Community Connectivity Grant Program Aims to Improve Transportation Accessibility and Safety

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Expect to see continued road and related infrastructure construction across Connecticut, courtesy of Connecticut’s Community Connectivity Grant Program, administered by the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT).

This summer, CTDOT announced plans to award more than $12 million in grants to 17 towns and cities for projects that will improve transportation accessibility and safety.

The grants, awarded through CTDOT’s Community Connectivity Grant Program, which is now in its sixth round of awards.  The state-funded program provides financial support for local infrastructure initiatives that make conditions safer, more accommodating, and equitable for pedestrians and bicyclists in urban, suburban, and rural centers.

“Our main streets and community centers serve as vital social, economic, and transportation hubs,” Governor Lamont said. “Improving local infrastructure for all users in community centers is a win for our whole state and opens the door to further economic growth.”

“From sidewalks and multi-use trails to ADA compliant ramps, these 17 projects focus on providing safety enhancements and mobility options to schools, jobs, public transit, and local economic centers,” CTDOT Commissioner Garrett T. Eucalitto explained.

The grants approved under the sixth round of the Community Connectivity Grant Program include:

  • Avon: Old Farms Road Connectivity Improvements, Phase II ($792,598)

  • Chaplin: Chaplin Connectivity and Accessibility Project ($752,000)

  • Cromwell: Willowbrook Road and Evergreen Road Sidewalk Connectivity ($229,200)

  • East Haven: Messina Drive Traffic Signal and Pedestrian Walkway ($781,004)

  • Fairfield: Improved Access to McKinley School ($681,900)

  • Glastonbury: Manchester Road Sidewalks, Shoddy Mill to Hebron Avenue ($796,700)

  • Greenwich: Pedestrian Safety Improvements at Three Intersections in Central Greenwich ($799,200)

  • Guilford: Boston Post Road (Route 1) Sidewalk Extension to Madison Town Line ($739,765)

  • Haddam: Higganum Center Connections, Connecting Village Center to Activity Nodes ($800,000)

  • Litchfield: Sidewalk Enrichment Plan, ADA Upgrades and Sidewalk Enhancements ($800,000)

  • Madison: Scotland Avenue Roadway Improvements ($800,000)

  • New Canaan: Lakeview Avenue Sidewalk Project ($325,680)

  • Portland: The Complete Streets, Main Street Sidewalk Improvements Phase III ($612,000)

  • Southbury: Heritage Village Multi-Use Path ($800,000)

  • Voluntown: Village Center Pedestrian Network Enhancement ($799,200)

  • Watertown: Main Street (Route 63) Pedestrian Improvements ($800,000)

  • West Hartford: Sidewalk Accessibility Improvements ($697,000)

The funding limits for grants awarded in this solicitation can only be used for construction activities that range from $100,000 to $800,000.

Since the inception of the grant program, 138 awards totaling more than $62 million will have been invested in Connecticut’s towns and cities. Municipalities that have been selected to receive grants will be expected to complete the project within three years.

Municipalities receiving grants in 2023 include:

  • Berlin: Kensington Transit Oriented Development Sidewalk Improvements ($780,000)

  • Branford: Pedestrian Connectivity Improvements ($800,000)

  • Bridgeport: ADA Improvements in the East Side ($798,008)

  • Bristol: Replacing Handicap Ramps at Key Locations ($793,184)

  • Canton: Safety Connections to Farmington River Rail Trail ($223,478)

  • East Granby: Town Campus Sidewalk Connections ($690,000)

  • East Hampton: Village Center Sidewalks and Streetscape ($800,000)

  • Manchester: Keeney Street Sidewalk Installation ($800,000)

  • New Britain: West Main Street Pedestrian Connectivity and Safety Improvements ($794,400)

  • New Haven: Wintergreen Area Pedestrian Improvements ($669,600)

  • Norwalk: Hospital Hill Village Safety Enhancements ($800,000)

  • Plainfield: Phase 1, Segment 1B Shepard Hill Road Safety Improvements ($604,800)

  • Shelton: Downtown Shelton ADA Improvements Project ($563,000)

  • South Windsor: Town of South Windsor Cross Town Trails ($800,000)

  • Stamford: Belltown Neighborhood Connectivity and Safety Project ($800,000)

  • Waterbury: Baldwin Street Sidewalk Improvements-Phase I ($784,835)

  • Wolcott: Bicycle/Pedestrian Bridge/Sidewalk Over the Cornelis Dam ($231,000)