FAQ

The study resulted in a recommended program of improvements, some of which can be implemented in the near term, and some will be on a longer timeline. CTDOT and other regional partners, such as the Capitol Region Council of Governments and the City of Hartford are moving many of the recommendations forward.

The Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) study, which is the GHMS, is complete. The GHMP is the resulting program of recommended improvements developed during the GHMS. CTDOT will continue to use the GHMP name to brand projects resulting from the study as they progress through the various project development pipelines within CTDOT and other regional partners.

Yes, CTDOT is excited about the momentum already created by engaging with the public and looks forward to continuing community participation. Both CTDOT and project partners (including Voices of Women of Color) will be at many upcoming community events to continue conversations around the program of improvements and next steps. See here for upcoming opportunities.

The Core Components are large scale recommendations and the GHMP is the first step in a series of iterative and expanding project development stages. CTDOT has already initiated this process for two Core Components (City Link East and River Gateway). CTDOT is actively soliciting a consultant to complete an Environmental Impact Statement for Rt 2 to I-91 Direct Connection(an element of City Link East) and was recently awarded $2 million in federal grant funding through the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program for more detailed planning and preliminary design work for River Gateway.

There are several ways to learn about the status of a given project.

(1) People are encouraged to continue to attend in-person events, which offer the opportunity to directly talk with project staff.

(2) There is an open comment form on the project website that can be found here.

(3) There is a project phone number where people can leave a voice message or question. Project phone number: 1(860)308-1435.

Improve the movement of people and goods

Increase transportation options, accessibility, reliability, and safety

Accommodate future needs and emerging technologies

Prioritize social equity

Minimize environmental impacts

The benefit of this broader study is that the team can determine how each individual project could interact with others to achieve the most favorable outcome for the region. In addition to better assessing how the individual projects can affect one another, the broader study allows for:

Less duplication of efforts (i.e. different parties will not be studying variations of the same concepts and putting each forward separately),

More accurate project phasing because projects are planned and potentially designed together, and

Ability to advance early action projects, or “low-hanging” fruit.

The vision is to improve mobility by planning an integrated, resilient, multi modal transportation system in the Greater Hartford Region, thereby enhancing the quality of life and economy.

The GHMS is a comprehensive study to identify and address mobility challenges in the Greater Hartford region. This includes how people and goods can best access and move through the area using various modes of transportation.

The outcome will be a multi-modal strategy for improving mobility in the Greater Hartford Region for the next several decades. An implementation plan has been developed that includes a program of short- and long-term solutions within the urban core of the region and its suburbs. This set of recommendations will serve as a framework for the strategy's future implementation by the CTDOT, partnering state and federal agencies, and local stakeholders.

CTDOT is managing the study, assisted by a consultant team comprised of local area firms including TranSystems Corporation, AECOM, WSP, and FHI Studio.

By late 2019, there were several initiatives in the Greater Hartford Region, such as the I-84 Hartford Project, CTfastrak expansion, Amtrak/Hartford Line Rail Corridor enhancements, I-84/I-91 interchange improvements, East Coast Greenway planning, and expanded bicycle and pedestrian networks at different levels of completion. Independently advancing any one of these projects could interfere or conflict with others. Therefore, the CTDOT decided to assess all of them together with other multi-modal mobility improvement opportunities in one study.