The state is receiving millions of dollars from the federal government for transportation projects and they include changes to the Berlin Turnpike and the Naugatuck River Greenway Trail as well as in Norwalk.
The state Department of Transportation is looking to make changes to the Berlin Turnpike in Berlin, Newington and Wethersfield to improve safety for drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists and people who use public transportation.
The state has received a $2 million Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity Grant to study, re-envision and plan for changes to the 11-mile Berlin Turnpike.
The Capitol Regional Council of Governments will be working with the state DOT, CTtransit and the three towns.
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“This grant award will help lay the foundation to create a future Route 5 with safety at the forefront,” CTDOT Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto said in a statement. “It will allow for the study and design of pedestrian and bicycle friendly infrastructure, such as sidewalks and trails, and look to develop a public transportation hub and land development opportunities in Newington, Wethersfield, and Berlin.”
The U.S. Department of Transportation said the Berlin Turnpike Corridor Planning Study will also provide recommendations that address speed reduction, traffic calming, access management, active transportation connections, and land-use planning scenarios for a potential multi-modal transit hub.
The U.S. DOT is funding 148 projects nationwide, including $21.7 million for three projects in Connecticut.
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That also includes $5.7 million for the Naugatuck River Greenway Trail Project in New Haven and Litchfield counties.
The project is intended to reduce the reliance on vehicles, provide alternative mobility options, and reduce and mitigate air pollution and carbon pollution.
The area of study includes nearly 16.3 miles of gap along the Naugatuck River Greenway Trail between Breen Field in Naugatuck and East Main Street in Thomaston, according to the federal government.
The other grant funds $14 million for the MLK Corridor Equitable Mobility Enhancement Project in Norwalk.
The U.S. DOT said the project will fund the construction of Complete Streets improvements along approximately two miles of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and to six roads in the 33-acre area surrounding the South Norwalk Train Station.
Learn more about the projects here.
