As the $567 million bus-only corridor between Hartford and New Britain began operating this spring, state officials worked behind the scenes to shape public opinion of the project that has been a lightning rod for criticism because of its cost.
The public relations campaign to rally support for the 9.4-mile CTfastrak involved Michael Sanders, the Transportation Department's transit administrator, who suggested in an email that he would use a "stage name" to post a comment on a newspaper website.
Other efforts detailed in scores of emails obtained by The Associated Press in a Freedom of Information request included a push for ridership numbers and a transportation official going "undercover," listening to passengers' comments.
A lot is riding on the project, which was built mostly with federal money and has been a target for critics who say the money could have been used for other projects such as highway upgrades or Metro-North Railroad improvements.
"It's obviously a big deal for us," Sanders said in an interview Tuesday.
Detailed ridership numbers were collected for the benefit of the media, the governor's office and "angry legislators who hated the project," Sanders said. He said he has used a screen name other than his own a handful of times to post comments on The Hartford Courant website since the project opened in March because on occasion it "fires up people" if he identifies himself as a transportation official.
Promoting the project began well before CTfastrak opened. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and top transportation officials say CTfastrak is taking cars off Interstate 84 and local roads, cutting pollution and spurring economic development. The Department of Transportation pitched the project at public meetings, and business leaders last year helped pump up support.
When it was launched March 28, program manager Carrie Rocha asked if fellow officials could "get ahead of this with a 'good news' summary." She suggested officials emphasize that "rave reviews" were coming in, according to the emails.
Days later, Cheryl Malerba, a transportation official, said in an email she traveled "undercover" on CTfastrak to observe its operations. Her report said it was "kinda nice to see the crowd."
Emails show transit officials were deeply involved in counting riders and discussing publicizing CTfastrak's popularity among commuters. Sanders questioned in a June email if 6,624 riders can be considered "about 7,000...? Almost 7,000...?"
He said Tuesday that details on ridership will prove the project's usefulness to critics and the federal government, which is paying 80 percent of the tab.
One persistent critic questioned why the state was so concerned with public opinion.
"If something is as good as it is, they shouldn't have to push it as much as they're pushing it," said state Sen. Joe Markley, R-Southington.
Today, Sanders said ridership tops 9,500 on most weekdays, outpacing one model forecasting 8,000 riders.
"It's running way more like a normal operation as opposed to how anal we were making sure everything was," Sanders said.
