Regional Plan of Conservation and Development, 2006-2015

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Chapter 5 – Transportation,Infrastructure and Critical FacilitiesRegional Plan of Conservation and Development, 2006-2015Infrastructure is the physical backbone of anycommunity. Significant investments are made eachyear to maintain and grow existing infrastructure.These investments – which are funded through varioustaxes as well as regulatory and user fees – are madeby state and federal agencies, municipal governmentsand service providers. Such investments also aremade by individuals and organizations living and doingbusiness in the Region.Over the next 10 years, increasing investment ininfrastructure will be needed, not only to keep pacewith the Region’s growth but to maintain, repair andreplace aging infrastructure. The financial pressureassociated with such investment may push providersand beneficiaries of the Region’s infrastructure and itsoutputs to seek new resources and achieveeconomies of scale. Increased regionalization ofdelivery systems and service sharing may be amongthe solutions.Assembling the resources needed to grow andmaintain infrastructure is only one of the challengesfacing the Region. Achieving consensus on the needand location of such infrastructure in a legalenvironment that, for many infrastructure projects,gives local governments little or no role in the decisionmakingprocess further complicates the alreadycomplex intersection of land use, infrastructure andservices, finance and, of course, politics.TransportationThe Region’s transportation infrastructure played asignificant role in its development as a hub ofeconomic, residential and cultural activities. TheRegion is served by several major transportationfacilities including Interstate 95, the Merritt Parkway,U.S. Routes 1 and 7, and the New Haven, New Canaanand Danbury rail lines. The Region also is served by astrong network of local, regional and inter-city bustransit services, as well as various paratransit services.These transportation connections have made theRegion easily accessible to and from a number ofmajor cities and metropolitan areas, including NewYork, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington. TheRegion’s accessibility has, however, also contributedto a rise in traffic congestion and associated delays.Several solutions to the Region’s traffic congestionhave been identified. First, opportunities exist toexpand transit services and opportunities for bikingInterstate 95 and the New Haven Linerailroad tracks, Stamfordand walking to provide persons traveling to, from andwithin the Region with safe, convenient and affordablealternatives to the automobile. Second, demandmanagement strategies – including ridesharingprograms and various incentives to induce the use oftransit, telecommuting and alternate work schedules –have the potential to encourage travelers to leave theircars at home. Opportunities also exist to change theway freight is moved to and through the Region, suchas increased use of rail and barges.Although seemingly unrelated to transportationinfrastructure, perhaps the greatest power to mitigatetraffic congestion rests with the Region’s municipalland-use boards. In any community, land-use policiesand practices play a critical role in establishingpopulation densities, the balance between residentialand commercial land uses and the location of certaintransportation and public facilities. Research hasshown these factors impact the number of vehicletrips, vehicle miles traveled, and availability and choiceof travel options. Hence, smart growth decisions canshape travel trends and options available within amunicipality or the Region. Land-use strategies andtechniques that support transportation options andtheir benefits are discussed in more detail in Chapter 4.In 2005, two major pieces of legislation werepassed that would significantly increase transportationinvestment in the Region and the rest of the state. In2005, Public Act 05-4 (June Special Session) wasenacted to provide $1.3-billion to repair and replaceConnecticut’s aging transportation infrastructure andequipment. Among the specific investments includedin the act was the complete replacement of the NewHaven Line railcar fleet, the construction of a new fleet25
South Western Regional Planning Agencymaintenance facility in New Haven, and approximately$187-million for operational improvements to I-95 andthe state’s other Interstate highways.The other critical piece of legislation to be writteninto law in 2005 was the “Safe, Accountable, Flexible,Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy forUsers” (SAFETEA-LU), the successor to the“Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century,” whichexpired in 2003. SAFETEA-LU provides $286.4-billionin federal funds over six years for various highway andtransit improvements throughout the nation. Of thatamount, Connecticut was expected to receiveapproximately $3-billion over the life of the bill.Water SupplyDrinking water is supplied to the Region through anetwork of aquifers, reservoirs and private wells.These water resources are under the control of severalentities, including the state, municipal and proprietarywater utilities, and local landowners. In all cases, avariety of state and local regulations protect thesewater resources against development-related andother adverse impacts to ensure continued access toclean drinking water for the Region.EnergyConcerns about energy have become significantlymore pronounced since the 1995 Plan was adopted.Indeed, energy is barely mentioned at all in the 1995 Plan.Since then, though, there have been “rolling blackouts” inCalifornia, the collapse of Enron, the August 2003blackout of the northeastern U.S. and unprecedentedincreases in the cost of petroleum and natural gas as aresult of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.In March 2004, the Federal Energy RegulatoryCommission (FERC) proposed the implementation of aso-called “Locational Installed Capacity” (LICAP)market for New England, which would increase ratesfor electricity in the South Western Region andelsewhere. According to FERC and other proponentsof LICAP, the additional revenues would spur energyproviders to build new generating facilities, therebyincreasing supply, improving system reliability and,ultimately, lowering costs. Opponents of the planclaimed that it would be nothing more than an annualwindfall of perhaps $375-million for energy companiesin Connecticut, which would be under no obligation toactually increase generating capacity.Through 2005, Northeast Utilities was continuingto advance its planned upgrade of southwesternConnecticut’s inadequate 115-kilovolt electricaltransmission grid to 345-kilovolts, and a consortium ofShell US Gas and Power and TransCanada hadproposed building a liquefied natural gas (LNG)terminal in Long Island Sound to supply LNG to gasfiredelectrical generating facilities.Issues and proposals like those mentioned havesparked significant public debate about how to assesscommunity need and to plan for those needs while atthe same time protecting the natural environment,public health and residential property values.Saugatuck Reservoir, WestonThere are five protected aquifers in the Region, thelargest of which is located in northern Norwalk andcovers an area of approximately nine square miles.Three additional aquifers have well fields measuringapproximately one square mile. Two of these arelocated in Westport and the third is located inStamford near the Merritt Parkway. A small aquifer,measuring less than one square mile, is situated on theDarien-Stamford line.The Region is also served by several reservoirs: theEaston Reservoir System; Putnam, Converse andRockwood Lakes in Greenwich; Bargh and NorthStamford Reservoirs in Stamford; Laurel Reservoir onthe New Canaan-Stamford line; the South NorwalkReservoir in Wilton; and the Saugatuck Reservoir on theWeston-Easton line. With the exception of the SouthNorwalk Reservoir, which is owned by the SecondTaxing District Water Company in Norwalk, the otherreservoirs are operated by the Aquarion Water Company.In six of the Region’s municipalities, more than 60percent of all businesses and households are servedby water utilities. In Weston and Wilton, however, themajority of businesses and households are served byprivate wells.26
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Regional Plan of Conservation and Development, 2006-2015

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