The Route 8 Design Build project will bring the section of roadway from Exit 13 in Shelton to Exit 22 in Seymour up to modern highway standards and make it safer for motorists. The work is expected to start in the summer of 2023 and finish by the end of 2024.
The Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments (NVCOG), in collaboration with Valley Transit District, CTtransit, and Greater Bridgeport Transit, has engaged a multidisciplinary team to design bus shelters within the lower valley municipalities of Seymour, Ansonia, Derby, and Shelton. These communities are served by several transit agencies, and several of these sites lack accommodations and are only marked by signs at the bus stop locations. This forces users to stand and be exposed to the elements while waiting for their bus to arrive. Several of these sites have ridership numbers of hundreds of people each day.
The intent of the project is to assess existing bus stops within these municipalities and to design bus shelters and amenities where possible. The bus shelters will be able to accommodate a variety of users for Valley Transit District, CTtransit, and Greater Bridgeport Transit. The project is being conducted by a team of planning experts and key stakeholders, led by SLR, a multidisciplinary firm. Electrical and illumination expertise is being provided by VN Engineers.
As part of this project, we will collect data from critical bus stops and analyze their site conditions. Each site will be assessed for its Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance, topography, visibility and sight lines, potential Right-of-Way issues, Public Rights-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG) compliance, utility conflicts, access to electricity, and any other notable features. We will work with our team, the municipalities, stakeholders, and the public to determine the most suitable sites for bus shelter installation.
Kevin Ellis
Transportation Engineer
kellis@nvcogct.gov
Public Involvement Process
We strive to involve the public in a way that is collaborative, accessible, and inclusive. During the project, our team will use a variety of tools to gather public feedback and ensure that this project meets the needs of these communities.
To fulfill these goals, the project team will meet with stakeholders, conduct a public information meeting, and provide frequent updates via this website and NVCOG’s social media platforms. Additionally, all documents related to the project will be posted to this website. If you have a question or would like to provide a comment, suggestion, or idea, please email kellis@nvcogct.gov.
Technical Advisory Committee Meetings
A project Technical Advisory Meeting will be convened, which will be comprised of members of Valley Transit District, the municipalities of Seymour, Ansonia, Derby, and Shelton, as well as CTtransit and Greater Bridgeport Transit. This group will review potential bus shelter sites, bus shelter designs, and related accommodations.
Public Informational Meeting
A public informational meeting will be conducted once the site feasibility assessment has been completed and a bus shelter design has been finalized. The public information meeting will have the dual purpose of sharing our findings and hearing directly from the community about their concerns and ideas for the new bus shelters. These meetings are open to all. To ensure widespread access, this meeting will be live streamed and made available for viewing on the NVCOG YouTube page.
Social Media
In addition to this website, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for updates on the project’s status and progress.
Interactive Site Assessment Map
Check out the NVCOG Bus Shelter Inventory interactive map which includes the site assessments for eligible bus stops within the municipalities of Seymour, Ansonia, Derby, and Shelton.
Project Timeline
NVCOG along with SLR are finalizing a project schedule which will be posted here when it is completed.
Documents
Documents related to this project will be uploaded here when available.
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.
The final Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan and Municipal Annexes have been posted to the NVCOG Hazard Mitigation Plan webpage. The Plan has been adopted by all 19 NVCOG Communities, and the NVCOG Board endorsed the plan on December 10, 2021. FEMA approved the plan in January, 2022.
In 2019, NVCOG received funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to conduct a multi-jurisdictional Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan (NHMP) for all 19 NVCOG municipalities.
An approved NHMP is required by FEMA to qualify a municipality for certain federal mitigation funding. NHMPs must be updated every 5 years. The purpose of this project is to update municipal NHMPs and develop a consolidated multijurisdictional plan for the entire Naugatuck Valley planning region in compliance with FEMA standards and requirements that will serve as the approved NHMP for each NVCOG municipality.
The NHMP will identify natural hazards and risks, existing capabilities, and activities that can be undertaken by a community to prevent loss of life and reduce property damages associated with the identified hazards. Public safety and property loss reduction are the driving forces behind this plan. Careful consideration will also be given to the preservation of history, culture and the natural environment of the region.
