Transit, Amtrak cuts advance in House appropriations bill
The one-year bill cuts public transit funding by 22%, Amtrak
by 69% and Capital Investment Grants by 78% for fiscal year 2027 but puts “a
historic amount of funding” into bridges.
A House appropriations subcommittee passed
a one-year bill on May 21 to fund the Department of Transportation for
the 2027 fiscal year. Current funding for the DOT expires on Sept. 30.
The bill passed on a party-line 9-7 vote. It cuts
public transit funding by 22% and Amtrak funding by 69%, compared to
FY 2026 enacted levels, according to an American Public Transportation
Association analysis.
Its aim is to continue funding at some level while work on
the five-year surface
transportation legislation continues, sources said.
The bill sets public transit funding at $16.5 billion for FY
2027 and cuts Capital Investment Grant funding 78% to $737 million. According
to APTA, cities are requesting $31 billion of CIG funds in FY 2026 and
subsequent years for 49 construction projects in 23 states.
The appropriations bill provides $1.5 billion for Amtrak’s
national network and $650 million for the Northeast Corridor. It zeroes out
funding for the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail program,
which aimed to expand or add new passenger rail service.
Competition for federal funding
Transportation is competing for dollars with housing in the
2027 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
Appropriations Bill, Brittney Kohler, legislative director of transportation
and infrastructure for the National League of Cities, told Smart Cities
Dive.
The news is better for cities and metropolitan planning
organizations. “We saw some really positive movements that we hope to see
expanded, but certainly are a good start,” Kohler said.
“The biggest win was certainly the need for bridge funding,”
she added. “This Congress is not only going to put a historic amount of funding
into bridges, but they’re going to dedicate 25% to local bridges.”
In the end, it may come down to, “What does Congress want to
bring home to their districts?” Kohler said.
Bipartisan bill for surface transportation advances
The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on
May 22 approved H.R. 8870, the BUILD
America 250 Act, on a 62 to 2 vote, providing a blueprint for the next
five-year surface transportation reauthorization bill.
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The 1,005-page legislation invests in bridges, rail safety
and other infrastructure programs. The bill also creates a new supplemental
funding stream for the Highway Trust Fund in the form of a $130 annual
registration fee for electric vehicles and a $35 fee for hybrid vehicles.
U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., said in a statement that the
act “will create good paying jobs while restoring aging bridges, repairing
crumbling roads, and supporting safe, accessible rail, transit and bike
infrastructure.”
Not everyone agrees.
Transit, passenger rail see lower funding ahead
“While there is a lot of good policy in this bill, if
enacted, it is very unlikely it would meaningfully improve passenger rail in
the U.S. over the five year life of the bill,” Rail Passengers Association Vice
President of Government Affairs and Policy Sean Jeans-Gail said in a published
analysis of the bill.
The five-year bill authorizes $63.9
billion for rail programs, including Amtrak, railroad crossing improvements
and other programs, but the funds are not guaranteed as they were under the
2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Instead, the funding would be
decided each year through the appropriations process. “That means it expects
the Appropriations Committees to use the annual budgeting process to find
around $13 billion per year for rail programs when appropriators have
consistently struggled to stay above the $3 billion mark,” Jeans-Gail stated.
The act “digs its heels into more roadways while robbing from the multitude of sustainable and affordable transportation options that the country needs,” Kevin Shen, senior analyst for the Clean Transportation Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said in a news release.
Per an analysis of the bill by Steve Davis, assistant vice president of transportation strategy for Smart Growth America, guaranteed funding for transit goes from $91.2 billion in the IIJA down to $87.6 billion, while guaranteed highway funding increases from $351 billion to $376 billion.
Wide support for the BUILD America 250 Act
The surface transportation bill has many supporters.
The Governors Highway Safety Association said in a May 19
letter to the committee leaders that it appreciates combining two safety grants
into one program, which “would provide states with greater flexibility to make
data driven investments focused on achieving measurable safety outcomes and
remove existing barriers to working with local communities.”
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation
Officials said in May 20 statement that the bill “reflects many of AASHTO’s
core policy principles such as streamlining programs with common objectives,
enhancing the efficiency of environmental review and permitting processes to
expedite project delivery, and upholding formula-based federal funding to
states.”
On the industry side, construction engineering company AECOM
said in a May 19 letter, “We are particularly pleased to see the bill’s
increased investments that will sustain the momentum of recent years, providing
certainty to state and local governments as they advance their own investments
in infrastructure.”
Trade associations and labor unions voiced support for the
act in a May 22 news release. “Critically, the bill strengthens protections for
workers in active construction zones that will help ensure our hardworking men
and women can get home safely when the job is done,” the Transportation
Construction Coalition stated.
