grant awards totaling more than $455 million for various projects and initiatives, such as the Meriden I-91/I-691/Route 15 interchange, the Greater Hartford Mobility Study, and rail projects across the state.
- A total of 36 vehicle grants totaling more than $3.2 million were awarded to non-profits and municipalities to provide service to seniors and persons with disabilities under the Federal Transit Administration Section 5310 program.
- A total of $12 million in grants were awarded through the Community Connectivity Grant Program (CCGP), providing resources to 17 Connecticut municipalities. Since the program’s creation, 138 awards totaling more than $62 million have been invested in Connecticut’s towns and cities. An additional round of grant awards is anticipated in 2025.
- A total of $9 million was invested in rural communities as part of a new Transportation Rural Improvement Grant Program (TRIP). A second round of TRIP grant awards are expected in 2025.
- The CTDOT issued 21 awards totaling more than $59 million through the Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program (LOTCIP).
- The CTDOT awarded more than $15 million in state local bridge funding for 18 projects in the state.
- The CTDOT launched a new active transportation microgrant program, issuing 96 grants totaling more than $400,000 to school districts, municipalities and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations around the state.
For more information on the work of the Connecticut Department of Transportation, visit ct.gov/dot.