Have you taken a ride on the bright red Hartford Line? The commuter rail service debuted last summer, a recent project of the Connecticut Department of Transportation.
But rail is just one mode of transportation in a state known for congestion and aging infrastructure.
This hour, we sit down with new DOT Commissioner Joseph Giulietti. Giulietti is a Connecticut native, who most recently served as President of Metro North.
We find out more about his plans to improve rail service for the thousands of residents who commute by train every week. We also ask about tolls and find out what infrastructure projects will be a priority under the Lamont administration.
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GUEST:
- Joseph Giulietti - Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Transportation
READING LIST:
CT Post: New DOT boss has trained for the job for more than 40 years - “The choice of Giulietti is a sign of that rail is a centerpiece of Gov.-elect Ned Lamont’s plan for Connecticut’s revival. Lamont highlighted his opinion that “substantially reducing travel time from New Haven and our other towns to New York City” is crucial, with Giulietti’s appointment.”
CT Mirror: DOT wary Lamont’s transportation plan is too lean - “What Giulietti didn’t say is that the DOT has already identified concerns, according to a February departmental analysis of the governor’s proposals obtained by the CT Mirror. The governor’s plan “would have significant impacts on our capital program, severely constricting the number of new projects that advance in the current, and future years,” the DOT wrote.”
Blomberg: Rising Waters Are Drowning Amtrak's Northeast Corridor – “By the middle of this century, climate change is likely to punch a hole through the busiest stretch of rail in North America. Parts of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor route, which carries 12 million people each year between Boston and Washington, face ‘continual inundation.’ Flooding, rising seas, and storm surge threaten to erode the track bed and knock out the signals that direct train traffic. The poles that provide electricity for trains are at risk of collapse, even as power substations succumb to floodwaters. ‘If one of the segments of track shuts down, it will shut down this segment of the NEC,’ warned members of Amtrak’s planning staff. ‘There is not an alternate route that can be used as a detour.’”
Chion Wolf contributed to this show.
