State Transportation Department Takes Stock of 2024

By Joe O’Leary

December 31 @ 5:00 am

The end of the year always brings opportunities to review the good, the bad and what could be done better in the future. For Connecticut’s Department of Transportation, reviewing 2024 mostly revealed the extent of work done on state roadways in the last 12 months.

The DOT recently released its Year In Review, which highlighted the many advances the agency has been able to achieve supporting infrastructure, transportation and road safety in Connecticut in 2024.

When disaster struck, state staff and crews responded quickly; when there was time to work ahead and anticipate future needs for the state, they brainstormed and created a roadmap for the future.

Chief among Connecticut’s biggest transportation concerns in 2024 was the emergence of sudden calamity. In May, a tractor-trailer fire in Norwalk required the demolition of the Fairfield Avenue Bridge over I-95; to counter a traffic disaster that spurred hours of backups along the highway and in the Norwalk community, the DOT demolished the bridge and had lanes open less than four days after the crash.

Crews worked ahead of time to get a replacement together; the bridge was initially expected to be complete in the spring of 2025, but crews completed it in exactly seven months.

There was also the issue of punishing rains that deluged the state in summer, including the extensive damage in southwestern Connecticut that washed out many roads and rail lines. State crews worked around the clock to repair these roads and reconnect communities, meeting the challenge when livelihoods and towns depended on them.

Then there’s the sheer number of projects the DOT pushed forward, ranging from a new parking garage at the Stamford Transportation Center to new highway interchanges, bridge reconstructions and the Waterbury Mixmaster all either breaking ground or reaching completion over the course of the year. That’s only the start, as the DOT says another 235 active capital projects are under construction and 187 are in the planning stages.

“Whether someone is driving, biking, walking, or utilizing public transportation services, we’re delivering projects and programs that ensure people get to their destination safely,” Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto said. “We’re improving lives through transportation, and I am thrilled to see the progress we’ve made this year.”

One of the DOT’s most significant steps forward in 2024 was its installation of wrong-way driving prevention systems, which received focus throughout the year. As the state works to reduce traffic deaths, these systems were seen as increasingly valuable. WTNH reported in November that the state passed its goal of 120 prevention systems in place by the end of the year, with as many as 135 to be installed by 2025. Officials say the systems are working, preventing dozens of potential wrong-way driving incidents.

The year that was also delivered major new accomplishments. The Hartford Line train system saw more than 750,000 riders this year, with more than 100,000 people using the state’s ferries across the Connecticut River; further innovations included the pilot program of a tap-to-pay fare system on bus routes and expanded bus services in several communities.