DOT Looking to Expand Bus Rapid Transit System into Manchester

Editor’s note: We published this story earlier in the week, but here it is again in case you missed it.

Governor Dannel P. Malloy announced Tuesday that the State Bond Commission is scheduled to vote next week on a $7 million allocation that will allow the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) to purchase buses and other capital equipment necessary to expand CTfastrak east of the Connecticut River into East Hartford and Manchester.

The bus rapid transit system currently has ten stations along the 9.4 mile bus-only roadway, which extends between New Britain, Newington, West Hartford, and Hartford, partly along abandoned rail line and existing Amtrak rail line. The planned, expanded service east of the river would utilize the existing HOV lanes on I-84.

“The numbers we are seeing on CTfastrak are surpassing expectations. We’re proud of the work we’ve done, but also know how much more we need to do to transform our transportation system. Extending this service east of the river into East Hartford and Manchester will only open even greater opportunities for people to take advantage of this transit system, in addition to the potential to grow more transit-oriented development opportunities along the line. It’s good for jobs, it’s a boost for business, and it’s a step towards making Connecticut’s transportation system best-in-class,” Malloy said. “By growing this service east of the river, that means service extensions to Pratt & Whitney and Goodwin College, in addition to many of the other large businesses in those towns. If we want to make Connecticut’s transportation system the best in the nation, we need to make these investments now.”

Earlier this month, Malloy announced that the current CTfastrak system between New Britain and Hartford reached a major milestone, having served one million passenger trips since paid fare service began on April 6. Overall, the system is averaging 14,000 passenger trips on weekdays, with 9,000 on Saturdays and 5,000 on Sundays.

CTDOT has already begun a feasibility study to determine the best routes for the extended system into Manchester, utilizing a $500,000 allocation that was approved earlier this year by the Bond Commission.

“Service across the Connecticut River is a natural expansion of the very popular CTfastrak system,” CTDOT Commissioner James P. Redeker said. “Our target for the additional service is late 2016. We are grateful for the Governor’s consistent support, leadership and shared vision.”

The State Bond Commission, which is chaired by Malloy, is scheduled to vote on the allocation at its meeting on Tuesday, September 29, at 10:30 a.m. in Room 1E of the Legislative Office Building in Hartford.

For information about CTfastrak, visit www.ctfastrak.com, connect via Facebook atwww.facebook.com/ctfastrak or Twitter at @ctfastrak. Route timetables are available atwww.cttransit.com under the “Schedules/CTfastrak” tab.

Photo credit: ctfastrak.com