The Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments (NVCOG) manages an EPA funded Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund (RLF). The NVCOG announces this Request for Proposals for subgrants of cleanup funds to eligible municipal members of the Regional Brownfield Partnership of West Central Connecticut (RBP).

NEC FUTURE

December 2015

NEC Future is a Federal Railroad Administration-led effort to envision the future of the Northeast Corridor.   The effort has identified several opportunities and investment alternatives for rail service in the State of Connecticut.  The vision is unconstrained by funding limits, constructability, environmental or community impacts. The FRA is seeking public comments on the NEC Future Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS).  FRA has scheduled public forums in New Haven on December 14 and Hartford on January 13.  They will also accept written comments through January 30, 2016. 

Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) is looking forward to hearing your comments on the NEC Future DEIS.  CTDOT will provide comments once other Connecticut stakeholders have had an opportunity to review the document and participate in the public forums.  Following are some key points and potential questions for your consideration during the public hearing and comment period.

NEC Future Alternatives

No Action Alternative includes a $9 Billion infrastructure base cost.

• The No Action Alternative continues current funding levels which are inadequate to meet the growing backlog in basic state of good repair of the railroad.  It does not allow for increased peak-hour rail service, though  some modest increases in off-peak service may be possible. 

Maintain – Alternative 1 $52 to $54 Billion plus $9 Billion infrastructure base cost.

•  Alternative 1 maintains the mode share of  rail as it is today, keeping pace with the level of rail service required to support projected growth in population and employment.
• Alternative 1 includes new rail services and commensurate investment in the NEC to expand capacity, add tracks, and relieve key chokepoints, particularly through northern New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut.  This alternative is similar to the Let’s Go CT vision for intercity trains and high frequency trains, though there is much more work to do to identify specific service plans and investment needs.

Grow – Alternative 2 $116 to $121 Billion plus $9 Billion infrastructure base cost.

• Alternative 2 grows the role of rail, expanding rail service and passenger use at a faster pace than the growth in regional population and employment.
• The existing NEC generally expands to four tracks, with six tracks through portions of New Jersey and southwestern Connecticut. South of New Haven, CT, service and infrastructure improvements are focused generally within the existing NEC.
• North of New Haven, Alternative 2 adds a new supplemental, two-track route between New Haven and Hartford, CT, and Providence, RI, to increase resiliency, serve new markets, reduce trip times, and address capacity constraints.
• It is not clear how this alternative treats the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield program vision of inland route service to Boston and service to Montreal.

Transform – Alternative 3 $258 to $293 Billion plus $9 Billion infrastructure base cost.

•  Alternative 3 transforms the role of rail, positioning it as a dominant mode for intercity travelers and commuters across the NEC.
• Service and infrastructure improvements include upgrades on the existing NEC and the addition of a two-track second spine within the Study Area.
• This new spine supports high-performance rail services between major markets and provides additional capacity for anticipated growth.

Qs & As for CT

How do the alternatives address current travel demand as well as projected future travel demand?

Alternative 1 maintains current market share, requiring new investment to keep pace with population growth and employment. Alternative 2 accommodates projected 2040 demand. Alternative 3 allows for expanded growth beyond the project 2040 demand.  These alternatives make assumptions about future economic growth and development in the corridor and customer preferences which are linked to service levels and pricing.  It appears the biggest return on investment (defined solely on  ridership and market share) is with Alternative 1 with lesser benefits accruing from Alternative 2 and Alternative 3.  The economic impacts and future land use impacts are not part of this evaluation.

What are the potential implications and impacts of the different alternatives?

The NEC Future document offers three distinct alternatives and No Action baseline for comparison purposes.  The purpose of the NEC Future planning effort is to identify a vision for future investment in the Northeast Corridor. All three alternatives would require extraordinary investment, many orders of magnitude greater than current funding levels.   These alternatives must not only be evaluated from an economic perspective, but also viewed through the lens of community and environmental benefits and impacts.

What is the role of the Federal government (i.e., FRA, Amtrak) in advancing the NEC Future Program?

The Federal Railroad Administration has indicated the selection of a preferred alternative will be informed by the public comments it receives during this comment period.  Critical issues for CT include federal funding commitments for the existing system and any of the alternatives in addition to the need to have EIS documentation for critical infrastructure investments in CT.

How do the alternatives impact service and capacity on the New Haven Line?

The advancement of one or more of the three alternatives would require discussion with FRA and Amtrak on the future of the Northeast Corridor/New Haven Line and branch lines.  Specific service plans are not available at this time.  FRA plans to complete a Service Development Plan after a final alternative is selected.

Other questions that may be considered during the public comment period:

What is actually sought by FRA in terms of public input?

This is an enormous amount of information to read, understand and comment on.  Is it possible to extend the comment period?  

