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 four separate TMAs: Bridgeport-Stamford, Hartford, New Haven, and Waterbury. The Waterbury Urban Area, granted TMA status in November of 2023, is the only urban area almost entirely within the NVCOG.

As the name suggests, a congestion management process isn’t a single plan or activity but part of the overall process for planning in the region. Congestion management is one of the many factors considered in all of the region’s transportation decisions.

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 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 monitoring reports published in 2024 and 2025.

2023 Bridgeport-Stamford Urban Area CMP  

2024 Bridgeport-Stamford Urban Area Monitoring Report  

2025 Bridgeport-Stamford Urban Area Monitoring Report

Within the Hartford Urban Area, the CRCOG serves as the primary agency leading CMP development. CRCOG, along with NVCOG, Lower CT River COG, and the Northwest Hills COG, developed the most recent CMP report throughout 2025 and released the below document in February 2026. 

Within the NVCOG, the communities of Bristol, Plymouth, and Thomaston fall into the Hartford Urban Area. 

2025 Hartford TMA Congestion Management Process Report

Within the New Haven Urban Area, the SCRCOG serves as the primary agency leading CMP development. The CMP report for the New Haven TMA was last released in 2025. 

Within the NVCOG, the community of Cheshire falls into the New Haven Urban Area. 

2025 New Haven TMA Congestion Management Process Report

The CMP report for the Waterbury Urban Area is now available. 

2025 Waterbury Urban Area CMP

The public comment was open from February 20, 2025 to March 22, 2025.