The five-year bill will move forward in the House, and to
the Senate at some point, on its long road to passage this year. “All that
matters at the end of the day — especially when we talk about transportation —
is, can you see the investment we’ve made, and did it make a difference in
people’s lives?” Kohler said.
Three highway work zone speed cameras to be activated in CT June 1. Here's where they are
New
highway work zone speed cameras will be activated June 1 at three
Connecticut locations, though fines won’t be issued until July 6, the state Department of
Transportation announced Friday.
The cameras, designed to curb speeding in work
zones, register a vehicle’s speed and automatically issue warnings or
tickets to the registered owner of any vehicle driving at least 10 mph over the
posted speed limit.
As part of a gradual rollout, the cameras will first be
activated at these locations:
The I-95 interchange
in West Haven at
Exit 43;
The I-95 interchange in East Lyme at
Exit 74; and
On Route 2 in Colchester.
Cameras will be activated at other highway work zones at a
future date, a DOT news release said. Signs at each active location will warn
drivers that speed cameras are in use.
June 1 through July 5 will serve as a “warning
period” during which the system will issue warnings but no fines to
speeders in those areas, according to DOT. Beginning July 6, speeding vehicles
will receive a written warning for a first offense, followed by a $75 fine for
a second violation within a single year. Traveling at least 85 mph in a work
zone, however, will trigger a fine even for a first violation.
“Work zone speed cameras are a proven tool to slow drivers
down and discourage dangerous behavior,” DOT Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto
said in a statement. “Lower speeds in work zones mean safer conditions for
roadway crews, fewer crashes and safer travel for everyone moving through
active work zones.”
State lawmakers piloted
the speed camera program in 2023, then made
it permanent in 2024, with a few tweaks. Under the law, the state may set
up speed cameras at up to 15 locations at a time, though only in work zones on
roads where the speed limit is at least 45 mph.
The Department of Transportation tested the cameras for
months at locations across the state, in preparation for their activation in
June. From March through May, DOT says, speed
cameras detected about 1.36 million vehicles driving above the posted
work zone speed limit, including more than 4,000 traveling over 85 mph and more
than 150 traveling over 100 mph.
Danbury’s aging Kennedy Avenue underground bridge is finally getting rebuilt
Brian Gioiele
DANBURY — A long-overdue rehabilitation project on Kennedy Avenue bridge is underway — and city officials say Danbury taxpayers won’t pay for it.
The State Bond Commission recently approved $2.3 million for the bridge work, phase one of which began Monday with no impact to traffic at this point in what will be a months-long project. There may come a time when the road may be closed, but officials said it would be closer to October. The total project cost is $4.6 million, all covered by state and federal grants.
The Kennedy Avenue Bridge is underground, located in the area of Kennedy Park and the Transit Pulse Point. Being underground, the bridge supports the roadway and is not visible to those walking or driving along the roadway.
“The replacement of the Kennedy Avenue Bridge is critical to the long-term reliability of our road network throughout our city,” said Mayor Roberto Alves.
Alves said this project goes hand in hand with the ongoing Downtown Streetscape Project and the broader work being done to modernize aging systems, improve safety and enhance mobility throughout Danbury.
The bridge, built in 1964, has long needed repairs.
The work will take about 10 months to complete and includes repairing the existing precast deck units, patching concrete abutments, installing a new 4-inch-thick concrete slab, excavating within the Kennedy Park area, removing existing concrete sidewalks, casting new sidewalks and planting new trees and shrubs.
“This is yet another great example of the state helping Danbury taxpayers pay for city infrastructure improvements, so they don’t have to pay through their local property taxes,” said state Sen. Julie Kushner, D-Danbury.
State Rep. Farley Santos, D-Danbury, called this a major win for city residents.
“With the state covering the full $4.6 million cost of the Kennedy Avenue Bridge replacement, this is a major relief for Danbury property taxpayers and an important investment in public safety, infrastructure and keeping our community connected,” added Santos, who is also the city’s economic development head.
Santos said the city obtaining additional funding is unique because under the state bridge program, the state typically covers 50% of the cost, leaving local property taxpayers responsible for remainder. For a $4.6 million bridge project, Danbury taxpayers would normally be expected to cover $2.3 million.
“We secured the additional state funding needed, so Danbury residents won’t have to foot the bill,” said Santos.
During the construction, Kennedy Avenue will remain open to vehicular traffic, and the HARTransit Bus Pulse Point shall remain in service.
The area on the south side of Kennedy Avenue, including a portion of the Kennedy Park, shall be fenced off to prevent pedestrians from entering a construction zone.
Work will include excavation and removal of the soil, pavement and sidewalks at the southerly side of Kennedy Avenue and adjacent to Main Street to expose the bridge top concrete surface.
The deteriorated concrete from the bridge deck will be removed and repairs made to the concrete deck with specialized concrete repair materials. Then workers will install a reinforced concrete slab over the exposed bridge section.
