$13.9 million from Biden Administration aims to improve rail structure in CT
ENFIELD, CT (WFSB) - The Biden Administration announced $13.9 million in rail structure funding for Connecticut.
The Federal Railroad Administration on Thursday announced the funding for the state. It is part of the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements grant program.
Former train conductor and current CT DOT Commissioner Joe Giuletti says a train hasn’t slowed down in Enfield or Thompsonville in quite some time, but that’s about to change.
The funds will be used to build a new train station, access to bus routes, sidewalks and create commuter parking lots in Enfield.
All in the hopes of making Enfield a travel hub, rather than just another stop along the tracks.
State officials say the design should be finalized in 2023, with construction starting in 2024.
Enfield Mayor Bob Cressotti said, “there are many small businesses that are starting to open up in this section and this will be a benefit to all of those businesses.”
The current plans place the new station right in the back yard of the Bigelow Commons Apartments, which has hundreds of units, full of people who could soon see a lot more traffic.
“They are actually extremely supportive and were willing to give up part of their parking lot to make this all work,” said Giuletti.
Natalie Rodriguez was visiting her boyfriend, who lives in the commons.
She fears the new station could make it harder for residents to come and go.
“Finding parking here is already hard enough, we don’t have assigned parking as it is,” said Rodriguez.
Steve Cotgella lives a few hundred yards from where the station would be built.
He says part of his property is being taken by town to fix a bridge, but he claims there were bigger goals of future development in mind.
“This is all considered transit-oriented development now,” said Cotgella. “I think it’s ...they want to fulfill their fantasy down here and that is high-density development.”
Nationally, the CRISI program awarded 46 projects in 32 states and the District of Columbia more than $368 million. The FRA said the investments will play a crucial role in modernizing our country’s rail infrastructure and strengthening supply chains to reduce congestion and get people and goods where they need to go faster and cheaper. The program will create good-paying jobs and benefit urban and rural communities across the country.
The FRA said the selected projects announced Thursday will not only improve and expand passenger rail and fund conventional and high-speed rail, but they will also increase supply chain resilience and fluidity, support short line railroads, invest in in new technology and safety advancements, and benefit rail industry workforce development and training activities – helping to create jobs and increase economic growth.
The Biden Administration said the president’s bipartisan infrastructure law has nearly tripled funding for this critical rail infrastructure program - to $1 billion a year for the next five years. Strengthening supply chains and increasing the productive capacity of the economy are key tenets of President Joe Biden’s plans to get goods from ships to shelves more quickly and lower costs for American families.
“Americans deserve a world-class rail system that allows people and goods to get where they need to go more quickly and affordably, while reducing traffic and pollution on our roads,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “We’re proud to award these grants to improve passenger rail for riders and strengthen the freight rail that underpins our supply chains and makes our economy work.”
The Connecticut Department of Transportation was awarded up to $13.9 million to conduct environmental review, preliminary engineering, final design, and construction of a new station to accommodate increased service as part of the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield Rail Program and improve under bridge clearance in Enfield. Specific improvements will include a 500-foot level boarding platform, a utility building with waiting area, and station parking. Track and signal work are needed to support the platform, and the clearance will be improved by raising the bridge and lowering the road. Connecticut DOT will provide a 50 percent match, and the project also includes additional Federal funds from the Federal Transit Administration.
“This round of CRISI grants – one of the largest ever – is a major step forward for FRA and the Biden Administration’s efforts to revitalize and rebuild the country’s infrastructure,” said FRA administrator Amit Bose. “These awards will allow FRA to support rail projects that have a direct impact on numerous communities nationwide, while also laying the groundwork for future growth.”
CRISI aims to advance intercity passenger and freight rail projects that promote FRA’s key goals of safety, economic growth, transportation equity, and sustainable and resilient infrastructure. As the nation continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, these upgrades and expansions will help state and local governments and rail carriers meet renewed travel demand and strengthen supply chains.
Copyright 2022 WFSB. All rights reserved.
