WEST HAVEN – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), U.S. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT3), and West Haven Mayor Ed O’Brien announced today that the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has granted West Haven a green light to proceed with completion of its bike path connecting its train station to Yale’s West Campus.

In 2010, West Haven received $973,834 from the FHWA for enhancements to its train station, including constructing a bike path from the station to Yale’s West Campus. Despite clear communication from West Haven regarding the intended use of the funds, the FHWA abruptly declared the path outside the scope of the award, forcing the City to halt construction.

After learning of the problem from Mayor O’Brien, Murphy, Blumenthal, and DeLauro to urge the FHWA to correct the miscommunication and allow work on the bike path to resume. The FHWA has now reversed course, allowing work on this important project to continue.

“Connecting our communities to transportation infrastructure is a critical step in growing Connecticut’s economy and making our state a more vibrant place to live and work. A new bike path between the West Haven Rail Passenger Station and Yale’s West Haven Campus will have tremendous environmental and transportation benefits, and will make the area a more accessible and appealing place for students, residents and employers. As a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Transportation Subcommittee, I am committed to securing federal support for local transit projects, and I’m proud to have worked with the Federal Highway Administration to ensure the completion of this bike path,” Murphy said.

“The bike path is a critical link between Yale and the West Haven train station, and its completion will greatly enhance the accessibility of the train station and provide a new and welcome option for commuters. The federal funds were always intended for the bike path, as West Haven had clearly communicated to FHWA from the earliest stages of this effort. I thank Mayor O’Brien for bringing this issue to my attention, and I am grateful to the FHWA for their swift approval of this worthy and important project,” Blumenthal said.

“Our region faces a serious strain when it comes to transportation infrastructure and with 80 percent of Connecticut commuters driving to work by themselves, we have to provide a better alternative. By creating a way to connect pedestrians and cyclists with the train station we are now serving the increasing numbers of workers who bike or walk as part of their daily commute while, at the same time, promoting exercise and protecting the environment,” DeLauro said. “It is great to see the West Haven Train Station become a more complete transportation hub and I look forward to the future developments that this station will unlock for the City.”

“I am grateful to Senators Blumenthal and Murphy and Congresswoman DeLauro for securing this important funding for transit-oriented development improvements along Railroad Avenue and Frontage Road,” O’Brien said. “The planned 1.5-mile bike bath and streetscape enhancements, which include new concrete sidewalks and curbs, will connect West Haven Station and a corridor of large and small businesses with the 136-acre Yale University West Campus on Morgan Lane. More and more commuters are using the 2-year-old train station and are bringing their bikes when traveling to and from destinations beyond the transportation hub. More important, this environmentally conscious transit mode will diminish our city’s overall carbon footprint by reducing the number of vehicles on the road.”

The full text of the letter to FHWA follows.

July 23, 2015

The Honorable Gregory G. Nadeau
Acting Administrator
Federal Highway Administration
United States Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Avenue, Southeast
Washington, District of Columbia 20590

We write to share our concern regarding an instance of apparent miscommunication between the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the City of West Haven, Connecticut. It is our understanding that during the allocation process for a 2010 High Priority Project (HPP) grant, the city received information upon which it relied to move forward with construction of a bike pathway leading to the city’s train station. Due to miscommunication, however, the city has been forced to halt progress toward completion of the bike pathway, disrupting an important effort in transit-oriented development. Please swiftly move to devise a solution that will allow for this essential project to continue.

In 2010, West Haven was awarded $973,834 from FHWA for the enhancement of its passenger rail station. FHWA’s guidance for the use of this funding provided for streetscaping within the immediate vicinity of the train station. West Haven, since submitting its design plan, has communicated to FHWA that the city intended to dedicate a portion of the grant to constructing a bike pathway, leading from Yale University to the West Haven train station. This bike path was clearly described by West Haven as a critical intermodal link for the city and an integral component to the expansion and improvement of the train station’s function. For over two years, as we understand, FHWA never objected to or found issue with West Haven’s proposed use of funding for the bike path.

West Haven undertook years of planning, having received dedicated state funding toward the development of the bike path through a $250,000 loan from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. This unfortunate situation is leaving this valuable funding untapped and a crucial link for West Haven incomplete. The bike path is a critical component to the intermodal functionality of the city’s train station and for the movement of travelers in the region. We ask for FHWA to work closely with West Haven to find a way forward to make this funding available for the purpose West Haven always intended, whether the FHWA ultimately facilitates the allocation or transfers it to another federal agency for disbursement. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Richard Blumenthal
United States Senate

Christopher S. Murphy
United States Senate

Rosa L. DeLauro
Member of Congress