Overview:

Traffic congestion has a significant negative influence on Connecticut's economy, air quality, and quality of life. Congestion in Connecticut's Coastal Corridor threatens future economic growth and puts Connecticut in danger of becoming an economic cul-de-sac in the global economy.

The purpose of this study was to develop a strategic plan for reducing traffic congestion in Connecticut’s southwest corridor and improving mobility and access within the southwest corridor and with adjacent regions in the New York Metropolitan Area. For the purposes of this study, the southwest corridor was defined to include all of Fairfield County and the New Haven County cities/towns of Bethany, Branford, East Haven, Hamden, Meriden, Milford, New Haven, North Branford, North Haven, Orange, Wallingford, West Haven and Woodbridge.

The planning process was customer-driven, with numerous opportunities for public participation. Activities such as listening sessions, surveys and focus groups targeted commuters, business organizations, providers of passenger and freight transport services and special interest groups having an interest in land use planning, transportation and the environment.

Unique features of the study include study boundaries that extend outside of the boundaries of SWRPA’s planning region, the incorporation of land use analysis into transportation planning, the stakeholder-driven approach and the simultaneous examination of passenger and freight transport needs and trends.

The end result of this study was the development and wide release of a strategy that has the support of the traveling public and public officials, blends appropriate elements of each of the strategies evaluated, and provides short and long-range opportunities for congestion mitigation.

Recommended strategies include:

• Implementation of systems management techniques and demand management programs that optimize use of existing infrastructure and investment prior to making new investments.
• Focus on improving the safety of the traveling public through a program of engineering upgrades and enhanced use of technology.
• Coordination of land use and transportation planning to create communities that support transit and to provide new opportunities for mixed use “village”-type development.
• Further evaluate opportunities for use of congestion pricing on roadways and for transit services, recognizing that computer modeling performed as part of the study point to pricing as the most effective way to encourage mode shift among travelers.
• Implement non-highway opportunities for movement of freight through the region and Connecticut.
• Optimize use of the region’s rail system for passenger and freight movement.
• Encourage policymakers to implement balanced solutions for congestion relief: the region’s transportation challenges can only be effectively addressed on a multi-modal basis.

Study Products:

The study products include:

• Final Report

  • Executive Summary Only (PDF, 138 kb)
  • Complete Report (PDF, 2.1 mb)
     

• Final Report Appendices

  • 2001 Survey Report (PDF, 193 kb)
  • 2001 Survey Cross Tab (PDF, 54 kb)
  • 2002 Survey Report (PDF, 266 kb)
  • 2002 Survey Cross Tab (PDF, 79 kb)
  • Focus Group Report (PDF, 222 kb)
  • Existing Conditions Report (PDF, 7.6 mb)
  • Vision 2020 Strategies Report (PDF, 188 kb)
  • Public Participation (PDF, 20 kb)
     

• Fact sheets

  • Fact Sheets - Complete Set (PDF, 247 kb)
     

• Video Productions

  • Video 1 - "Where Do You Think You're Going?" (RealVideo, ~13.0 minutes)
  • Video 2 - "It's Your Move" (RealVideo, ~10.5 minutes)
    
    RealPlayer is available for free through RealNetworks (tm), Inc.
     

Project Team:

Sponsor:
South Western Regional Planning Agency

Prime Consultant:
Wilbur Smith Associates

Subcontractors:
Urbitran Associates, Inc.
Buckhurst Fish & Jacquemart, Inc.
KKO & Associates, Inc.
Fitzgerald & Halliday, Inc.
Center for Research & Public Policy
Geomatrix Productions

Contact Us
If you have comments or would like additional information, please contact:

Dr. Floyd Lapp, FAICP
Executive Director
SWRPA
888 Washington Boulevard
Stamford, CT 06901

Phone: 203-316-5190
Fax: 203-316-4995
Email: lqpp@swrpa.org

News:

The Connecticut Chapter of the American Planning Association (CCAPA) awarded the South Western Regional Planning Agency (SWRPA) the 2003 Public Service Award for its Congestion Mitigation Plan - Vision 2020 on October 23, 2003 at the New England Planning Conference.  In the photo are, left to right, Mr. Robert Wilson, Executive Director of SWRPA; Mr. Daniel Wilder, Chairman of SWRPA; Mr. Michael Pellegrini, President of CCAPA; and Mr. Michael Morehouse, Wilbur Smith Associates.

Contact webmaster@swrpa.org with comments or questions about this site.