June 19, 2012

GOV. MALLOY & CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION ANNOUNCE $10M FEDERAL GRANT TO STRENGTHEN TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE IN HARTFORD

(HARTFORD, CT) - Governor Dannel P. Malloy, Senators Joseph I. Lieberman, Richard Blumenthal and Congressman John B. Larson (CT-01) today announced that the City of Hartford has been awarded a $10 million federal TIGER IV (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) Grant that will be used to tie transit to the Greater Hartford region's employment and housing centers in an effort to promote job creation and economic revitalization.

This grant will be used to fund the Intermodal Triangle Project, a major transportation investment in downtown Hartford. The Intermodal Triangle Project is the key to linking the ongoing investments to make Union Station into a regional intermodal transportation hub with the rest of downtown Hartford through improved transit, pedestrian and biking infrastructure. This funding will leverage public investments to advance the city's role as the region's center for commerce, culture and urban living through access to a safe and efficient transportation system.

At the center of this vision is increased funding for the city's "iQuilt Project." The iQuilt looks to link downtown Hartford's historical and cultural attractions through a pedestrian walkway known as a "GreenWalk." Over the last half decade, federal lawmakers representing Hartford have fought for, and received, a number of federal grants that have helped the project progress.

"This project focuses on linking Hartford's job centers, housing and downtown together by investing in a multimodal transportation hub. Taken together with the ongoing bus rapid transit and high speed rail projects in the area, this grant will help lay the foundation for a transportation network that will drive economic growth throughout the region," Governor Malloy said. "This important federal funding will help make Hartford and its surrounding neighborhoods more vibrant and ensure that we have access to efficient and clean transportation options."

"This important project will come at time when more commuters will be using the New Britain-Hartford Busway and the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield rail line," Senator Lieberman said. "In addition to helping these commuters get to work and back home, this is the type of investment in our infrastructure that helps to create jobs and keeps our economy growing."

"This visionary project will revolutionize transportation in the capital region - with thousands of construction jobs, critical investment, and mass transit benefitting the entire state," Senator Blumenthal said. "The fight for this funding has united and galvanized our delegation. Smart transportation means smart growth that will help put Connecticut back to work and our economy back on track."

"The iQuilt project ties together our capitol city's past, present and future by creating a sustainable and cultural attraction for all of Connecticut to enjoy," Congressman Larson said. "This substantial grant will go a long way towards not only making this project a reality, but also increasing Hartford's intermodal transportation, which will benefit our entire region. I want to thank Governor Malloy, Mayor Segarra, Oz Griebel of the Metro Hartford Alliance and all of our community leaders who have worked tirelessly to help achieve this grant."

"This is terrific news for Connecticut's Capital City," Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra said. "Our TIGER IV application was comprehensive, detailed, and will dramatically impact future development in Hartford, which is the region's economic and employment core, in several positive and lasting ways. More importantly, this grant will further leverage several major investments already underway, including CT Fastrak and the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield commuter rail project. As a result of our collaborative approach with critical stakeholders, including Governor Malloy, Senators Lierberman and Blumenthal, Congressman Larson, the Connecticut Department of Transportation, MetroHartford Alliance, Connecticut Transit, the Greater Hartford Transit District, among others, we will significantly improve and moderize several distinct and unique areas of Dowtown Hartford and take a noteworthy step forward in making The iQuilt Plan a reality."

David Fay, Executive Director of the Bushnell, said, "This is tremendous news for our community. This grant is an enormous step in the right direction as we seek to create a sustainable Hartford that uses its cultural and historical attractions in projects such as the iQuilt to promote intermodal transportation. I want to thank our leaders in Washington as well as here in Hartford for their terrific work in securing this funding."

Key elements for the project include:

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For Immediate Release: June 19, 2012

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