U.S. Deputy Transportation Secretary Steven G. Bradbury joined state officials in Connecticut on May 15 to announce a new programmatic agreement aimed at streamlining the federal review process for transportation projects, according to a press release. The agreement delegates authority to the state to conduct certain reviews related to potential impacts on historic properties, as required under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, this type of agreement is expected to shorten review timelines by up to six weeks or more for approximately 90 transportation projects in Connecticut each year. Projects that may benefit from the streamlined process include the Gold Star Memorial Bridge between New London and Groton, a new Bus Rapid Transit system in New Haven, and customer service improvements for Metro-North Railroad along the New Haven Line.
“Thanks to President Trump, America is building again. We’ve slashed costly red tape and prevented unending environmental reviews to build the big, beautiful infrastructure projects that will propel America forward for generations,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy.
“This first-of-its kind agreement is a great example of the commonsense approach we are taking at USDOT to remove unnecessary burdens, empower states, and deliver a safe and efficient world class transportation system that Americans deserve. We hope more states are interested in entering this more efficient agreement to streamline the regulatory process,” said U.S. Deputy Transportation Secretary Steven Bradbury.
“This agreement is the result of productive collaborations between CTDOT and our federal and state partners, and we deeply appreciate the support from the U.S. Department of Transportation in making it a reality. By streamlining environmental reviews and cutting government red tape, we can more efficiently advance projects and ultimately reduce costs,” said Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto.
The original announcement can be found here.
