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

FOR RELEASE: September 16, 2017

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

CTDOT OPENS NEW MERIDEN PARKING GARAGE FOR RAIL CUSTOMERS

Provides future CTrail Hartford Line Rail Passengers and Downtown Visitors with faster and more convenient access to Meriden Station and TOD Site

(HARTFORD, CT) – The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) announced today that it has opened 225 parking spaces in a three-level garage located in downtown Meriden – an improvement that will make parking more convenient for CTrail Hartford Line Meriden station rail passengers and provide easy access to the City’s new transit-oriented development (TOD) sites.

The CTDOT collaborated with the “24 Colony Street” Development Group and the Meriden Housing Authority on the construction of this garage, which began in 2015 and was completed this summer. Construction began on the 96,275-square foot, $8.8 million project in 2015 and was completed in summer 2017. The parking garage features three charging stations for electric vehicles, seven handicap-accessible spaces, and two elevators. Additionally, the 96,275 square foot garage includes a video surveillance system and Blue Light emergency intercoms for customer safety. 

CTDOT Commissioner James P. Redeker said, “The opening of this parking garage demonstrates our commitment to providing Hartford Line passengers with superior customer amenities. We are always striving to improve the customer experience.”

In December 2016, the Development Group opened 48 dedicated spaces for residents of the “24 Colony Street” mixed-use development and the remaining 225 spaces are owned by CTDOT for Hartford Line customers.  The spaces are available to the public on a first come, first served basis. While the parking garage is now open to the public, a new 65-space, station surface parking lot also will be available for use when the station opens later this fall. 

The parking fees are $7 per day or $40 per month and parking is free on weekends and federal holidays. A discounted parking fee will be offered to Hartford Line customers when rail service begins in May 2018

The Hartford Line service provider, the joint venture of TransitAmerica Services and Alternate Concepts will be responsible for the management, security, and maintenance of the parking garage, along with the adjacent surface parking lot.

Transit-Oriented Development Activity

Municipalities with train stations along the Hartford Line corridor are engaged in economic development planning, specifically transit-oriented development (TOD), which includes a mix of housing, retail, office space, and entertainment within short walking distance of high-quality public transit.

Meriden’s new rail station has spurred several TOD projects, already, including the Meriden parking garage. It has led to the construction of three mixed-use developments that have a total of 295 new residential units and 31,000 square feet of commercial space, a new Transit Center, a 14-acre town green, and the demolition of the Mills public housing project and the former Record Journal building. Ongoing public and private investment in Meriden’s TOD projects exceeds $150 million. One of these new developments, 24 Colony Street, was completed in December 2016 and is the first new construction in downtown Meriden in 30 years, just steps from the new Hartford Line train station.

“The new parking garage, combined with the city of Meriden’s TOD project, will make driving to and parking at the Hartford Line stations safer, more convenient and accessible, said Governor Dannel P. Malloy. It will also provide additional parking capacity to support the City’s growing downtown business and residential community. We are eager to see benefits from this dynamic investment for years to come.”

Over the past three years, the Malloy administration has awarded more than $12 million in grants to municipalities across the state to encourage the growth of TOD projects – including Berlin, Enfield, Hartford, Meriden, New Haven, Wallingford, West Hartford, Windsor and Windsor Locks, all of which are located along the Hartford Line.

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