Murphy: Don’t ‘just fix what’s broken’

Senator joins Mayor Bronin in support of ‘transformative’ infrastructure projects, including I-84 and 1-91 interchange

HARTFORD — U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy and Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin warned Monday that much of President Biden’s proposed infrastructure spending could be eaten up by long-overdue maintenance of Connecticut’s aging roads, bridges and railroads.

“We’ve got to find a way to make sure this investment doesn’t just fix what’s broken but actually changes the experience for consumers of transportation, that it makes transit times shorter and easier and we’ve got to focus on all means of transit,” Murphy said. He visited Hartford to discuss how national transit funding may help transform the capital region, and hear from locals equally concerned with the dangers pedestrians face in the city today.

At Hartford city hall, Murphy, Bronin and representatives of the Department of Transportation, Connecticut Airport Authority and several community groups shared what ongoing efforts they hope will get a boost from President Joe Biden’s proposed $2 trillion jobs, infrastructure and climate spending plan, which includes $115 billion for roads and bridges, $85 billion for transit and $20 billion to reduce traffic deaths.

Murphysaid that proposed package could help realize some of Connecticut’s biggest transportation priorities, such as replacing the I-84/I-91 and “mix-master” highway interchanges in Hartford and East Hartford.

The state is beginning a multiyear study of that two-mile section of highway and expects to develop a list of recommended projects by the end of next year.

“I hope as congress now takes its turn and considers this package, there is strong consideration given to the opportunity to make transformative investments to transit,” Bronin said.

The senator called the development of those interchanges — which segregated Hartford’s North End from the downtown and stunted the growth of East Hartford — “one the biggest equity mistakes that has ever been perpetuated on our region.”

Meanwhile, local advocates for public and multi-modal transportation say they don’t

justice and wanted domestic terrorist are upsetting and have negatively impacted employee morale within the police department,” Hammick wrote in a memo to Schenck.

Hammick requested a meeting with Schenck, Wong and Mayor Suzette DeBeatham Brown “to discuss this matter and growing anti-police sentiment felt by members of my staff.” Wong met with Hammickandthen followed up last week by attending a roll

call of officers and has two more planned for this week to address the issue. Wong said the meeting was hard, but productive and that her only intent was to use an uplifting comment for women.

“It was not my intention to offend and if I did I apologize. I wanted to give them a chance to chew me out if they needed to,” Wong said. “I should have been more thoughtful. I should not have used Assata.”

Hammicksaid he felt the meeting with about 20 officers went well and that his staff treated Wong with respect and professionalism, but shared how upset they were and that she needed to think about what she says.

The officers also shared their frustration of working without a new contract for two years and the continued shortage of new officers to bring the department up to full staffing levels.

DeBeatham Brown added that words have consequences and that as elected officials council members are held to a higher standard.

“Wejust have to be careful,” she said.