ROADWAY INFRASTRUCTURE IN CONNECTICUT DURING THE ONGOING COVID-19 CRISIS By Austin Ferentzy
C
onnecticut’s standing as 47th in roadway infrastructure continues as we enter the first quarter of 2020. The factors contributing to this continuous grade still include roadway conditions, minor repair maintenance, and capacity. Last semester, Connecticut was graded as trending upwards toward growth and improvement in this category, and, despite the ongoing crisis regarding COVID-19, the forecasted growth is continuing as predicted. With public transport becoming increasingly nonviable for many immunocompromised, driving is the only way to ensure social distancing when it is necessary to leave self-quarantine. As with most other states, Gov. Lamont issued the “Stay Safe, Stay Home” executive order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Connecticut. Most nonessential businesses have closed and will remain closed indefinitely. This has had adverse effects on the economy and the lives of citizens all over the country, but it will most likely positively affect Connecticut’s infrastructure plan. The social environment the pandemic has produced has seen an almost 40-50 percent decrease in driver volume on most state roads during the week, and up to 70 percent drop on the weekends. Yankee Doodle Bridge over the Norwalk River has long been considered one of the worst bottleneck sites of the entire
highway system of Connecticut, as well as being ranked as the bridge in most need of repair in the entire state. Despite this, it has seen record-breaking lows in terms of cars travelled, dropping from 162,527 on Friday March 6, to less than half that number five weeks later on April 10, at 77,130. As part of Gov. Ned Lamont’s continued efforts to tackle Connecticut’s unique infrastructure problems, the state office has made clear it still intends to operate during the ongoing pandemic. The State Bond Commission met on April 16, and, on top of allocating more than $700 million in transportation financing, they also released the full $60 million Town Road Aid grant, which has been delayed by Gov. Lamont since last July. While the battle for tolling our state highways is still ongoing, Gov. Lamont relented in February against withholding state aid in exchange for support for electronic tolling. This is a critical step in Connecticut’s towns and cities finally having funding to make basic repairs and upkeep that many desperately need. However, this came with a foreshadowed warning from the governor to those resisting the idea of even simple tolls: “We don’t have an endless supply of money; we had to make some choices, and these were the choices we made.”
Figure 17: Traffic Monitoring Numbers for Norwalk I-95 [March 1, 2020 — April 20, 2020]
14
CONNECTICUT ECONOMIC ACTIVITY REPORT • SUMMER 2020
