NVCOG Regional Transportation WCL Alumni Forum NVCOG Regional Transportation June 1, 2018

Naugatuck Valley Planning Region Boston Springfield Connecticut Providence Hartford Waterbury Danbury New Haven Stamford Naugatuck Valley Region located in west-central Connecticut Centered on Waterbury In between and with good access to other principle cities in the state – Hartford to the northwest, New Haven to the southeast. Danbury to the west Bridgeport to the south and Stamford to the south west The region is also a part of the mega-region that stretches between New York and Boston Bridgeport New York City

Today… A Region in Motion 2 Million Daily Trips Despite the declines, the region remains a region in motion Each day about 2 million trips occur within, into and out of the region Most of the trips are vehicle trips

Interstate 84 Bethlehem Thomaston Watertown Plymouth Bristol Wolcott Waterbury Woodbury Southbury Oxford Middlebury Naugatuck Prospect Cheshire Beacon Falls Seymour Ansonia Shelton Derby 6 Congested during morning & evening commute period: 36 mph AM; 33 mph PM ADT West of Waterbury = 96,100 vpd ADT East of Waterbury = 125,400 vpd I-84 & Route 8 Interchange: Referred to as the “Mixmaster” Built in the 1960s – substandard design; deteriorating; needs repair/replacement 132,600 vpd pass through the “Mixmaster” Double stacked facility over Naugatuck River & local roads 21 closely spaced ramps One of the nation’s top 100 most congested areas High accident rate 8 691 84 91 34 95

Regional Bus Service Improvements Maintain current fares Maintain service Purchase new vehicles to modernize & expand fleets Enhance CTfastrak service Bristol-New Britain Waterbury-New Britain Investigate Extending CTfastrak Waterbury -Danbury Waterbury –Derby/Shelton

Regional Bus Service Improvements: Established new CTtransit Express Service between Torrington & Waterbury (Route 450X) Feb ‘18: 1290 riders Mar ‘18: 1428 riders Apr ‘18: 1713 riders CTfastrak Ridership | April 2018 Total Corridor Passenger Trips 436,719 Ridership April ’16 - April ‘18: 11,346,208

CTfastrak Performance:

On Which Mode of Transportation Do Users Pay the Highest Percentage of the Cost of Their Ride? Bus Highway Train 25% 4% 49%

Transit Fares vs Driving FROM – TO ONE WAY vs GAS TAX Metro-North Waterbury – Stamford $ 6.75 52 miles = 75 cents Waterbury – GCT $ 20.75 88 miles = $1.00 CTtransit Waterbury – Torrington $ 1.75 22 miles = 33 cents

What’s the problem with STF? Gasoline tax revenues are down Better gas mileage, more electric cars The Gasoline tax was LOWERED in 1997 by 14 cents a gallon = $3.4 Billion in cumulative loss The gasoline tax is not pegged to inflation In other words… we cannot rely on the current gasoline tax to fund our roads & rails

What Will Failure to Invest in Transit Mean? More traffic on I-84, I-95, RT 8 & The Parkways Worsening road conditions – reduced maintenance Bridge closings / weight restrictions Less mobility for the “carless” Elderly, urban dwellers, service/retail workers, house-cleaners, restaurant staff Less transit = less desirable for development Real estate prices go down / Taxes go up ECONOMIC ARMAGEDDON!