Gold Star Bridge traffic crossover to be in place by Sunday morning
Kimberly Drelich
New London — By 8 a.m. Sunday, drivers can expect to see a
new traffic configuration on the Gold Star Memorial Bridge as two lanes of
northbound traffic will “cross over” onto a dedicated section of the southbound
bridge.
Those two northbound lanes will be separated by a steel
median barrier from the regular southbound traffic on the southbound span.
The northbound span will be reduced to two northbound lanes.
The state Department of Transportation said the intention is
that drivers continuing north on Interstate 95 after crossing the bridge or
taking Exit 86 will take the crossover and that drivers heading to Exit 85 will
take the northbound span. However, the northbound span also will allow drivers
to continue north on I-95 past the bridge.
The long-planned traffic crossover is due to a $900 million
repair project for the northbound span that takes drivers from New London to
Groton. When completed, the construction project — which entails installing a
new deck, strengthening steel, repairing concrete and other improvements — will
repair the bridge, bring it up to modern standards and fully restore access for
oversized vehicles, the DOT has
said.
Preparation work
Patrick McNamara and Keith Schoppe, project engineers with
the DOT, and Hank Doll and Mike Ossa, assistant resident engineers with the
firm GM2, explained the details of the upcoming traffic crossover in an
interview.
Crews will begin implementing the traffic crossover Saturday
evening, with minimal impacts starting at 6 p.m., project officials said.
At 9 p.m. Saturday, I-95 northbound in the area of Frontage
Road near Town Fair Tire in New London will be temporarily reduced to one lane.
Northbound traffic will be shifted to the right, over the existing northbound
bridge, which will have one lane open.
That will give crews room to perform the work needed to
implement the crossover, project officials said.
Exit 86 will be closed Saturday night, but drivers can use
Exit 87 as a detour, project officials said.
Four-year traffic configuration
Once the traffic crossover is in place, it will remain in
that configuration for the next approximately four years of construction.
In New London, as drivers head north on I-95 toward the
bridge, they will see signs telling them where they should go, project
officials explained.
Around the Route 32 overpass in New London, drivers on I-95
will see a sign on the right for Exit 85. Drivers who need to take Exit 85
would take that exit at that point onto the existing northbound bridge. The
northbound bridge’s right lane will be for traffic to Exit 85 in Groton only,
while the left lane will be for through traffic continuing on I-95 past the
bridge.
Drivers in New London who don’t want to take Exit 85 and
plan to continue north on I-95 past the bridge or to Exit 86 would continue in
the I-95 travel lanes, which will take them onto the traffic crossover on the
southbound span.
The crossover will have two lanes continuing north on I-95,
project officials said. Drivers in the crossover wanting to go to Exit 86
should be in the left lane and will take a left exit onto Exit 86.
Drivers coming from the Route 32/Huntington Street and
Briggs Street on-ramps in New London will not have the option to take the
crossover and will go onto the northbound bridge.
Project officials said the northbound lanes on the
northbound structure will have two 11-foot lanes with narrow shoulders. The
northbound 11-foot crossover lanes will have 2- and 8-foot shoulders, with some
limited “pinch points.”
Southbound traffic on the bridge will continue in its
existing traffic configuration. Project officials said a left lane was closed
on the southbound side of I-95 around the Route 349 interchange to provide a
dedicated on-ramp for traffic from Routes 12 and 184. The DOT also is looking
at potential ways to improve the merge onto the bridge from Bridge Street in
the City of Groton.
Speed enforcement
The DOT said the signed speed limit on the bridge will go
down to 45 mph. Starting Sunday, drivers heading north, whether on the
crossover or on the northbound span, will have a signed 45 mph speed limit,
project officials said. The speed limit for drivers heading south will be
signed at 45 mph soon after.
State police will enforce the speed limit, the DOT said, and
ultimately there will be speed cameras.
The DOT is developing a traffic dashboard where commuters
will be able to view real-time traffic footage and a traffic heat map, with
colors indicating the level of traffic, project officials said.
The DOT said it already is sharing the camera feeds with
critical emergency response groups, including Groton and New London dispatch
and highway operations.
The project team said it has been meeting with emergency
services and has assembled a coalition of highway operations, the towns, fire
departments and police that are aware of current project status, road
alignments, and the best routes to get in and out for emergency response. A
wrecker service is slated to be staged in the beginning and during critical
traffic times, as needed.
Project officials are urging drivers to drive safely, pay
attention to the signs, not be in a rush, and focus on the road, rather than
the construction or views around them. The DOT will be installing screens to
minimize distractions.
Information and videos about the project are available at https://portal.ct.gov/dot/projects/gold-star-memorial-bridge/rehabilitation-of-the-northbound-bridge?language=en_US.