2025-2028 TIP/STIP

The Transportation Improvement Program is the most important way that local elected officials set the direction of federal transportation spending. The next TIP, which covers federal fiscal years 2025-2028 will begin on October 1st, 2024, and is currently available for the public to review and comment before the MPO boards act to endorse them.

SGA Complete Streets Academy

Connecticut was selected to participate in Smart Growth America’s Complete Streets Academy with the cities of Bristol, Middletown, and Waterbury. 

West Street, Bristol
Grand Street, Waterbury

The NVCOG and its partner communities, Waterbury and Bristol, participated in the 2023 Complete Streets Academy, enabling implementation of impactful traffic calming projects in the jurisdictions. The Complete Streets Leadership Academies are a National Complete Streets Coalition and Smart Growth America initiative training public employees and officials in Complete Street best practices, intergovernmental and regional coordination, and “quick-build” temporary infrastructure projects on state roads. 

Each city installed a temporary project to collect data and feedback about complete streets installations on key state owned routes near their respective Downtowns. This data will be used to inform future designs and improvements to these and similar streets to enhance safety, comfort, and pedestrian/bicycle access.

Bristol

West Street, October 2023

Bristol implemented temporary pedestrian safety improvements on West Street, including narrowing the roadway and adding visual elements and improved crosswalks near the Boys & Girls Club of Bristol. The NVCOG staff joined Mayor Jeff Caggiano of Bristol and the Connecticut Department of Transportation’s Safe Routes to School office to engage Bristol youth and promote pedestrian safety.  

Waterbury

Grand Street, August 2023

Waterbury’s project made Grand Street a more vibrant, pedestrian-friendly location leveraging low-cost materials like tape, cones, and tubular markers to daylight crosswalks and shorten their crossing distance. The project was in place through late September.

Data showed an 11% reduction in traffic speeds within the first two weeks, a crucial step towards enhancing community safety as lowering speeds at the 85th percentile can significantly reduce traffic-related accidents.

Staff Contact: 

Richard Donovan
Transportation Planning Director
rdonovan@nvcogct.gov

Bristol – Downtown Trail Routing Study

The NVCOG, in collaboration with the City of Bristol, conducted a Bristol Downtown Trail Routing Study to explore potential downtown routing options to provide a safe, continuous connection between Rockwell Park in the west to Downtown, continuing east to Route 229.

MTP 2050

NVision50: The Metropolitan Transportation Plan for the NVCOG and the Central Naugatuck Valley MPO lays out a comprehensive vision for transportation in our region leading up to 2050.

Waterbury West Main Street Corridor Study

West Main Street going east facing the Green

Final Report

A $23.1 million federal Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant the City of Waterbury received includes funding for long-overdue improvements that will revitalize West Main Street between the Waterbury Green and Riverside Drive, making it more comfortable for active transportation users, safer for drivers, and a more appealing urban street. 

The grant, awarded by the US Department of Transportation, will also extend the Naugatuck River Greenway from its current terminus at Eagle Street to West Main Street, providing for recreation and active transportation between the South End and Downtown.

The City is currently progressing design of West Main Street to meet the goals and objectives of the RAISE application and the West Main Study. The final report of the NVCOG West Main Street Study will help to guide the project as it advances.  


 

Project Overview

Map of Project Area

West Main Street is a short but much-used corridor that connects downtown Waterbury with parts of the city that are on the west side of the Naugatuck River. But as important as it is, West Main Street also has issues that make using it a challenge for motorists, pedestrians, cyclists and transit users. The road surface is deteriorating, and the width varies significantly between two lanes in some areas to as much as six in others. For pedestrians, crossing West Main Street can be difficult. 

A complete streets approach has guided planning for upcoming work, which will include realigning intersections, narrowing parts of the road, rehabilitating existing sidewalks and building new ones, putting in bicycle lanes, and traffic calming strategies. Eyewitness News Channel 3 covered the story and interviewed NVCOG Director of Planning Josh Lecar.

Project Details

The biggest component of the project is reducing the number of travel lanes on West Main Street and making the road a uniform width. Plans call for eliminating an eastbound vehicle travel lane between Thomaston Avenue and the railroad overpass. More lane reductions are proposed in the eastbound direction east of Willow Street and Meadow Street. The number and width of vehicle travel lanes will also be reduced in the westbound direction between Willow Street and Meadow Street and Church Street. 

Reducing how much street space there is for motor vehicles would free up area along both sides of West Main Street for walkers, cyclists, and other users. New mid-block pedestrian crosswalks are planned, along with other enhancements that will make the road safer for walkers like high visibility treatments, pedestrian activated signal systems, and curb extensions are planned. For cyclists, dedicated bike lanes and a protected shared-used path are part of the plan. There also will be bus lanes, more on-street parking and traffic calming measures. 

Community Input

Community participation was a vital component to the study. Public meetings were held throughout the study and a public advisory committee was formed to help the planners. The PAC met for the third and final time on Sept. 28, 2021, and heard a presentation on the project from Fuss & O’Neill, the firm that helped NVCOG and the city with the study. 

