Free Republic

Despite much criticism, the largest public transportation project in Connecticut is rolling ahead. The busway, renamed CTfastrak, is being built on existing rail lines from New Britain to Hartford, and construction has already started on 11 new bus stations. On Flatbush Avenue, the bus station there will include a bridge to bring cars and people over to the new station, in an attempt to alleviate traffic on the highway and get more people to use public transportation. The project is expected to cost more than $500 million, of which 80 percent will be paid with federal money. The project has...

After years of planning, state officials are scheduled to break ground on a rebranded, half billion-dollar Hartford-to-New Britain bus-only corridor, the only one in Connecticut. Once known as the busway, the 9.4-mile route has been rebranded and is now called CTfastrak. Judd Everhart, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, said busway was never the official name of the project, but was used as short hand. Everhart said the name CTfastrak describes a new type of public transit, combining fast transportation free of traffic similar to rail travel with the flexibility and direct service of a bus. The state...

The Connecticut Public Transportation Commission is seeking opinions about public transportation services, as well as the proposed busway from Hartford to New Britain. Monday's public hearing at the Plainville Municipal Center will be the last of four hearings the commission has held statewide this fall. The panel is seeking comment from the public, transportation providers and other groups about services such as Connecticut Transit and DATTCO bus service and intercity bus service. Members want to know whether improvements need to be made and if the public's needs are being met. The commission also wants opinions about the busway, the need...

HARTFORD —— Signaling that the fight over the controversial New Britain busway isn't finished, two state legislators are asking one of the top Republicans in Congress to block the project. "There is no popular support for the project. The average person understands that it makes no sense, even in flush times," Sen. Joe Markley, R-Southington, and Rep. Whit Betts, R-Bristol, said in a letter to House Speaker John Boehner. "We urge you to do all in your power to stop the federal funding." Connecticut is asking the Federal Transit Administration for $275 million to help build the roughly $570 million...

HARTFORD, Conn. -- The State Bond Commission has approved nearly $90 million in bonds to begin construction on a planned busway between New Britain and Hartford. The vote came despite concerns raised by Republican members about the project's high price tag. Malloy announced this month that he was backing the project, estimated to cost more than $572 million. He said he was reluctant to risk losing federal funding for the paved, 9.4-mile corridor. The federal government is expected to spend nearly $460 million on the project. Connecticut has already spent more than $23 million on design and acquiring property.