CENTRAL CONNECTICUT METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION 241 Main St, Hartford, CT 06106
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ADOPTED APRIL 21, 2015 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION 241 Main St, Hartford, CT 06106 Disclaimer This report has been prepared by the Central ConnecticutMetropolitan Planning Organizationin cooperation with the U.S. Department of Transportation, including its participating agencies, and the Connecticut Department of Transportation. The opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed in this publication are those of the Central Connecticut Metropolitan Planning Organization and do not neces- sarily reflect the official views or policies of the State of Connecticut. 2015 Minor Update 2 of 212 Contents CONTENTS ................................................................................... 3 SYSTEMS .................................................................................. 101 FOREWORD ................................................................................. 4 Pedestrians and cyclists.................................................................. 102 2015 Minor Update ............................................................................ 5 Public transit .................................................................................. 118 VISION ......................................................................................... 7 Private vehicles .............................................................................. 149 National performance oalsg ............................................................... 9 Freight ............................................................................................ 176 MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS ............................................................ 11 BACKGROUND .......................................................................... 180 General ............................................................................................. 17 Structure and process .................................................................... 180 Pedestrians and cyclists ................................................................... 23 Environmental and social concerns................................................ 183 Public Transit .................................................................................... 33 SAFETEA-LU Planning factors ......................................................... 188 Private vehicles ................................................................................ 49 Project selection ............................................................................. 190 Freight .............................................................................................. 56 APPENDIXES ............................................................................ 191 PRESERVATION & UPGRADES ...................................................... 58 Acronyms........................................................................................ 191 FINANCES .................................................................................. 65 Excerpt from the Northeast Corridor Master Plan ......................... 192 Federal funding ................................................................................ 66 Historical railroad timetables ......................................................... 195 State and local funding .................................................................... 72 Bridges ............................................................................................ 201 Revenue assumptions and estimates ............................................... 75 Complete Streets law (CGS 13a-153f) ............................................ 206 Policy Board and Contact Information ........................................... 207 PEOPLE ...................................................................................... 80 Population ........................................................................................ 81 INDEX ...................................................................................... 209 Economics ........................................................................................ 84 Figures ............................................................................................ 209 Age and disability ............................................................................. 92 Tables ............................................................................................. 211 Race and ethnicity ............................................................................ 97 Housing and household vehicles ...................................................... 98 2015 Minor Update 3 of 212 Foreword This document, the Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) for Central Connecticut, through 2040, lays out a broad vision of the form and functions of the region’s transportation system now and as it will be for several years to come. However, this vision is not static. The Plan is flexible and may be revised to adapt to changes in regional needs. Reevaluation and revisions of the Plan over time reflect the purpose of the framers to keep the Plan relevant. The Plan gives a snapshot of transportation in the region with a view toward the future. Projectingfuture need and determining how to meet that need is a collaborative process. Thanks are extended to the staff who authored the Plan and to the Connecticut Department of Transportation for its help. Input from the Agency Board, staff of member municipalities, and the public is much appreciated. 2015 Minor Update 4 of 212 Northwest Hills Council of Governments (NHCOG). Subsequent 2015 Minor Update to this reorganization, the towns clearly indicated their desire to change the MPO boundaries to match RPO boundaries. PURPOSE OF THIS MINOR UPDATE While the RPO re-designation process was complete in January The primary purpose of this update is to comply with new re- 2015, the MPO process is taking longer. The MPO re-designa- quirements that were part of the Moving Ahead for Program in tion process requires that municipalities and the governor ap- the 21st Century (MAP-21) legislation. MAP-21 introduced new prove of the boundary change. As of this writing, the municipal- elements that must be considered by MPOs when preparing ities belonging to CCMPO, CRCOG, NVCOG, and NHCOG have all their transportation plans. officially endorsed the change. In February 2015the CRCOG and CCMPO is doing a minor update, instead of a full update, for a CNVCOG, supported by all the requisite municipal and MPO res- number of reasons. The first reason is that MAP-21 requires olutions, sent a letter to the Governor’s office requesting ap- MPOs to coordinate with their state’s department of transpor- proval of the boundary change. That approval is still pending. tation to develop performance metrics to be used in planning CCMPO anticipates that this process will not be complete until efforts. CCMPO’s long-range transportation plan (as well as the June 2015. LRTPs of other MPOs in Connecticut) was due for an update be- NEXT STEPS fore those metrics were ready. Once the boundaries are officially changed, CCMPO will cease A second reason for doing a minor update instead of a full up- to exist and the enlarged MPOs will revise their plans to incor- date is that MPO boundaries in Connecticut are changing. In porate the new municipalities. Current CCMPO municipalities 2013, the State of Connecticut initiated a process to reorganize cannot be incorporated during this minor update as they are its regional planning organizations (RPOs, who have tradition- not officially members of their presumed new MPOs. ally been the hosts of the state’s MPOs). This process resulted in the Central Connecticut Regional Planning Agency being dis- In July, 2015, Connecticut’ MPOs will complete a full update of solved. Four of the municipalities joined the Capitol Region their LRTPs. At this time, if the MPO redesignation process is Council of Governments (CRCOG), two joined the Naugatuck complete, each of the MPOs receiving municipalities from the Valley Council of Governments (NVCOG), and one joined the Central Connecticut MPO will include these municipalities in 2015 Minor Update 5 of 212 their respective updates. Each region’s revised plans will include The inclusion of new or updated long-term projects to a full update that will incorporate the needs, priorities, and pro- optimize municipal vehicle routes (see page 21), de- jects from the all of the MPO’s member municipalities. In the velop a regional bike path network (see page 24), under- meantime, this document will serve as the long-range transpor- take a comprehensive review of transit routes (see page tation plan for the seven municipalities of the Central Connect- 40), a study of the Route 9/571 corridor in New Britain icut Region. and Berlin (see page 58), and a study of Memorial Boule- vard in Bristol (see page 58) WHAT’S NEW Updates to projects that are underway (see the Major While not comprehensive in nature, this update includes a improvements section on page 11) number of changes. They include: Updated financial data (see the Finances section on page 65) An explanationof the MPO restructuring process that is ongoing in Connecticut (see above) Updated Ozone Air Quality Conformity Report (see Clean Air Act and amendments section on page 185) References to the ongoing process of establishing per- formance metrics for MPOs in Connecticut (see the Na- Throughout this plan, sections that are new or that include sig- tional performance goals section on page 9) nificant