Staff Contact: 

Rich Donovan
Transportation Planning Director
rdonovan@nvcogct.gov

Route 229 Corridor Study

Final Public Meeting: May 26, 2022

The final public engagement meeting occurred on Thursday, May 26th, with both a virtual option and an in person meeting at the Bristol Public Library. The study team started by presenting recommendations for improvements along the corridor, followed by an opportunity for public comment on those changes. The meeting recording is available on the NVCOG YouTube page and is linked below. Comments will be accepted in writing to contactus@nvcogct.gov through June 27, 2022, and will be incorporated in the final report. 

Meeting Recording

Draft Final Report 

Second Public Meeting: September 29, 2021

A second public engagement session was held on Wednesday, September 29. It began with a guided tour of the corridor, including stops in both Bristol and Southington. More details of the locations visited are in the flyer below. This was followed by a public meeting at the Bristol Library. For those who were unable to attend the meeting there is a recording available on the NVCOG YouTube page that is linked below. Slides from this meeting have also been posted. 

Tour Flyer

Live Recording

Presentation Slides

First Public Meeting: April 14, 2021

The Route 229 project team held a virtual public meeting on April 14 between 5 – 7 pm. The goals and objectives of the Route 229 Corridor study were discussed and stakeholders had the opportunity to ask questions and offer public input on this project. 

Live Recording

Presentation Slides

Staff Contact:

Rich Donovan
Transportation Planning Director
rdonovan@nvcogct.gov

Oxford Route 67 Alternative Transportation Study

The Town of Oxford has been awarded a $3.4 million Congressionally Directed Spending grant that will pay for building a mile-long multi-use path on Route 67 that is integral to making the center of Oxford more walkable and bicycle-friendly. 

Oxford was awarded the grant in December, and the project is in the design phase. The path will run from Dutton Road to Quarry Walk, a mixed-use development with stores, medical and commercial office space and 150 residential units. Plans include three pedestrian bridges to carry the path over water courses, a sidewalk between Oxford Municipal Center/ Town Hall and Academy Road along with lighting, street furniture and crosswalks. 

Building a multi-use path for cyclists and walkers along Route 67 is a key component of the Oxford Route 67 Alternative Transportation Study that the town did with NVCOG and the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT). The Oxford Board of Selection endorsed the final report in February 2022.

The study investigated the potential for bicycle, pedestrian, and transit improvements along Route 67 in Oxford.  The study was funded by NVCOG with federal transportation planning funds and was conducted with support by TranSystems, a planning and engineering consultant with offices in Meriden, CT.  It was overseen by the Oxford Main Street Committee that was formed in 2017.

A short section of that path opened in 2021 and runs from the Little River Nature Preserve (across from Oxford Town Hall) to Dutton Road.

Route 67

Existing Conditions along Route 67. Note the lack of pedestrian and bicycle accommodations.

Unlike many of its neighbors, Oxford does not have a typical walkable New England downtown or Main Street.  Instead, municipal services and commercial areas are dispersed along with residences along State Route 67. Although Route 67 is fundamentally Oxford’s “Main Street,” it had no sidewalks or any safe bicycle or pedestrian access, and traffic speeds are excessive with no visual cues to alert motorists that they are driving through an area where they may encounter walkers or bicyclists.  In addition, no public transit is operated along Route 67 that could provide residents an alternative transportation option.  Transit options by train on Metro North and by bus on CT Transit are available only one mile from the Oxford town line, but there is currently no way for Oxford residents to safely access these services without a personal motor vehicle.

In Oxford’s 2018 Plan of Conservation and Development, the town prioritized creating more of a downtown feel along Route 67, and the Oxford Main Street Committee has been investigating streetscape improvements, sidewalks and trails within the corridor to improve non-motorized access.    The study built on the committee’s prior work to develop a cohesive plan for the entire corridor to better enable the Town to plan, prioritize, and fund future improvements.

Explore Study Findings

The interactive Project Storymap presents the study and potential bicycle and pedestrian improvements to Route 67 

Explore the Project Area

The interactive Project Webmap allows users to explore the project corridor in greater detail by turning on and off various data layers that are informing the study:

 

Upcoming Meetings

[ecs-list-events cat=’Oxford-Route-67′ limit=’2′ excerpt=”false” description=”false” venue=’false’]

View Full Calendar

Staff Contact:

Aaron Budris
Environmental Planning Director

Waterbury Area Transit Study (WATS)

The Waterbury Area Transit Study (WATS) was completed in December 2017. WATS was a comprehensive review of the CTtransit Waterbury system, aimed at improving service, enhancing the rider experience, and identifying gaps in the current routing. Study documents, attached below, remain an important tool in NVCOG’s ongoing advocacy for bus transit improvements within the Waterbury Area. 

View study documents below:

Market Analysis

Recommendations

Staff Contact

Joanna Rogalski
Senior Regional Planner
jrogalski@nvcogct.gov