Saud Anwar

Senator Anwar Joins Congressman Larson, Transportation Commissioner Giulietti To Commend Federal Funding For Greater Hartford Mobility Study

HARTFORD – Today, State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor) joined U.S. Congressman John Larson, Department of Transportation Commissioner Joseph Giulietti and Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, among others including Riverfront Recapture President and CEO Michael Zaleski and State Representative Joshua Hall (D-Hartford), to commend the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of the INVEST in America Act, which includes funding for numerous significant projects statewide and nationwide. The Act, in particular, includes $16 million of funding for the Greater Hartford Mobility Study, which Congressman Larson requested as a Community Funding Project. The legislation moves to the Senate, where Congressman Larson expects it will pass with strong support.

The two-to-three year Greater Hartford Mobility Study will study mobility challenges in the Greater Hartford Region, upgrading transportation in the Capitol and surrounding towns to improve the quality of life, economic vitality and opportunity in the area. It will consider many investments made in the region in recent years, including on roads, rails and pedestrian paths, with a long-term aim of recommending significant improvements in areas including environmental review, design and construction.

“I am excited about the funding soon to be available from the federal government for the Greater Hartford Mobility Study. I would like to thank Congressman John Larson for his leadership and vision to make sure we plan opportunities in this area to serve our state for decades to come,” said Sen. Anwar. “One of the most important assets of this region is the Connecticut River, and having a plan that is not only going to maximize opportunities on the riverfront but will improve safety around the river’s levees and undoing the division of neighborhoods in East Hartford and Hartford will be a critical lifeline for development in this region. This study would be the first step to start to understand the best and most effective way to accomplish these goals, and I look forward to continuing to work with Congressman Larson, Commissioner Giulietti and countless others in making it a reality.”

“There’s a common interest that not only the communities of Hartford and East Hartford but this entire region shares in terms of what is a “plan,” the vision of the future on both sides of the river. That shows how vitally important this project is,” said Congressman Larson. “The 84/91 intersection is the biggest chokepoint in transportation in Connecticut, the second-biggest in New England and 11th in the nation. The levees on both sides of the river in precarious nature due to something called “sand piping” raises the urgency for this to be done. This study is vitally important to transition into the future, ending the isolation of communities and bringing the region together. This legislation passed the House, I expect it will pass the Senate and we will be able to put the country back to work in a significant way through its significant improvements.”

The Greater Hartford Mobility Study is expected to create a contemporary Transportation Master Plan, preparing Hartford for the next 100 years, with projects including reconnecting Hartford’s North End with the neighborhoods in the city, recapturing the riverfront, expanding multi-modal transportation, reducing the environmental impact of stalled vehicle traffic numbering in the thousands and reducing the congestion of the I-84/I-91 interchange. With this funding, it primes the region for substantial transformation.