DOT Celebrates Opening of Connecticut’s First BRT System

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Acting Federal Transit Administrator (FTA) Therese McMillan today attended the grand opening of a new bus rapid transit (BRT) system in Hartford County that will significantly improve travel times for thousands of residents in the Connecticut capital corridor. The new BRT system, called CTfastrak, will bypass traffic on one of the region’s most congested corridors, providing fast, convenient connections to employment centers, schools, and cultural destinations in downtown Hartford, New Britain and surrounding communities.

“Public transportation projects like the new CTfastrak transit system is the latest example of how investing in public transportation relieves congestion and provides better access to jobs and services – now and into the future,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “Residents in central Connecticut, and across the country, will benefit from improved mobility and access to jobs provided by well-designed and implemented transit systems like this new BRT line.”

Foxx noted that the CTfastrak opening comes amid a 20-year trend of public transit expansion and a 25 percent increase in transit ridership, a fact that underscores the concerns outlined in Beyond Traffic, a recent report released by DOT. Beyond Traffic examines the trends and choices facing America’s transportation infrastructure over the next three decades, including a rapidly growing population, increasing freight volume, demographic shifts in rural and urban areas, and a transportation system that’s facing more frequent extreme weather events. Increased gridlock nationwide can be expected unless changes are made in the near-term.

The new CTfastrak buses will operate in an exclusive lane that is closed to vehicular traffic, providing an attractive option for riders to avoid congestion on traffic-prone I-84. The 9.4-mile route, which connects downtown Hartford and New Britain, is also expected to spur transit-related development with new housing and commercial development already underway.

“Bus rapid transit systems like CTfastrak bring fast, high-frequency service for riders and serve as a catalyst for economic development,” said McMillan. “We’re happy to help bring new transit options to central Connecticut’s growing population and the thousands of new bus riders who are expected to use the new service to connect to jobs, education, businesses and other destinations in New Britain, Newington and Hartford.”

McMillan participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony with U.S. Representatives John Larson and Elizabeth Esty, Gov. Dannel Malloy, State Transportation Commissioner James Redeker, and other state and local officials.

State-of-the-art BRT systems that run in dedicated lanes, like CTfastrak, are fast and efficient primarily because they do not compete with traffic. Construction of the CTfastrak guideway began in May 2012 and was completed earlier this year. Approximately 4,000 jobs were created during construction, which included 10 new stations and a five-mile multi-use trail alongside the busway.

CTfastrak augments the state’s CT Transit bus system, which has seen ridership increase by two million passengers in the last two years. With the opening of CTfastrak, bus ridership in the corridor is expected to double from current daily ridership of about 8,000 by 2030. The rapid bus will run every 7½ minutes during rush hour and every 12 minutes during off-peak times. By linking with Amtrak in Hartford, CTfastrak will enable passengers to connect from local transit to other East Coast cities.

The U.S. Department of Transportation contributed $454.6 million toward the $567 million CTfastrak project. Federal funds include $275.3 million through FTA’s Capital Investment Grant (New Starts) Program, $114.2 from the Congestion Mitigation Air Quality Highway Program, and $65.1 million in other FTA funds.