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General Assembly Committee Bill No. 407
January Session, 2019
LCO No. 5950
Referred to Committee on TRANSPORTATION
Introduced by:
(TRA)
AN ACT CONCERNING TH E NEW BRITAIN TO HARTFORD BUSWAY.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 13b-15a of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 2
(a) The Commissioner of Transportation may designate the 3
[Hartford-New Britain] New Britain to Hartford busway project to be 4
accomplished on a total cost basis. If the commissioner designates the 5
[Hartford-New Britain] New Britain to Hartford busway project as a 6
total cost basis project, the commissioner may enter into a single 7
contract with a private developer, which includes such project 8
elements as engineering design and construction. The contract for said 9
project shall be based on competitive proposals received by the 10
commissioner, who shall give notice of the project and specifications 11
for the project, by advertising, at least once, in a newspaper having a 12
substantial circulation in the [Hartford-New Britain area] New Britain 13
and Hartford areas. Award of the total cost contract shall be based on 14
qualifications, technical merit of the proposals and cost. The 15
commissioner shall determine all criteria, requirements and conditions 16
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for such proposals and award and shall have sole responsibility for all 17
other aspects of the contract. If applicable, the contract shall state 18
clearly the responsibilities of the developer to deliver a completed and 19
acceptable project on a date certain and the maximum cost of the 20
project. 21
(b) Prior to any expansion of the New Britain to Hartford busway, 22
the Commissioner of Transportation shall file a request for approval of 23
the proposed expansion plan with the clerks of the House of 24
Representatives and the Senate. The proposed expansion plan shall not 25
be implemented unless approved by the General Assembly. The 26
General Assembly may approve the proposed expansion plan by a 27
majority vote of each house or may reject the proposed expansion plan 28
by a majority vote of either house. If the General Assembly is in 29
session, the General Assembly shall vote to approve or reject the 30
proposed expansion plan not later than thirty days after the 31
commissioner files the proposed expansion plan with the clerks. If the 32
General Assembly is not in session when the request for approval is 33
filed, the clerks shall submit the proposed expansion plan to the 34
General Assembly not later than ten days after the first day of the next 35
regular session or a special session called for such purpose. The 36
proposed expansion plan shall be deemed rejected if the General 37
Assembly fails to vote to approve or reject the proposed expansion 38
plan not later than thirty days after the department files the request for 39
approval with the clerks. Such thirty-day period shall not begin or 40
expire unless the General Assembly is in regular session. If the regular 41
session adjourns prior to such thirtieth day and the proposed 42
expansion plan has not been acted upon, the request for approval shall 43
be deemed filed on the first day of the next regular session. For the 44
purposes of this subsection, any request for approval of a proposed 45
expansion plan filed with the clerks within thirty days before the 46
commencement of a regular session of the General Assembly shall be 47
deemed to be filed on the first day of such session. 48
(c) Not later than July 1, 2020, and biannually thereafter, the 49
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Commissioner of Transportation shall submit a report, in accordance 50
with section 11-4a, to the joint standing committee of the General 51
Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to transportation 52
concerning the operation of the New Britain to Hartford busway. The 53
report shall include, but not be limited to, the following information: 54
The number of passengers, the fare revenue generated per passenger 55
and the cost of operation and maintenance. The first report submitted 56
pursuant to this subsection shall include, but not be limited to, such 57
information on a monthly basis since the New Britain to Hartford 58
busway commenced operations. 59
Sec. 2. Subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of section 13b-79p of the 60
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 61
thereof (Effective from passage): 62
(2) Implementing the [New Britain-Hartford] New Britain to 63
Hartford busway, subject to the availability of federal funds and the 64
provisions of subsection (b) of section 13b-15a, as amended by this act, 65
and ensuring that all streets in the city of Hartford intersecting with 66
said busway are equipped with sufficient signage, gates, traffic lights 67
and other equipment to provide (A) that all such streets remain open 68
to vehicular and pedestrian traffic for not less than twenty hours per 69
day, and (B) safe passage across any such street by trains at any time; 70
Sec. 3. Subsection (e) of section 13a-123 of the general statutes is 71
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from 72
passage): 73
(e) The following types of signs, displays and devices may, with the 74
approval of and subject to regulations adopted by the commissioner, 75
be permitted within the six-hundred-sixty-foot area of interstate, 76
primary and other limited access state highways, except as prohibited 77
by state statute, local ordinance or zoning regulation: (1) Directional 78
and other official signs or notices, which signs and notices shall 79
include, but not be limited to, signs and notices pertaining to natural 80
wonders and scenic and historical attractions which are required or 81
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authorized by law; (2) signs, displays and devices advertising the sale 82
or lease of the property upon which they are located; (3) signs, displays 83
and devices advertising activities conducted on the property on which 84
they are located; (4) signs, displays or advertising devices which are in 85
place for sixty days or less; and (5) advertising signs, displays or 86
devices (A) located or erected on real property or abutting real 87
property within areas owned, leased or managed by a public authority 88
for the purpose of (i) railway or rail infrastructure facilities, including, 89
but not limited to, associated structures located within areas zoned 90
solely or predominantly for the development of a railway or rail 91
infrastructure facilities, (ii) bus rapid transit corridors, including, but 92
not limited to, the [Hartford-New Britain] New Britain to Hartford 93
busway project authorized in section 13b-15a, as amended by this act, 94
and any shelter, structure or other facility associated with the 95
operation of such bus rapid transit corridor, (iii) airport development 96
zones designated in section 32-75d, or (iv) any other similar transit or 97
freight purpose, or (B) upon or within buildings, structures or other 98
venues in the custody or control of the state and designed, operated or 99
intended to be operated for the purpose of presenting athletic, artistic, 100
musical or other entertainment events. Subject to regulations adopted 101
by the commissioner and except as prohibited by state statute, local 102
ordinance or zoning regulation signs, displays and devices may be 103
erected and maintained within six hundred sixty feet of primary and 104
other limited access state highways in areas which are zoned for 105
industrial or commercial use under authority of law or located in 106
unzoned commercial or industrial areas which areas shall be 107
determined from actual land uses and defined by regulations of the 108
commissioner. The regulations of the commissioner in regard to size, 109
spacing and lighting shall apply to any segments of the interstate 110
system which traverse commercial or industrial zones wherein the use 111
of real property adjacent to the interstate system is subject to municipal 112
regulation or control, or which traverse other areas where the land use, 113
as of September 21, 1959, was clearly established under state law as 114
industrial or commercial. 115
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This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 from passage 13b-15a
Sec. 2 from passage 13b-79p(a)(2)
Sec. 3 from passage 13a-123(e)
Statement of Purpose:
To increase transparency regarding the utilization, revenue and costs
of the New Britain to Hartford busway by requiring legislative
approval prior to any expansion of such busway and the submission of
biannual reports.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline,
except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is
not underlined.]
Co-Sponsors: SEN. FASANO, 34th Dist.; SEN. WITKOS, 8th Dist.
REP. FISHBEIN, 90th Dist.
S.B. 407