Federally funded project aims to shore up roads and bridges in the face of changing climate

NVCOG, Save the Sound, and Housatonic Valley Association conducting assessments on road-stream crossings in Thomaston, evaluating aquatic connectivity and climate resilience (2022). | NVCOG photo

Over $1 million from the federal government will be directed to four northern, non-coastal regions of Connecticut, including Bristol, to assess transportation infrastructure, such as roads and bridges, as the climate changes, it was announced by the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments in a release earlier this week.

The funding, $1.2 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) Program, will cover 94 cities and towns and impact 1.6 million people.

NVCOG and partnering Councils of Governments will use the funding to assess vulnerabilities in local transportation infrastructure to develop a Resilience Improvement Plan that complements a plan being developed by the Connecticut Department of Transportation.

Partnering with NVGOG are the Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG), Northeastern Connecticut Council of Governments (NECCOG) and Northwest Hills Council of Governments (NHCOG).

In recent years there has been a noticeable increase in the frequency and intensity of rainfall events in Connecticut, with further increases predicted by the 2019 Connecticut Physical Climate Science Assessment Report (PCSAR) and the National Climate Assessment estimates, according to the release.

The Resilience Improvement Plan will evaluate the risk and impacts of extreme weather events and examine how climate stressors will affect transportation systems and the communities that rely on them.

“The project will focus on roads, bridges and culverts located on local roads which are not included in the plan being developed by CTDOT,” said Mark Nielsen, assistant director of NVCOG, in the release.

The project team will work closely with all municipalities located in the project area and intends to engage the public and those most affected by the effects of climate change throughout the project.

NVCOG has been active in Bristol recently when it hosted meetings for residents to share their ideas with each other as part of an ongoing series to gather additional input for the development of the Naugatuck Valley Active Transportation Plan (NVATP).

In January of 2023, the Bristol Trail Study began with the goal of determining the best routing options to provide a safe, continuous connection between Rockwell Park in the west to Downtown, continuing east to Route 229.

Last May, the City of Bristol received $320,000 from the state to advance the NVCOG concept into design. The award is part of a statewide initiative by Gov. Ned Lamont and Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes.

Overall, approximately $9 million in state grants have been released through the Connecticut Recreational Trails Program to plan, build, expand and improve a total of 50 multi-use trails across Connecticut.


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