AN ACT CONCERNING THE PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION.

AN ACT CONCERNING THE PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION.

A section-by-section fiscal impact analysis is presented in conjunction with the bill summary.

1. permits the executive director of the State Traffic Commission to certify copies of documents and records pertaining to commission operations;

2. allows the Department of Transportation (DOT) to replace a bridge in Hartford at less than the statutorily required minimum clearance over railroad tracks;

3. modifies certain requirements related to DOT solicitation of consultants;

4. makes a minor change in filing requirements for certain interstate livery operators to reflect federal requirements;

5. eliminates prohibitions on DOT selling or using in any manner that is not transportation compatible the property that has been acquired for the proposed Route 7 expressway project;

6. prohibits DOT from proceeding with any phase of the Stamford Transportation Center parking garage demolition unless it provides an equal or greater number of alternative spaces in the vicinity of the center; and

7. requires the DOT and Transportation Strategy Board to make monthly reports to the Transportation Committee on matters concerning utilization of federal “stimulus” funds.

EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage except the provision authorizing sale of property acquired for the Route 7 expressway project is effective July 1, 2009.

The bill authorizes the executive director of the State Traffic Commission to certify copies of any document or record pertaining to the commission's operations. Any such document or record the executive director attests as a true copy must be considered competent evidence of the facts it contains in any Connecticut court. The transportation, motor vehicles, and public safety commissioners comprise the State Traffic Commission.

This section is enabling. It allows DOT to replace the Broad Street highway bridge over the AMTRAK railroad as part of the New Britain - Hartford Busway project. Funding for the bridge replacement will be included in the busway project.

The bill permits the DOT to replace the Broad Street bridge over the AMTRAK railroad in Hartford (Bridge #03629) with a new bridge with a minimum overhead clearance over the tracks of 19 feet, four inches, instead of a clearance of 20 feet, six inches as the law would otherwise require. The transportation commissioner must obtain a waiver from the legislature whenever he proposes to replace a bridge over a railroad line at less than the mandatory minimum clearance of 20 feet, six inches (or 22 feet, six inches over an electrified rail line) that the law requires. The current clearance of the Broad Street bridge is 19 feet, one inch.

This section could result in a potential cost savings to the Department of Transportation by eliminating hard copy publication of notices and instead publishing them on on-line professional websites as well as its own and the Department of Administrative Services' web sites.

By law, only firms that are technically prequalified by DOT in a particular year for a particular service are eligible to respond to a DOT solicitation for those services (CGS § 13b-20e). The bill conforms another law governing notice to consultants that DOT is soliciting services to that law. It (1) requires the commissioner to notify all prequalified firms in the service category for which DOT is seeking assistance and (2) limits the current requirement that DOT publish a notice in various venues to situations where the prequalified list has fewer than five consulting firms or does not include the area of expertise DOT requires. Currently, this notice must be published in appropriate professional magazines, professional newsletters, and newspapers. The bill eliminates the requirement for posting notices in newspapers, but permits DOT to do so in on-line professional websites instead.

§ 4 – Registration of Operating Authority for Certain Interstate Livery Vehicles

This section conforms state statute to federal regulations, which has no fiscal impact.

The bill conforms Connecticut's law to federal standards by requiring any entity that has a domicile or principal office in Connecticut and operates a motor vehicle by virtue of interstate operating authority from the Federal Highway Administration for charter and special operation to register that authority with the DOT if the vehicle carries eight or more passengers. There is no seating capacity requirement in the current law, but the eight passenger threshold in the bill reflects the federal threshold for issuing such authority.

The bill eliminates the prohibitions on the sale or use of property acquired for potential use as the Route 7 expressway from Danbury to Norwalk. This could result in a revenue gain to the Transportation Fund if DOT decides to sell the property. Approximately 890. 84 acres was purchased for the expressway at a cost of $ 29. 4 million, including 828. 86 acres of unimproved (vacant) land and 61. 98 acres of improved land (20 houses on 19 lots). The current estimate for all of the property is $ 164. 7 million, including: (1) $ 149. 7 million for the unimproved land and (2) $ 14 million for the improved land.

Current law prohibits the DOT commissioner from selling, or using in any manner that is incompatible with transportation purposes, any existing right-of-way that was acquired for potential use as the Route 7 expressway from Danbury to Norwalk. The commissioner is also prohibited from selling or using incompatibly any property currently under his control in Danbury adjacent to Route 7 and south of Wooster Heights Road.

To the extent that this delays reconstruction of the parking garage, additional costs could be incurred. This project is funded with Special Tax Obligations (STO) bonds.

The bill prohibits the transportation commissioner from beginning any phase of the Stamford Transportation Center parking garage demolition project unless the DOT makes alternative parking spaces available near the center before the demolition begins. The number of spaces must equal or exceed the number that will be lost by each phase of the demolition project.

§ 7 – Report on Actions Concerning the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)

The DOT, OPM and the Transportation Strategy Board will be able to accommodate any additional administrative functions within their normal anticipated budgetary resources.

The bill requires the DOT and Transportation Strategy Board to submit a joint report to the Transportation Committee, within 15 days of this provision becoming effective and on a monthly basis thereafter, with respect to (1) actions they take to qualify state, regional, or municipal projects for receipt of “stimulus” funding under the ARRA; (2) the amount of any state funds required to match federal funds, and the availability of such funds; and (3) descriptions of all applications submitted for federal funds and their status.

The House referred the bill (File 401) to the government Administration and Elections Committee on April 7 and the committee reported it favorably on April 14. The bill was referred to the Appropriations Committee on April 21 and the committee favorably reported a substitute bill on April 27 that deleted two provisions. The deleted provisions (1) appropriated $ 5 million for each of the next two fiscal years to implement the Tweed-New Haven airport operating agreement and (2) required the DOT to do a feasibility study on implementing commuter bus service between certain commuter parking lots and the Bridgeport train station.

Agency Affected	Fund-Effect	FY 10 $	FY 11 $
Department of Transportation	TF - See Below	See Below	See Below

Agency Affected	Fund-Effect	FY 10 $	FY 11 $
Department of Transportation	TF – Cost Savings	Potential	Potential

Agency Affected	Fund-Effect	FY 10 $	FY 11 $
Department of Transportation	TF – Revenue Gain	Potential	Potential

Agency Affected	Fund-Effect	FY 10 $	FY 11 $
Treasurer, Debt Service	TF – Cost	Potential	Potential