HARTFORD, Conn. — The federal government is allocating $291 million to improve Connecticut's railways and contribute to five current and upcoming projects.
The funding comes from President Joe Biden's Infrastructure Law and is going to the state's Department of Transportation and Amtrak.
Connecticut's share is one-fifth of the $1.4 billion The Federal Railroad Administration granted for projects along the Northeast Corridor.
The federal grants will be used for the following projects:
- Replacement of Longbrook Avenue Roadway bridge that carries the New Haven Line Main Line, with installing 88 catenary structures and four new crossovers. This track improvement project will receive $172 million.
- Adding double tracks to Hartford Line Rail and adding track improvements in West Hartford, Hartford, Windsor and Windsor Locks. This program will receive $102 million.
- Establishing a planning study for replacing the Connecticut River Bridge, a 117-year-old bridge that Amtrak owns. This program will receive $8 million.
- A study for plans on replacing the movable Cos Cob Bridge over the Mianus River in Greenwich, which is 120 years old. This study is getting $6.4 million.
- Plans to construct a new Hartford train station and hub, with double tracking for the Hartford Line in Hartford. This project will get $2.56 million.
"President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was overwhelmingly approved by Congress to modernize our nation’s infrastructure and strengthen our transportation system, including railways," Gov. Ned Lamont said in a statement. "The projects these grants are funding will help pull Connecticut’s rail system into a new era and boost reliability while supporting the economic growth of our state. We thank the Biden-Harris administration for delivering this investment for Connecticut and supporting our region’s rail system."
"These grants present a historic opportunity to improve track reliability and set the stage for increased rail service across the Northeast Corridor," added Connecticut Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto. "Thanks to the FRA, Governor Lamont, and our state and federal partners, we are ready to build modern infrastructure that will better connect our communities and spur economic development for generations to come."
The Conn. DOT will match $120 million and Amtrak will contribute $11.7 million for the projects.
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