Senator Dodd is working to strengthen and improve Connecticut and to make a real difference in people’s lives. Here are some examples of the investments Senator Dodd has been able to secure for Greater Bridgeport.

Appropriations | Senator Dodd in Greater Bridgeport

Homeland Security

$450,364 in federal grants from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for fiscal years 2004 and 2005, awards made possible by the FIRE Act of 2000, a law authored by Senator Dodd that gives local fire departments the ability to purchase new equipment, hire new personnel, and initiate education and training programs.

Transportation

$67,000,000 since fiscal year 1998 for the expansion the Bridgeport Intermodal Transportation Center.

$57,500,000 in fiscal year 2005 for improvements to the I-95 corridor in Connecticut. This funding will be used by the Connecticut Department of Transportation for projects such as the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge in New Haven, widening I-95 between Branford and North Stonington, and safety improvements in Fairfield County.

$10,250,000 since fiscal year 1998 for the Connecticut Jobs Access Program, which provides transportation to low-income residents, most of whom live in urban areas and work in suburban areas.

$8,000,000 in fiscal year 2005 for the construction of an access road between Barnum Avenue (Route 1) and the proposed Lake Success Business Park in Bridgeport.

$7,400,000 since fiscal year 2004 for the construction of a high-speed ferry terminal from which commuter ferry service would be offered between downtown Bridgeport, Stamford and New York City.

$3,000,000 in fiscal year 2004 for the Connecticut Department of Transportation to purchase new buses for use statewide.

$2,500,000 in fiscal year 2005 for the reconstruction of Seaview Avenue in Bridgeport.

$2,418,000 in fiscal year 2005 for the Greater Bridgeport Transit District to construct a new maintenance and administration facility in Bridgeport.

$400,000 in fiscal year 2005 for safety improvements to Canal Street in Shelton.

Education

$800,000 since fiscal year 2004 for the Connecticut State University Teacher Training Initiative. This effort involves training future teachers who will work in Connecticut public school systems. The goal is to reduce an expected shortage of teachers in the coming years.

$150,000 in fiscal year 2004 for Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport to expand counseling services specifically designed for students who are struggling academically.

$100,000 in fiscal year 2006 for the City of Bridgeport to support the Lighthouse Program, an afterschool initiative in 28 locations that offers academic and character enhancement activities to 3,500 public school children.

Health

$100,000 in fiscal year 2005 for Saint Vincent Hospital in Bridgeport to install a new emergency generator with greater power redundancy.

$100,000 in fiscal year 2005 for the City of Bridgeport to begin planning for the construction of a new municipal health services facility.

Energy

$3,000,000 since fiscal year 2004 for the Connecticut Demand Response Technology Project. This public-private collaboration works with large consumers of energy in southwestern Connecticut to reduce – through the use of wireless technology – wasted energy consumption.

Social Services

$400,000 in fiscal year 2005 for the Connecticut Council of Family Service Agencies’ Employment Success Program, a statewide initiative that works in 90 locations with low-income Temporary Family Assistance (TFA) recipients to find sustainable and permanent employment in the Connecticut job market.

$150,000 in fiscal year 2005 for Family Re-Entry, Inc., to provide counseling and job training services in Bridgeport to individuals formerly incarcerated.

Law Enforcement

$1,000,000 in fiscal year 2005 for the Connecticut State Police to upgrade communications and criminal tracking technology that can be used in conjunction with municipal police department resources.

Environment

$2,300,000 since fiscal year 2004 for conservation activities in Long Island Sound as authorized by the Long Island Sound Restoration Act of 2000.

$1,350,000 in fiscal year 2006 for the Army Corps of Engineers to begin planning the necessary dredging of Bridgeport Harbor.

$1,200,000 since fiscal year 2004 for the University of Connecticut to monitor the health of Connecticut’s coast along Long Island Sound.

$1,125,000 since fiscal year 2004 for the Army Corps of Engineers to dredge Southport Harbor in Fairfield, thus ensuring the harbor’s ability to handle commercial and recreational traffic.

$750,000 since fiscal year 2004 for the Army Corps of Engineers to undertake routine conservation activities in Long Island Sound.

Arts

$350,000 in fiscal year 2006 to allow for the relocation of the Music Arts Center of the Humanities to downtown Bridgeport.

Senator Dodd in Greater Bridgeport

• Senator Dodd toured the Fermont Company's generator manufacturing operations in Bridgeport ...read more
• At the Fairfield train station, Senator Dodd unveiled details of the Telecommuter Tax Fairness Act ...read more
• At the Stratford Fire Station, Senator Dodd announced more funding for
  firefighters and first responders ...read more
• In Bridgeport, Senator Dodd announced $4.75 Million in federal funds for local transportation initiatives ...read more
• Dodd announced more funding for firefighters and first responders ...read more
• Senator Dodd spoke to students at Thurgood Marshall Middle School in Bridgeport commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education Decision.