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

FOR RELEASE: March 27, 2018

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

CTfastrak Marks Third Anniversary of Service

More than 15 million passenger trips since service began in 2015

CTfastrak, the popular bus-only roadway linking bus routes throughout central Connecticut, marks its third anniversary this week. In those first three years, more than 15 million bus passenger trips were taken through the corridor, which is anchored by CTfastrak between New Britain and Hartford.

“This is a remarkable success story, with growing ridership and local development,” said James P Redeker, Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Transportation, which oversees CTfastrak operations. “With an average of more than 16,000 trips a day, CTfastrak has exceeded everyone’s most optimistic expectations. It has also proven to be an important driver of the region’s economy.”

CTfastrak was launched on March 28, 2015. On Wednesday, March 28, 2018, Governor Dannel P. Malloy, Commissioner Redeker and other state and local officials gathered at the Elmwood CTfastrak Station in West Hartford to mark the anniversary.

The new service has sparked several Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) projects along the route, including a soon-to-be-completed 54-unit apartment building with retail outlets and other commercial offices on the first floor, adjacent to the Elmwood Station on New Park Avenue.

Other TOD initiatives include:

Hartford, Parkville station:

·         55 Bartholomew Ave (former Hartford Rubber Works Company building) redeveloped into Hands on Hartford’s new headquarters, used for office space, job training, and community space

·         1429 Park Street – Several businesses have opened up including Hog River Brewing, reSET (which provides business incubator space)

·         Proposed conversion of the former Spaghetti Warehouse into 30 apartment units

·         Proposed Parkville Market - redevelopment of former Bishop Ladder Co. at  1400 Park Street slated for 20,000 square foot food hall

West Hartford, Elmwood station: 

·         616 New Park Ave - 54-unit apartment building with first floor retail under construction, next to station

West Hartford, Flatbush station:

·         New Park Brewing (485 New Park Ave) opened up across the street from the station, also features a food truck daily on-site

New Britain, Downtown station:

·         Columbus Commons (125 Columbus Blvd) – former police station adjacent to station to be redeveloped into 160 residential units with first floor commercial space

·         Raphael Building Apartments (99 W. Main St) – 2nd and 3rd floor redeveloped into 16 luxury apartments

·         Former New Britain Herald Building (1 Herald Square) redeveloped into a 30,832 sq. ft. of state-of-the-art, multi-tenant medical building

·         Courtland Arms apartment building (57 Court Street) historic rehab to 24 units, including 4 dedicated to veterans (to break ground in near future)Hartford

CTfastrak testimonials are frequently posted on social media in the area; for example:

·         “I use CTfastrak between New Britain and Bloomfield 5 days a week, and for groceries on Saturday. It’s a perfect fit for me,” said Sandy Reigal of New Britain.

·         “I use it to connect with regional transportation such as Amtrak and overall it saves me quite a bit of money while still being convenient and on-time,” said Steve Fainer, a frequent CTfastrak rider.