Originally published on 5/28/2015
You may commute to NYC daily on Metro North. Take highways to get to a job or school—routes 95, 15, 84, or 7. Amtrak may carry you or your college-attending student to Washington or Boston. Perhaps raw goods arrive to your company via container or truck. No matter how you use the “transportation infrastructure”, all of us are affected by what happens or does not happen to the rails and roads we depend upon for economic opportunity and quality of life. “Community”, “commuter” and infrastructure cannot be unbundled. We are part of the same eco-system.
The latest Amtrak derailment, part of a series of deadly rail tragedies, underscores the urgent need for investment in rail safety technology and modernized infrastructure. Your Connecticut delegation, specifically Senators Blumenthal and Murphy, have been at the forefront, advocating passage of key transportation legislation, including: (1) the Positive Train Control Safety Act, which would require the rail industry to move swiftly to install Positive Train Control, a life-saving technology used to slow down trains in order to help prevent crashes and collisions; (2) the Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety Act, which would allocate resources towards safety upgrades at rail crossings, such as new lights and signals; and (3) complete overhaul of rail safety laws and protocols and increased infrastructure spending, specifically Amtrak spending and highway funding, through the Highway Trust Fund. Blumenthal and Murphy are working with Senator Schumer of New York on these initiatives. The time for another tragedy has passed. These MUST become bi-partisan priorities.
Right here “on the ground in Connecticut,” Governor Dannel P. Malloy, and Commissioner James P. Redeker, worked hard and long with the Federal Railroad Administration and New York Metro Transit Authority to gain a $967 million dollar federal loan to provide the MTA with financing to implement Positive Train Control technologies on Metro-North. This much needed investment will prevent tragedy and greatly improve safety on Metro North — affecting thousands of Ridgefield commuters and vacationers. This is a good thing for rails and for citizens in Connecticut communities and beyond.
Investment in roads, bridges and railways are part of the Governor’s five-year plan to strengthen Connecticut infrastructure, without which we will suffer from stunted economic development, and lower quality of life for residents. Getting this to scale as people continue to return to work is critical to our future. CONNDOT currently anticipates $1.8 B in federal money for dozens of projects including widening 84 in Waterbury to three lanes, replacement of the I-84 viaduct in Hartford, Q, Putnam and Moses bridge replacements/repairs, Merritt Parkway rehabilitation in Stamford and improvements to I-95 in Norwalk. More investment is needed, but this is a good start.
Commuters-community-commerce are connected, not only when sobered by tragedies on Amtrak, or Metro North, but also when we look ahead at creating vibrant business and family life in Ridgefield and Connecticut. Let’s look ahead and make sure to invest.
Susan D. Cocco is Chair of the Ridgefield Democratic Town Committee, which supplies this column.