THANK YOU "AMTRAK JOE"

With the changing of power in Washington this week, let’s say thanks to Joe Biden, the President who has done the most for transportation in our country in the almost 70 years since Dwight Eisenhower built our interstate highways.

While his predecessor (and successor) Donald Trump talked a lot about investing in transportation, Biden (and the Connecticut delegation to Congress) actually got it done.  Biden’s major initiative was…

The Infrastructure & Investment Jobs Act:  $110 billion for roads and bridges, $105 billion for public transit, and $7.5 billion for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. That means funding for more than 66,000 projects nationwide, encompassing road and bridge repairs, public transit enhancements, and airport modernizations.

Here in Connecticut, that means $9.6 billion over the next five years for 300+ projects including:

The Hartford Line, where $207 million will mean double-tracking 6.2 miles and $87 million for a new high-level platform station at Windsor Locks (to be finished by mid-year) with connecting bus service to Bradley Airport.  An additional train is also to be added to service.  Enfield will also be getting a new station and there’s $2.5 million to relocate Hartford’s Union Station.

Connecticut River Bridge:  Amtrak has been awarded $827 million in IIJA funds for the replacement of the aging bridge between Old Saybrook and Old Lyme. The total project cost is estimated at $1.3 billion, with completion anticipated by 2031.

Housatonic River Railroad Bridge: Up to $246 million has been allocated for the design of a replacement bridge connecting Milford and Stratford, with an additional $119 million for interim repairs.

Saugatuck River Railroad Bridge:  Amtrak received up to $23.2 million for early design work on replacing this bridge in Westport.

All of these projects will rejuvenate Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, soon to be running new Acela Avelia Liberty higher speed trains between Washington DC and Boston.

Among other projects being funded…  $2.4 million to consolidate grade crossings on the Metro-North Danbury branch in Norwalk and Danbury… another $2 million for the I-84 rebuild in Hartford’s North End and other work around I-91 in New Haven.

Can any of these projects be cut by President Trump?  No, because they’re written into law.  But they could be delayed or rescinded if Congress takes that move, though that is doubtful because of public support for such work.

President Trump has threatened to kill the New York’s MTA congestion pricing tolls, but it remains to be seen if that’s bluffing.  Anything that removes the $1 billion annually expected from those tolls could cripple MTA’s investment plans to enhance the city’s subways, buses and, yes, even Metro-North.

For years now the cry has been “we don’t have the money” (to fix our transportation).  Now we have the money… lot’s of it.  But do we have enough engineers and skilled workers to do the job?

We can expect years and years of construction and necessary delays.  But in the long term, meaning ten to fifteen years, our trains will run faster, our highways be safer and our air cleaner.

So thank you, President Biden.  Whatever else may have been your shortcomings, history will remember you as our true transportation President.