CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NEWS RELEASE 2800 BERLIN TURNPIKE P.O. BOX 317546 NEWINGTON CONNECTICUT, 06131-7546

FOR RELEASE: November 14, 2014

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS TELEPHONE: (860) 594-3062 FAX: (860) 594-3065 WEB SITE: www.ct.gov/dot

GOV. MALLOY: NEW TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT PROGRAM STREAMLINES FUNDING FOR IMPORTANT MUNICIPAL PROJECTS AND SUPPORTS LOCAL ECONOMIC GROWTH

Windsor Road Re-Surfacing Is First Project Completed Under New Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program

      Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that the first project under the state’s new Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program (LOTCIP) has been completed. Last year, Governor Malloy created LOTCIP to provide funding for improvements to state or locally-maintained roadways or facilities that are eligible for funding from the federal Department of Transportation’s (CTDOT) Surface Transportation Urban Program. LOTCIP makes it easier for local governments to utilize federal funding for capital improvement projects by eliminating the lengthy, burdensome and expensive administrative process connected with meeting the federal program’s requirements and restrictions.

      “As a former mayor, I understand that municipal governments often encounter frustrating red tape when trying to access federal funding for local capital improvement projects. That’s why we created a faster, more effective process of providing funding directly to municipalities so they, in turn, can improve project delivery by getting their projects out the door and into construction more quickly,” said Governor Malloy. “With LOTCIP, everyone wins – working with our towns and cities, we are investing in municipal capital projects to bring our transportation infrastructure into the 21st Century, create jobs for residents and stimulate our state and local economies right now.”

      In 2013, Governor Malloy’s introduced legislation to create LOTCIP after it became apparent that a significant number of local governments struggled with the constraints and burdensome regulations attached to federal funding programs. Administered by the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) in cooperation with the state’s 13 Regional Planning Organizations, LOTCIP provides state funding directly to local governments and then CTDOT seeks reimbursement from the federal DOT. At Governor Malloy’s behest, the Connecticut General Assembly authorized $45 million a year for LOTCIP, which has since funded about 40 projects in 37 cities and towns, totaling about $63 million and creating nearly 1,000 construction-related jobs.

      “This innovative program has been very well received by cities and towns across Connecticut whose mayors and first selectmen are eager to get local projects moving,” said CTDOT Commissioner James P. Redeker. “Every new project on the street translates into more people going to work. These investments pay real dividends.”

      During the LOTCIP funding process, towns or cities design projects on their own with little or no CTDOT involvement. When the project is ready to go out to bid, the municipalities then present their plans – through their respective Regional Planning Organization – to CTDOT for review. Once plans are approved and bids have come in, CTDOT distributes the required money for construction to the municipalities so the work can begin.

      CTDOT recently finished a pavement project in Windsor, marking the first to be completed under LOTCIP. For the Windsor project, about 5,000 feet of pavement was replaced along Kennedy Road at a cost of $775,000.