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.
Project Goals
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.
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 was held at the Ansonia Senior Center 65 Main Street in Ansonia, CT on Tuesday, August 8, 2023, at 5:30 PM. The public information meeting had the dual purpose of sharing our findings and hearing directly from the community about their concerns and ideas for the new bus shelters. This hybrid meeting was open to all to join in-person and virtually on Zoom. To watch a live recording of the event, view on YouTube.
Social Media
Stay up to date on the NVCOG website and its social media platforms, which include Facebook, Instagram, X (Formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn.
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.
Design Phase
Utilizing Capital Improvement funds from the Federal Transit Administration, the NVCOG is currently designing and will construct/install bus shelters at 17 critical locations within the lower Naugatuck Valley. These shelters will improve existing bus stops served by CTtransit, Greater Bridgeport Transit, and the Valley Transit District to provide a safer and more comfortable experience for riders of these systems.
Documents related to this project will be uploaded here when available.
Staff contact
Kevin Ellis
Transportation Engineer
kellis@nvcogct.gov