Westport Receives $440,000 State Transportation Grant

Westport, CT - The town will receive a $440,000 grant from the state to pay for a master plan to improve the area around the Saugatuck train station, announced Gov. Dannel Malloy Wednesday.

The money is part of $11 million the state set aside for transportation improvements throughout Connecticut, primarily focused on mass-transit hubs and areas.

"Investing in transportation is critical. Transportation and the future of our economy are fundamentally linked. Our focus is on not only improving overall quality of life for residents in these areas, but also encouraging economic development by making our towns and cities more accessible," said Malloy in a statement. "These grants will help us take another step towards making our state more competitive."

A total of 20 projects around the state are set to receive funding under the state's Responsible Growth and Transit-Oriented Development Grant Program, which is administered by the Office of Policy and Management (OPM).

The Westport grant is described as follows:

• Westport - Saugatuck Station Area TOD Master Plan: $440,000 to fund a detailed master plan of the Saugatuck Station Area including an existing conditions analysis, public outreach, district planning, identification of partnerships, and preliminary design. The plan is focused on improving the Saugatuck area in a manner that will benefit local residents, new residents, commuters, and businesses.

"The grants announced today will make Connecticut a better place to live, work, and compete in the 21st Century,"said OPM Secretary Ben Barnes in a statement. "These projects will improve pedestrian connections, increase multimodal transportation options, encourage infill development and discourage sprawl. And they complement the historic investments being made in public transit under the Let's Go CT! initiative. By promoting transportation alternatives, the projects will decrease emissions and road congestion in high traffic areas. This is the type of critical funding that we must continue to invest in our towns and cities."