Overview

Traffic congestion on the region’s roads and highways wastes time, consumes additional fuel, and complicates travel. Not only does this congestion negatively impact the quality of life of residents and travelers, but it can also have negative impacts on businesses that rely on the movement of goods and people, making it more challenging to achieve the region’s economic development goals.   

To address this issue, a specific process has been established to manage and reduce traffic congestion.  According to 23 USC 450.322, Transportation Management Areas (TMAs) must maintain a Congestion Management Process (CMP) to plan for congestion reduction along the nation’s highway network. The NVCOG is involved in planning for congestion improvement in three separate TMAs: Bridgeport-Stamford, Hartford, and Waterbury. The Waterbury Urban Area, granted TMA status in November of 2023, is the only urban area almost entirely within the NVCOG.

As part of the congestion management process, MPOs: 

  • Develop regional objectives for congestions management – each urban area and the state as a whole set targets for pieces of congestion measurement.  
  • Define the CMP network – each urban area identifies the roads that make up the CMP network based on where most traffic and economic activity occur.   
  • Develop multimodal performance measures. 
    • Collect data/calculate performance measures. 
    • Analyze congestion problems and needs. 
  • Develop Strategies – these strategies help define how the CMP is implemented, including what steps are going to be taken to reduce the impacts of congestion within the CMP network.  
  • Program and Implement Strategies – As projects are implemented throughout the region, the CMP is considered in every step of project development and design.  
  • Evaluate Strategy Effectiveness – Finally, once projects and strategies within the CMP are implemented, it is important to measure the impact these strategies have had to refine the CMP for the future.   

As part of the congestion management process, MPOs: 

  • Develop regional objectives for congestions management – each urban area and the state as a whole set targets for pieces of congestion measurement.  
  • Define the CMP network – each urban area identifies the roads that make up the CMP network based on where most traffic and economic activity occur.   
  • Develop multimodal performance measures. 
    • Collect data/calculate performance measures. 
    • Analyze congestion problems and needs. 
  • Develop Strategies – these strategies help define how the CMP is implemented, including what steps are going to be taken to reduce the impacts of congestion within the CMP network.  
  • Program and Implement Strategies – As projects are implemented throughout the region, the CMP is considered in every step of project development and design.  
  • Evaluate Strategy Effectiveness – Finally, once projects and strategies within the CMP are implemented, it is important to measure the impact these strategies have had to refine the CMP for the future.   

The first CMP report for the Waterbury Urban Area is currently being developed and will be adopted by the CNVMPO board in the coming months. 

The Bridgeport-Stamford Urban Area covers a large portion of the southern NVCOG region, including the lower valley towns of Ansonia, Derby, Shelton, and Seymour, plus Beacon Falls, Oxford, Southbury, and Woodbury. The CMP for the Bridgeport-Stamford area is developed and maintained cooperatively by the NVCOG, CT MetroCOG, and WestCOG.  

The current CMP report for the Bridgeport-Stamford TMA was adopted in 2023, with a monitoring report published in 2024.  

2023 CMP  

2024 Monitoring Report  

 

Within the Hartford Urban Area, the CRCOG serves as the primary agency leading CMP development. The CMP for Hartford was last developed in 2020, with the next update planned for 2025.  

Within the NVCOG, the communities of Bristol, Plymouth, and Thomaston fall into the Hartford Urban Area. You can view the CMP for this area on the CRCOG website.