DeLauro, Murphy Announces More Than $11 Million in Recovery Funds for Transit Projects in Waterbury

Contact: Kristen Bossi (Murphy) (202) 225-4476 Adriana Surfas (DeLauro) (202) 225-3661

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Chris Murphy (CT-5) and Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3) announced that the city of Waterbury will receive more than $11 million in federal funding from the recently enacted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for area transit projects.

"Transit projects are an excellent investment in Waterbury's economic future. In the short term, this news will put people back to work. In the long term, fixing aging infrastructure will provide for a more reliable and sustainable transit system for Waterbury residents and those that commute in and out of the city," said Murphy.

"In our effort to spur job creation and encourage economic development, investing in transportation projects, such as the $11 million for projects in Waterbury, are some of the best tools in our arsenal. It is with this goal in mind that Congress made infrastructure funding a pillar of the recovery package," said DeLauro.

Projects eligible for funding include efforts to acquire, rehabilitate, or overhaul buses or trains, or to bring online new technology into an existing transit system. The funding can also be used for station construction, renovation or upgrades.

Connecticut will receive a total of $137.5 million for transit projects, which will be spread out based on formulas established in current law. Connecticut will benefit from:

· $101.5 million in grants for public transportation capital investments in urban areas;

· $4 million for transit capital assistance to rural and small urban public transportation systems;

· $32 million for capital projects to modernize or improve existing fixed guideway, or rail, systems.

Fifty percent of funds must be obligated within 180 days, and the rest of the funds must be obligated within a year. There is no requirement in the law that the state provide matching funding.