Milone & MacBroom Inc. (MMI) was selected to serve as the project consultant. MMI has extensive experience developing NHMPs in the region and across the state. NVCOG is administering the project and has prepared a detailed scope of work in collaboration with MMI. The project is expected to take 18 months and will include extensive public and stakeholder outreach and coordination with various municipal officials and departments.
Click on the tabs at the top of the Project Storymap and scroll through the narrative to learn about hazards impacting the region and view topical maps.
Aaron Budris
Senior Regional Planner
abudris@nvcogct.gov
On this page, you can find links with information related to the COVID-19 pandemic for:
Employees are back in the office and our office is open to the public. Public information meetings encourage in-person participation and will continue to have a virtual option for participation.
Below are links to trusted agencies with status updates, resources for municipalities and businesses, and the best data on how to prevent coming into contact with the virus and what to do if you do come into contact with the virus.
FTA Mask Travel Guidance Order and FAQ
TRB and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine resources
Bristol-Burlington Health District (Bristol)
Chesprocott Health District (Cheshire, Prospect & Wolcott)
Naugatuck Valley Health District (Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Derby, Naugatuck, Seymour & Shelton)
Housatonic Valley Health District (Oxford, Southbury & Woodbury)
Torrington Area Health District (Bethlehem, Middlebury, Plymouth, Thomaston & Watertown)
Emergency Orders issued by the Governor and State Agencies
Executive Order No 700 “Protection of Public Health and Safety during COVID-19 Pandemic and Response – Procedures for Local Appointments and Elections Requiring In-Person Vote”
Governor Lamont’s Press Releases
Connecticut COVID-19 Data Tracker
Find a Test Center Near You including No-Cost COVID-19 Test Sites
Department of Public Health (DPH) resources
Department of Housing (DOH) Housing Notices and Orders regarding COVID-19
Connecticut State Department of Education Supporting Student Participation
Department of Social Services for SNAP and Child Support Services
Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) resources for social distancing at state parks, beaches and more.
CT State Library for updates on local libraries.
Connecticut COVID-19 Charity Connection (4-CT) was launched as a non-profit that unites donors with state-wide programs that will help make an immediate impact.
Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (ACIR) news and resources
Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM) resources
Connecticut Council of Small Towns (COST) news and updates
Municipal Guidance Document #1 “Suspension of In Person Open Meeting Requirements”
Municipal Guidance Document #4 “Suspension of Tax Deadlines and Collection Efforts”
Municipal Guidance Document #5 “Suspension of In-Person Voting Requirements by the Public in the Municipal Budget Process”
Municipal Guidance Document #8 Index of Executive Orders Pertinent to Municipalities
The Federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) includes funds for Connecticut governments to pay costs incurred in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Office of Policy and Management (OPM) has established the Municipal Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) Program to reimburse municipalities for such costs.
Rules on Use, Allowable Costs & Ineligible Costs and Program Overview
CT DECD – Stop the Spread in English and Spanish.
CT CBIA – Reopen Connecticut resources and materials.
CDC – Print Resources web page with information covering a variety of topics.
Also see state-by-state testing trends by Johns Hopkins University.
RPOCD 2023 – Regional Planning Starts with You!
The Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments (NVCOG) is working on its first Regional Plan of Conservation and Development (RPOCD). The RPOCD is an advisory policy document which will help guide regional development and investment in the NVCOG community over the next ten years to 2033. We anticipate this RPOCD to be completed in 2023. Please click the tabs below to learn more about our RPOCD, participate public outreach and follow the progress of our work.
EXISTING CONDITIONS REPORT DRAFTED SECTIONS
We have begun to post draft sections of the Existing Conditions Report. Please go to the ‘What We’ve Done’ tab to view the drafts. The public may comment on these drafts by email at contactus@nvcogct.gov or by calling NVCOG’s offices at 203-757-0535. Comments may also be sent in writing to the NVCOG offices c/o Joanna Rogalski, Senior Regional Planner, 49 Leavenworth Street, Third Floor, Waterbruy, CT 06702.
MEETINGS WITH MUNICIPAL PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSIONS
We have met with NVCOG area municipal Planning and Zoning Commissions and Land Use Departments to better understand the planning issues they are addressing now and in the near future. Local official’s input has helped us as we write the plan, and we thank them for their help.
