Outgoing Connecticut Department of Transportation commissioner Joseph Giulietti joins Mike Hydeck with an update on some major construction projects and his predictions for the future of transportation in our state.
Mike Hydeck: We are on the verge of the biggest investment in a generation when it comes to planes, trains and automobiles in Connecticut. Billions of dollars will be spent over the next decade to repair our roads, our rails and our runways. But do we have the proper planning in place and the manpower to execute all of this? Joining me now is Joseph Giulietti. He's the outgoing commissioner of Department of Transportation. Mr. Giulietti, welcome back to Face the Facts.
Joe Giulietti: It's great to be here. I'm glad you asked me back, Mike.
Mike Hydeck: So you are a train guy by trade, spending decades at Metro North before becoming Commissioner of Transportation. Is high speed rail service really a reality in Connecticut?
Get Connecticut local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Connecticut newsletters.
Joe Giulietti: The answer is yes, it is. Okay. And we're doing everything we can to move to in that direction. And we've got a lot of partners, both at Amtrak and at the federal government that are pushing us in that direction.
Mike Hydeck: So does that mean we have to literally relay tracks all the way through the Washington to Boston corridor? Is that part of what's in the offing over the next decade or two?
Joe Giulietti: No, I would say in the next decade, our focus has been to one, years of not investing has led to many, many slowdowns and the fact that we did not make the investments to get the best speeds that we could out of the rail system. For example, why would you turn around and move it up to a class five, when it required more inspections, and you weren't going to be able to get the trains into Grand Central anyways? Now there's been a different emphasis. So we're looking at all the bridges that we've done and whether or not we've got to change them to a ballasted deck bridge, which I know doesn't mean a lot to everybody out there. But it's a way that you can run the spirals out and get higher speeds. Amtrak is running Acela equipment with self leveling cars, that's going to allow for even higher speeds. So we are now looking at, not only the fact that our Hartford line can go at 100 miles an hour, but that we'll be able to get those type of speeds all the way through on the New Haven line going down.
Face the Facts
Face the Facts with NBC Connecticut goes beyond the headlines, asking newsmakers the tough questions, giving an in-depth analysis of the big stories.
Mike Hydeck: You think that's about a decade in the making, by your estimation?
Joe Giulietti: No, I'm gonna turn around and say to you that we've already started seeing increases that will turn around and allow for, you know, a 10 to 20 minute increase in the speeds going down there. When you say over the decade, part of what's going to slow us up a little bit is all the drawbridges is that we have to do. But even there, we're putting in higher speed miter rails so that we can get the speeds up. And with those increases in speed, now that we have basically the systems that will tell us whether that will function and whether or not we can fit those trains in. And we're looking at the options of going into both Penn Station and Grand Central Station. So it's going to give us a lot more opportunity to fit more trains going down our system.
Mike Hydeck: So as you know, every state in the United States got a huge influx of this federal cash to try to rebuild our transportation system. What's it gonna be like to compete for crews? Are we gonna be able to get these jobs done? Will there be enough people?
Joe Giulietti: You know that the truth of the matter is that there's been a, you are right, when we start talking civil engineers, and everything else, everybody is hungry for them. And we're doing everything we can to work with the universities. And we started advertising well beyond our area here, bringing in people from other parts of the country with engineering degrees to come on in. When you start talking about the train crews and everything, they've been increasing the hiring, they've got a lot of classes going through. We were able to handle all the way through the pandemic. The nice thing was, you know, we had a governor here and a governor in New York that didn't want to see people laid off, kept everybody working. So yeah, we've lost a lot of people to retirements. But we do have a good backing of employees that are there ready, willing and able to do the work going forward. So we will keep doing that hiring going forward to meet the demand that's coming in.
Mike Hydeck: All right, let's talk roads now. Are there traditional choke points here in Connecticut slated to get started anytime soon? I'm talking next to 27 on I-95 in Bridgeport, I'm talking I-84, Connecticut, New York line, Route 9 in Middletown, where the lights are there. Any of those on the list?
Joe Giulietti: All right, Middletown is already going. Okay. You didn't bring up, how about 91 going down where it's 691 and the Merritt Parkway, where every single night it's backing up. Yes, you're gonna see that one, we've got the money in place to go and start on that one. We're already working, you know, on our bridges going across. When you talk about 84, we've actually come up with plans. Because, you know, we've had congressmen that have been pushing us very hard that we cut away the access for Hartford to the river. No one today would turn around and put two major highways intersecting in a major city. So we have plans in place for looking at, can we throw 91 across the river? Can we make the connection between the two to the north as it comes in? And we've got a Greater Hartford mobility study that was taking that all in, looking at our options. And yes, you will see that move out of the study and move into implementation as we go forward. Because now not only do we have 40% more money because of our congressional delegation, we'll kick off projects not only for five years, but for the next 20 years. And all of it dealing with infrastructure because we have an administration focused on infrastructure improvement.
Mike Hydeck: Speaking of the administration, you met with transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg in D.C. What did you talk about?
Joe Giulietti: You know, I knew of Pete Buttigieg when I was the chair for commuter rail because Pete was a strong advocate for his system down in Indiana that was going to Chicago. So we talked about the fact that, you know, particularly in Connecticut, you know, we're part of that main corridor that's going all the way down that they now focus on all the trains that have been operating from Maine down to Florida, but the densest area is right to Connecticut. So we had very, very good conversations. His entire team are all people that have worked here in the northeast, understanding the infrastructure needs. So he talked about the fact that we've got to find ways to get things moving faster. He also talked about what's changed in terms of the fact of what we're able to do with iPhones today. And the fact that we can bring in technology and look at solutions, including how we're going to use EV charging, and we're going to use battery powered to go and make our air cleaner. It was a very, very deliberate conversation between him the governor, and both Garrett and myself talking about what the opportunities were, and how much they want to see us get shovels in the ground and start moving these projects forward.
Mike Hydeck: Garrett Eucalitto, your successor, how do you feel about the Department of Transportation in his hands?
Joe Giulietti: Well, first off, I hired Garrett, okay, when he was working at NGA, which is down in Washington, D.C. He has intimate knowledge on how Washington works. He worked at many of the departments here in the state before going to Washington. And you know, I think it reflects well. If we weren't doing things well, they would be looking to change out the team here. But they're not. They're looking to go and keep things moving in the way that they were. Garrett is excellent. I couldn't be happier with the choice. The Governor was, you know, elated when Garrett said that he would accept the position moving up. And I think we're in very, very good hands with someone who understands policy, understands Washington policy, understands Connecticut policy, and has for the last three years been working on the public transit side, meeting with everybody, talking about how to move our systems forward, both on the bus and the rail side, as well as having to work with the highways.
Mike Hydeck: Well, we're looking forward to working with him. Commissioner Giulietti, it was a pleasure working with you during your tenure. Good luck in the next chapter.
Joe Giulietti: Sounds very good. And thank you, Mike. I appreciate the opportunity to come and talk with you guys.
Mike Hydeck: Take care.
