Fastrak Provides Options for Travelers

by Mike Oney
DTHartford Staff
         
       According to the Spokesman for the Connecticut Department of Transportation, Kevin Nursick, the question has always been, “What is Connecticut going to do to catch up with mass transit in other states?”

            The answer is a $569 million bus line that connects Hartford and New Britain called CT Fastrak. The project officially broke ground on May 22, 2012, and is slated for completion in February 2015. The goal of this 9.4 mile dedicated bus route is to “effectively and efficiently reduce traffic along I-84 as well as jumpstart the downtown Hartford area by providing another option for travel,” says Nursick.

            Michael Sanders, Public Transit Administrator for the CT DOT, says that the Fastrak project is based on more than a decade of research into “sound and accepted transportation principles.” There is no doubt that this project will “reduce the use of vehicles along 1-84,” but also, “increase mobility” to those who do not have automobiles, added Sanders.

            One such person is New Britain resident Sarah Tellier. Tellier works in downtown Hartford and uses the current bus system to get back and forth to work. “I get on the bus at 6:30 in the morning just to be to work by nine,” says Tellier. “After work it takes almost twice as long because of the traffic on 1-84.” Fastrak will allow passengers to enjoy a brief 20 minute ride to and from Hartford and New Britain.

            Fastrak will offer a total of 11 landscaped stations for travelers to get on and off of the bus. This will certainly benefit people like Tellier. “My doctor’s office is located a few miles from where the bus now drops me off, so I always have to walk,” she says. 
           The fact that this bus route has 11 stations will “give passengers the opportunity to enjoy parts of Hartford that they have never seen before,” says Nursick. Fastrak offers a lot more “flexibility” than the current bus route, adds Nursick.

            For those concerned about the environmental impact, Fastrak will take approximately 16,000 cars a day off the roadways. Sanders promises that not only will Fastrak cut down on the amount of cars on the road; it will also utilize the latest in “environmentally friendly busses.” A five mile multi-use walking path for pedestrians and cyclists is also slated to accompany the bus route.

            Not all CT residents speak highly of the new bus route. Diane Crossman of 61 Wilson in New Britain has seen the entire landscape of her neighborhood transform. Crossman’s home is located on the same stretch of road where the New Britain station is being constructed. “My neighborhood used to be so peaceful,” says Crossman. “Now all you see is bulldozers and dirt piles.”      

            Despite criticism over the potential noise increase for homes and businesses along the route, Sanders promises, “This is what will help carry our state into the future. [Fastrak] clearly provides a solution to our transportation needs. [...] It was the facts that led us to this project. Not the projects that led us to the facts.”