Busway critics pin hopes on Malloy

Critics of the proposed busway between New Britain and Hartford have new hope they can hit the brakes on the $573 million plan.
But supporters of the project – which would create nearly 1,000 construction jobs – say the 9.4-mile roadway must go forward.
“We’re full steam ahead,” Mayor Timothy Stewart of New Britain said Monday.
Two transportation-related items that critics hope may sway Gov.-elect Dan Malloy to kill the controversial busway are a new scheme to reconstruct Interstate 84 through Hartford and the legislature’s failure to approve a plan to replace Hartford’s Broad Street bridge.
For Stewart, the issues are designed “to create controversy just to muddy the waters” and have no merit.
He said Malloy “would be kind of silly” to shelve the busway project, losing $100 million in the process and making it likely the federal government won’t shovel any more transportation money to Connecticut.
Critics argue, however, that a commuter rail alternative can be done within a reasonable time frame at lesser cost. They said they’re sure the federal government, which is pushing rail, would back it. Click here to see the full story.
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