ASKING FOR YOUR THOUGHTS
Public participation is a key part of updating the RPOCD. From the general public, 136 people contributed their thoughts about the region’s future in an online survey we offered. We thank everyone who participated, and your thoughts helped us identify the land use issues and goals that are most important to the people who live and work here in the region. This will help us shape the final version of the plan, which will suggest strategies for our communities and regional non-profits to meet those goals over the next ten years. NVCOG will share the results of that survey on this page in the near future. And please check this page for further opportunities to comment on the RPOCD.
Though there are legal reasons to write a Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD), we think the practical ones are far more important. Learn more about POCD’s through the questions and answers below:
Current regional planning work is being guided by the three POCD’s from the three regional planning agencies which consolidated as the NVCOG in 2015: the Valley Council of Governments, the Council of Governments of the Central Naugatuck Valley, and the Central Connecticut Regional Planning Agency.
The Regional Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD) is the NVCOG’s advisory policy document on the future physical development of the region. The POCD addresses planning issues which transcend municipal boundaries, such as water supply, economy, housing and transportation, presents a metropolitan perspective, and recommends general policies that will guide the NVCOG region’s residents and decision-makers in responding to future change.
Legal reason: State Statute 8-35a mandates that regional council of governments prepare such a plan at least once every ten years.
Practical reason: We live in a regional community. Each city and town in the NVCOG region relies on each other for employment, housing, retail, healthcare, and other services and needs. The regional POCD provides planning linkages between towns and cities and offers policies to more efficiently coordinate development to improve its residents’ quality of life.
The Plan will guide NVCOG in setting priorities, reviewing state, regional and local proposals, implementing programs, and assisting member communities.
LOCAL: Each municipality in the region has a local POCD. These plans address local issues and are connected to local zoning codes.
STATE: At the State level, its POCD is much broader in scope. State POCD recommendations guide major state initiatives and local and regional projects involving state funding in excess of $200,000.
REGIONAL: The Regional Plan falls between the two, more specific than the State Plan and more general than the local plans. Furthermore, State statutes require a review of consistency between a municipal plan and regional and state POCD’s. Because the municipal plan is connected to zoning, it is typically the most influential. For this reason, the Regional POCD places a great deal of emphasis on local plans and zoning.
The NVCOG staff and Regional Planning Commission is currently in the process of reviewing the three regional POCD’s to create one new NVCOG POCD. Please check back to this page for NVCOG POCD progress updates and latest drafts.
And we want to hear from you! Please check the “Surveys and Public Input” tab to participate in our current public online survey in English or encuesta en línea en Español, or contact Joanna Rogalski, Senior Regional Planner, at jrogalski@nvcogct.gov.
Existing Conditions Drafted Sections
DRAFT – Chapter 6 – Transportation
DRAFT – Section 7.5 – Brownfields
DRAFT-Chapter 8 – Infrastructure
DRAFT-Chapter 9 – Natural Environment
DRAFT – Chapter 10 – Natural Hazards
DRAFT – Chapter 11 – Environmental Justice Populations
Public Outreach Events:
Woodbury Planning Commission meeting – October 5, 2022 – Presentation
Middlebury Planning And Zoning Commission special meeting – October 6, 2022 – Presentation
Naugatuck Planning, Zoning & Inland Wetlands Commissions special meeting – October 13, 2022 – Presentation
Waterbury City Plan Commission – November 9, 2022 – Presentation
Derby Planning and Zoning Commission meeting – November 15, 2022 – Presentation
Oxford Planning and Zoning Commission meeting – November 15, 2022 – Presentation
Plymouth Special meeting of the Commissions of Inland Wetlands and Watercourses, Economic Development and Planning & Zoning – November 30, 2022 – Presentation
Southbury Planning Commission meeting – December 13, 2022 – Presentation
Watertown Planning and Zonning Commission meeting – January 4, 2023 – Presentation
Beacon Falls Planning and Zoning Commission meeting – January 19, 2023 – Presentation
Seymour Planning and Zoning Commission meeting – February 9, 2023 – Presentation
Construction is underway and expected to continue through the 2023 construction season due to the extensive amount of utility relocations that are a necessary part of the bridge rehabilitation work.
A study of options to reduce congestion and increase mobility throughout the Route 8 and Waterbury Branch Rail Line corridors.