November 18, 2005
WASHINGTON - The Transportation and Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations Conference Committee today approved a measure that, thanks in part to the efforts of Senators Chris Dodd and Joe Lieberman, will provide funding to help improve surface transportation, rail transit and promote affordable housing and community development in Connecticut and across the country. Dodd and Lieberman worked with their Senate and House colleagues to ensure that funds for a number of Connecticut projects remained in the bill providing more than $55 million in new federal funds for transportation and housing initiatives statewide.

Included in the spending package is $4.22 billion for Community Development Block Grants to states. The CDBG program, which is administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, was created in 1974. CDBG provides resources for community development projects that benefit low- and moderate-income residents including support for local health and senior services, housing rehabilitation, and improvements to parks and public facilities. President Bush announced earlier this year that he had plans to eliminate funding for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program in his FY 06 budget. Senators Dodd and Lieberman, along with other congressional colleagues, successfully fought to keep the CDBG program alive.

The conference report also appropriates $1.3 billion for Amtrak despite the Administration's effort to eliminate all funding for the passenger railroad. Though Senators Dodd and Lieberman applaud this funding level, they expressed concern over a provision in the conference report allowing the Secretary of Transportation to determine user-fees for commuter railroads that operate along the Amtrak-owned Northeast Corridor.

"I'm proud to help secure more than $55 million for community redevelopment efforts and transportation improvements across Connecticut. Our communities are the best in the country and this funding will help them continue to thrive and live up to their full potential," said Dodd.

"This bill is good news for Connecticut," Lieberman said. "The funding approved today will make significant strides in improving Connecticut's commute on our highway, rail and transit systems. This bill also helps support redevelopment and modernization initiatives by restoring community development funds and funding other key state projects."

The funding was included as part of the annual appropriations bill that covers the Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development for fiscal year 2006. Below are the Connecticut projects included in the bill, which now goes to the President for his signature. Non-transit highway and transportation projects will not be decided on until the final stage of conference committee:

Transportation:

Bridgeport Intermodal Transport Center, CT	$4,000,000
Bridgeport, CT Bridgeport High Speed Ferry	$2,750,000
Cromwell, CT -Cromwell Industrial Park road construction	$500,000
CT- Pearl Harbor Bridge Replacement Project	$1,250,000
Enfield, CT- Improvements to Raffia Road	$900,000
Enfield, CT -Creation of pedestrian/bike paths on Route 190 Bridge	$750,000
Hartford, CT Road/Overpass Improvements at Adriaen's Landing and CT Science Center	$4,000,000
Hartford, CT-Realignment, Widening and Reconstruction of Prospect St.	$2,000,000
Hartford-New Britain Busway, Connecticut	$6,000,000
Middletown, CT-Inter-Modal Center,	$300,000
Norwalk Pulse Point Joint Improvements, CT	$250,000
Norwich, CT -Widen Route 82	$625,000
Prospect, CT- Austin Road Extension	$500,000
South Norwalk Intermodal Facility, Norwalk, CT	$1,000,000
Somers, CT -Improvement to Mill Bridge	$2,000,000
Stamford Urban Transitway Phase II, CT	$3,000,000
Stamford Urban Transitway, Connecticut	$10,000,000
Stamford, CT- Stamford High Speed Ferry,	$2,750,000
Stonington, CT - Traffic Study for Mystic Seaport,	$500,000
Suffield, CT -Safety Improvements to Third Street	$400,000
Thames Shipyard/Cross Sound Ferry Terminal, CT	$500,000
Thompson, CT -Creation of a pedestrian/bike path	$150,000
Tolland, CT -Route 195 Corridor Study,	$300,000
Windham, CT - Downtown Parking Garage	$500,000

Housing and Urban Development:

Ansonia, CT - Renovation of the Ansonia Armory	$300,000
Ansonia, CT- Construction of new Community Space	$150,000
Bridgeport, CT-Planning and Implementation of a Neighborhood Revitalization Zone	$100,000
Hartford, CT- Bridgeport, CT -Relocation of the Music and Arts Center for the Humanities to a now-vacant department store	$350,000
Bridgeport, CT- Completion of the renovation of the former CT State Armory Facility	$100,000
Ellington, CT- Construction of a new YMCA in an underserved area,	$100,000
Hartford Home Ownership Initiative	$450,000
Hartford, CT-University of Hartford in Hartford facilities construction and Renovation of the Hartt Performing Arts Theater	$300,000
Hartford, CT -Renovation of the Mark Twain House Building	$200,000
Hartford, CT - Neighborhood restoration activities undertaken by the Southside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance	$200,000
Naugatuck, CT- Upgrades and other facilities expansion for YMCA	$450,000
Farmington, CT -Hill-Stead Museum Renovation and Security Improvements	$250,000
New Britain, CT -Renovation of 85 Arch Street by the Friendship Service Center of New Britain	$100,000
Norwalk, CT- Human Services Council to redevelop facilities for affordable Housing	$100,000
Sherman, CT -Reconstruction of the Sherman Town Library	$100,000
Southbury, CT- Renovations to the Bent of the River Audubon Center	$250,000
Stamford, CT -Renovations to the Palace Theater	$250,000
Stonington, CT- Construction of south pier at Stonington Town Dock Complex	$350,000
West Haven, CT -Redevelopment of residential housing,	$250,000
Waterbury, CT- Renovations to the Mattatuck Museum to create an exhibit On the history of Brass Valley	$100,000
Willington, CT - Expansion of low-income senior housing	$350,000
Renovations to the Yerwood Community Center	$350,000