Notice of Public Hearing

The Connecticut Department of Transportation will hold a public hearing on the environmental document for the new railroad station proposed for West Haven or Orange.

The meetings will be held on Monday, December 11, 2006 at 7:00 p.m. in the gymnasium of the High Plains Community Center at 525 Orange Center Road in Orange, Connecticut and  on Thursday, December 14, 2006 at 7:00 p.m. in the Rafaelli Room of the Savin Rock Conference Center at 6 Rock Street in West Haven.

The project is identified as State Project No. 106-116.

This project will create an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible railroad station with parking for approximately 1000 commuters. Under this project, the State will be responsible for creating a pedestrian track crossing either over or under the railroad. A passenger drop off area and high level platforms on both sides of the tracks are also included. The station will be bordered to the north by I-95, to the east by Bayer Pharmaceuticals Campus, to the south by Metro North Railroad and to the west by Marsh Hill Road.

This new Metro North station will afford Connecticut commuters with easier access to mass transit along the Connecticut shoreline. This project will construct an elevated platform on both sides of the tracks that will allow passengers to walk directly onto trains. Stairs and ramps will be provided to allow access to platform level as necessary. Canopies and shelters will provide people on the platform with protection from the elements. Elevators will be prominent on each end of the pedestrian track crossing.

This project will also include sidewalks, landscaping, and audio visual information systems to announce train movements. The estimated cost for this project is 71 million dollars. A Draft Federal Environmental Assessment/Draft Connecticut Environmental Impact Evaluation has been prepared for this project in accordance with 23 CFR 771.119 and pursuant to the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies Sections 22a-1a-1 through 12, inclusive.

This document is available for public inspection at the Connecticut Department of Transportation, Bureau of Policy and Planning, 2800 Berlin Turnpike, Newington; the Federal Transit Administration Region II office, 1 Bowling Green, New York, New York; the Federal Highway Administration, 628-2 Hebron Avenue, Suite 303, Glastonbury; the Town Clerk's Office, 617 Orange Center Road, Orange; the Case Memorial Public Library, 176 Tyler City Road, Orange, CT; and the South Central Regional Council of Governments, 127 Washington Avenue, 4th Floor West, North Haven, Connecticut. Personnel from the Connecticut Department of Transportation will be available at the meeting to answer any questions the public may have. A copy of the environmental document for the project will also be available for public inspection. All persons interested in this matter are welcome to attend the public hearing.

Deaf and hearing impaired persons wishing to attend this meeting and requiring an interpreter may make arrangements by contacting the Department of Transportation's Office of Communications at (860) 594-3062 (voice only) at least five working days prior to the meeting.