By Ed Stannard
President-elect Barack Obama plans to spend federal money to improve the nation’s transportation infrastructure, but state wish lists so far favor new roads, which will attract more cars, rather than repairs and mass transit, according to the Connecticut Public Interest Research Group.
Projects to lay new asphalt and widen highways won’t move the nation forward, Ilicia Balaban, advocate with ConnPIRG, said Monday. But she warned that Connecticut, which has not issued a list yet, might be following the trend of 19 states whose transportation lists were obtained by the U.S. PIRG.
“As far as I can tell, their list will follow suit with the other states, and the larger problem is, they’re not disclosing a list for public scrutiny that will be paid for with taxpayer dollars,” Balaban said. She said all state transportation departments have submitted lists, according to congressional sources, but that it might have been a provisional list and that the governor’s office will finalize it.
However, Christopher Cooper, spokesman for Gov. M. Jodi Rell, said the state’s list isn’t complete, and municipalities were given until Dec. 31 to submit eligible projects.
“I know that Connecticut has not submitted anything to Congress,” Cooper said.
Judd Everhart, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, referred all comment to the governor’s office.
Obama has proposed a massive economic-stimulus package that he wants Congress to pass soon after he takes office, and Rell asked state agencies, as well as mayors and first selectmen, to identify projects that are “shovel ready” — designed and approved by local agencies so work could begin quickly should federal money begin to flow.
Balaban contended that Obama’s purpose is to modernize the economy and reduce oil dependence, and new highway projects or road-widening projects are not appropriate. Money should be used to fix or maintain aging roads and invested in mass transit, she said.
In the 19 states that have submitted their wish lists, 77.4 percent of the $58.2 billion in requests is for roads, and 56.2 percent of that, $28.8 billion, would go to new projects.
Of Connecticut’s priority list, Balaban said, “Optimally, it would first have a bunch of projects that would aim at repairing our roads and bridges.”
Next, she said, the state should “kick-start” a New Haven-to-Springfield commuter railroad, which is undergoing an environmental assessment. “There are some aspects of it that can be considered ready to go,” Balaban said.
She said she is concerned that the state is considering reducing Metro-North commuter rail service between New Haven and New York. On the other hand, she credited state Transportation Commissioner Joseph F. Marie and his recently appointed public transportation chief, James P. Redeker, with being interested in improving mass transit in Connecticut.
Cooper said Rell also wants to spend money to get people out of cars and onto trains and buses.
“In terms of ConnPIRG saying that should be a priority it always has been,” he said, naming $1.3 billion in transportation money that went to buy new train cars and to build and improve stations.
