| In 1997, the Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT), Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG) and Central Connecticut Regional Planning Agency (CCRPA) undertook a Major Investment Study (MIS) for the Hartford West corridor, defined as Interstate 84, surrounding neighborhoods, arterial roadways, and the Bristol-Hartford and New Haven-Hartford rail lines. After the preparation of three technical reports and a comprehensive public involvement program, the final
recommendation was an exclusive 9.4-mile long busway linking downtown New Britain with Hartford’s Union Station.
The busway, the first in the State of Connecticut, will run along active and inactive railroad rights-of-way through four cities/towns: New Britain, Newington, West Hartford and Hartford. The busway will improve speed, reliability and convenience of bus service, along with improving mobility and promoting a healthy environment.
The Hartford West Corridor MIS examined various alternatives to address the forecasted growth in travel demand. Of all the options studied – highway widening, high occupancy vehicle lanes, commuter rail in various alignments and light rail or bus rapid transit in various alignments – a busway in the existing rail corridor was selected as the preferred alternative because it offers travelers the greatest speed, flexibility and ease of use. Bus travel speed is enhanced by the use of the exclusive roadway, making bus travel times competitive with or even faster than automobile travel times. New bus routes designed to take advantage of the busway will offer residents of the region greater access to downtown and suburban employment centers, and the flexibility of busway operation will allow the transit system to more effectively respond to changing ridership demand and future development within the corridor.
At this time it is contemplated that the primary busway services will operate 18 hours per day, from approximately 6:00 am until midnight, with service headways averaging every two to five minutes. There will be more frequent AM and PM peak period service. It is anticipated that four types of service will be offered to accommodate commuters: express bus service, shuttle bus service, neighborhood collectors/distributors and feeder bus service. |
