Malloys Supports Busway Project; Local Officials React

Newly elected state Rep. Joseph Verrengia, D-20th District, is worried about the impact a two-year-plus construction project will have on West Hartford now that Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has announced his support for the much-debated New Britain-Hartford busway.

Malloy said at a news conference on Monday that he has decided to pursue the project while also launching an "equally aggressive initiative" to create a Bristol-Waterbury commuter rail line. Many opponents of the busway had argued that it would preclude a rail line, but the governor said he doesn't believe that.

The busway — expected to cost close to $600 million — would have a stop in Elmwood and would require the construction of a $60 million bridge that will take the bus traffic over Flatbush Avenue. Construction is expected to begin soon, with the busway going into operation in 2014.

"It's going to have a profound impact," Verrengia said after the governor's news conference. "I've got more questions than answers on this."

Verrengia said he was particularly concerned that studies on the proposed busway haven't shown that it will decrease congestion on Interstate 84.

"It's not even going to solve the problem, and we're spending hundreds of millions," he said.

Malloy said Monday that the busway was "ready to go with 80 percent federal funding."

Connecticut has too often left federal funds on the table and risks getting nothing, Malloy said, citing a letter from the Federal Transit Administration. In part, that letter said: "A decision to withdraw [the busway] project for consideration and seek FTA funding for an alternative rail project in the region would require Connecticut to re-enter the competitive New Starts process at the beginning. In effect, the state would be starting from scratch."

"As much as I respect the proponents of establishing a rail line, we don't have hard data," Malloy said. "If we're going to go to Washington and make a strong argument, we can't do it on the back of an envelope."

Malloy has asked the state bond commission to include $1 million for a study of the Central Connecticut Rail Alternative.

Following Malloy's statement, State Sen. Beth Bye, D-West Hartford, said she has long been ambivalent about the project.

"I think it's way too much money, but that said, there's a lot invested," she said.

Bye also praised former state Rep. David McCluskey, who recently took a job with the Malloy administration, for his work on getting a busway stop in West Hartford.

"That makes us a town that could ultimately benefit," Bye said, though she added that "it probably will be disruptive for a period of time."

Mayor Scott Slifka sent a letter to Malloy on Monday outlining his many concerns about the project and asking the state to address them.

Among the requests in his letter:

• "A commitment to include a West Hartford rail stop in future Springfield/New Haven rail plans."
• "A commitment to not damage the Elmwood community and its businesses during construction."
• "Improvement of the inadequate state infrastructure in the area of New Park Avenue and Kane Street."
• "Removal of the burden of maintenance costs for the Flatbush Avenue bridge and the two bus stops."
• "Commitment to construct the two bus stations in a manner consistent with the original busway concept ... The present plan calls for simple bus shelters at both West Hartford locations that are completely unacceptable."
• "Address drainage at the New Park Avenue stop that does not limit future economic opportunities in the surrounding area."
• "Again, related to drainage, we are likely headed to court with the DOT over its taking, via eminent domain, of a town-owned small drainage area for a retention basis without taking the adjacent retaining wall to the Trout Brook."
• "Utilization of Connecticut, and to the extent possible, West Hartford-based contractors for the project."