While the overall costs have been estimated, there is no funding plan.  When will that be done?

PUBLIC NOTICE

The Metropolitan Area Planning (MAP) Forum announces its 2015 Annual Meeting on December 3, 2015 at 10:30 am.  For security purposes, please RSVP either by calling NYMTC at (212) 383-7200 or by sending an email to Andrea.Miles-Cole@dot.ny.gov .  The meeting agenda appears below. If you need special accommodations to participate in this meeting, please contact Andrea.Miles-Cole@dot.ny.gov by 12 p.m. on November 30, 2015.

2015 Annual Meeting of the Metropolitan Area Planning (MAP) Forum

New York Metropolitan Transportation Council

25 Beaver Street, 2nd floor

Lower Manhattan

Thursday December 3, 2015; 10:30 am – 12:30 pm

       View AGENDA here

The MAP Forum is a consortium of metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. In January 2008, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC), the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA); the Housatonic Valley Council of Elected Officials (HVCEO); the South Western Regional Metropolitan Planning Organization (SWRMPO); and the Greater Bridgeport/Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization (GB/VMPO),  signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the coordination of planning activities in the three state New York-New Jersey-Connecticut metropolitan region.

For Immediate Release

Study Underway to Assess the Economic Impact of the Naugatuck River Greenway Trail

The Naugatuck River Greenway (NRG) Steering Committee has initiated a 2015-2016 study to catalog the economic and quality of life impacts that will result from the construction of the Naugatuck River Greenway trail, a planned multi-use trail along the Naugatuck River. The study is designed to assist each of the 11 greenway municipalities and local greenway committees in furthering their work to complete sections of trail in their communities. The planned NRG route will follow the river for 44 miles bringing the trail through parts of Torrington, Litchfield, Harwinton, Thomaston, Watertown, Waterbury, Naugatuck, Beacon Falls, Seymour, Ansonia and Derby.

The NRG Economic Impact Study is being conducted by The Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments (NVCOG) in partnership with the UConn College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources Extension program in Community & Economic Development (Extension), the UConn Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis (CCEA), and the Northwest Hills Council of Governments (NHCOG). The project will be guided by the NRG Steering Committee, a group made up of representatives of the 11 greenway communities, state and federal representatives, and other key stakeholders. Funding to conduct the study has been received from The Connecticut Community Foundation, The Valley Community Foundation, The Eva M. Coty Fund of The Community Foundation of Northwest Connecticut, and The Katharine Matthies Foundation.

“It is important that each community have a detailed analysis on how both trail construction and the completed trail sections will impact the local economy,” said NRG Steering Committee Co-Chair Ingrid Manning. The study was designed to give municipalities information they need to make a stronger case for funding greenway construction, and findings will help them make stronger applications for state and federal grants. The study will determine the effects the NRG will have through local spending by trail users, changes in property values, construction related expenditures, the health and quality of life of residents, and potential tie-ins with brownfield redevelopment. Information gathered will also help them capitalize on the trail once it is a reality. It will look at how municipalities can maximize benefits through enhanced citizen participation, proper construction planning, trail management, marketing strategies, residential and commercial development and zoning changes.

UConn Extension’s staff in Community & Economic Development conducted an extensive literature review, detailing similar projects around the country. This is being used to inform ongoing data collection and analysis. Over the past several months, NVCOG staff and volunteers have been working to collect trail user data on the open sections of the NRG in Derby, Ansonia, Beacon Falls and Naugatuck, as well as on other comparable multiuse trails, namely the Middlebury Greenway in Middlebury and the Sue Grossman Trail in Torrington. Automated counters have been set out on trails throughout the summer and into the fall to track trail use. Trail users have also been greeted by staff and volunteers at several trailheads and asked to complete a short survey aimed at determining their demographics and spending patterns. Over the winter, the study partners plan to collect more information through multiple focus groups of trail administrators, recreation and land managers, adjacent property owners, area business owners, and local policy makers. CCEA will be completing the economic analysis that will include an analysis of property values, local spending patterns, a cost/benefit analysis, and construction spending from building sections of the trail.

As part of the process, the NRG Steering Committee and project partners will present study findings to municipal officials, developers, development agencies and the public both electronically and via an outreach forum. It will also solicit comments and suggestion from stakeholders in this regard.

The NRG corridor has been officially designated as a greenway by the CT Greenways Council and the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). The entire greenway trail is identified as a trail of statewide significance in the Connecticut Recreational Trails Plan, and it was designated as one of 101 America’s Great Outdoors projects in 2011 by the U. S. Department of the Interior.

More information can be found at www.NaugatuckRiver.net , at www.nvcogct.org, and at http://communities.extension.uconn.edu/. 

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