**New Britain -- Hartford Busway**

**Hartford, Connecticut**

(November 2007)

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) is proposing to
construct the New Britain-Hartford Busway, an 11-station, 9.4-mile
exclusive bus rapid transit (BRT) system operating primarily in an
existing and abandoned railroad right-of-way on a new two-way roadway
between downtown New Britain and downtown Hartford's Union Station. The
busway would run parallel to Interstate 84

(I-84), the primary transportation link between New Britain, West
Hartford, and downtown Hartford. The project's operating plan calls for
a number of bus routes to operate on the Busway, including services that
enter and exit the facility to reach destinations well outside of the
immediate corridor without the need for a transfer. The project scope
includes the procurement of 30 new buses and construction of five
park-and-ride lots along the alignment.

I-84 is currently, and is forecast to remain, the region's most
congested highway. In addition, the combined population of New Britain
and Hartford accounts for just under 50 percent of the entire
metropolitan area's zero-car households. The proposed busway project is
intended to provide faster transit travel times between major activity
centers throughout the corridor, improve mobility and accessibility for
the corridor's relatively large transit-dependent population, and
promote redevelopment opportunities in older urban centers along the
project alignment.

+------------------------------------+---------------------------------+
| **Summary Description**            |                                 |
+------------------------------------+---------------------------------+
| **Proposed Project:**              | Bus Rapid Transit               |
+------------------------------------+---------------------------------+
| ** **                              | 9.4 Miles                       |
|                                    |                                 |
|                                    | 11 Stations                     |
+------------------------------------+---------------------------------+
| **Total Capital Cost (\$YOE):**    | \$458.78 Million (Includes      |
|                                    | \$11.16 million in finance      |
|                                    | charges)                        |
+------------------------------------+---------------------------------+
| **Section 5309 New Starts Share    | \$275.27 Million (60.0%)        |
| (\$YOE):**                         |                                 |
+------------------------------------+---------------------------------+
| **Annual Forecast Year Operating   | \$10.00 Million                 |
| Cost:**                            |                                 |
+------------------------------------+---------------------------------+
| **Ridership Forecast (2030):**     | 15,200 Average Weekday          |
|                                    | Boardings                       |
+------------------------------------+---------------------------------+
| ** **                              | 4,500 Daily New Riders          |
+------------------------------------+---------------------------------+
| **Opening Year Ridership Forecast  | 13,700 Average Weekday          |
| (2012):**                          | Boardings                       |
+------------------------------------+---------------------------------+
| **FY 2008 Local Financial          | # Medium                        |
| Commitment Rating:**               |                                 |
+------------------------------------+---------------------------------+
| **FY 2008 Project Justification    | **Medium**                      |
| Rating:**                          |                                 |
+------------------------------------+---------------------------------+
| **FY 2008 Overall Project          | **Medium**                      |
| Rating:**                          |                                 |
+------------------------------------+---------------------------------+

The New Britain-Hartford Busway is not a candidate for FY 2009 funding,
so FTA is reporting the project's most recent ratings (November 2006).
The project was approved into final design in October 2006 with a cost
estimate of \$458.78 million. Since that time, ConnDOT has experienced
cost growth which may push the project cost above \$600 million. ConnDOT
has identified over \$100 million in potential cost saving strategies.
Some of these strategies may result in additional environmental work
which could result in delays in the project schedule; others may impact
the anticipated transportation benefits of the project, thus requiring
new travel demand forecasts.

The New Britain-Hartford Busway has been in the New Starts pipeline
since January 2000, and has encountered significant schedule delays and
cost increases over that period. ConnDOT must: a) submit to FTA a
revised project scope, schedule, budget, and financial plan to serve as
the basis for any potential Full Funding Grant Agreement, by June 30,
2008; and b) sustain sufficient New Starts ratings by September 30,
2008, or be removed from the New Starts pipeline.

**Project Development History and Current Status**

The 1994 regional transportation plan prepared by the Capitol Region
Council of Governments identified the I-84 corridor west of Hartford as
one of the metropolitan area's high priority corridors in need of
improvement. A major investment study in the corridor was completed in
1999, which resulted in the selection of a BRT system between New
Britain and Hartford as the locally preferred alternative. FTA approved
the New Britain - Hartford Busway's entrance into preliminary
engineering (PE) in January 2000. The project received a Federal
environmental Record of Decision (ROD) in March 2002. In order to
address changes in project scope since issuance of the ROD, ConnDOT
completed supplementary environmental work, which FTA approved in June
2006. FTA approved final design for the project in October 2006. ConnDOT
is currently looking at a number of cost reduction strategies in order
to mitigate increases in the capital cost estimate resulting from
further design of the project.

**[Project Justification Rating: Medium]{.underline}**

The *Medium* project justification rating is based upon the following
measures and criteria ratings, which were evaluated and rated in
November 2006, and assume a capital cost estimate of \$458.78 million.

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| **Cost Effectiveness Rating: Medium**    |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| **Cost per Hour of Transportation System | []{.mark}                 |
| User Benefit**                           |                           |
|                                          | **[New Start vs.          |
| **Incremental Cost per Incremental       | Baseline]{.underline}**   |
| Trip**                                   |                           |
|                                          | \$22.07\*                 |
|                                          |                           |
|                                          | \$19.63                   |
|                                          |                           |
|                                          | []{.mark}                 |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| **Mobility Improvements Rating:          |                           |
| Medium-High**                            |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| **[Average Per Station:]{.underline}**   | 5,900                     |
|                                          |                           |
| Employment                               | 420                       |
|                                          |                           |
| Low Income Households                    | **[New Start vs.          |
|                                          | Baseline]{.underline}**   |
| **Transportation System User Benefit Per |                           |
| Project Passenger Mile (Minutes)**       | 3.60                      |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| **Environmental Benefits Rating: High**  |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| **[Criteria Pollutant                    | **[EPA                    |
| Status]{.underline}**                    | D                         |
|                                          | esignation]{.underline}** |
| > 8-Hour Ozone (O3)                      |                           |
| >                                        | Moderate Non-attainment   |
| > Carbon Monoxide (CO)                   | Area                      |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| **Transit Supportive Land Use Rating:    |                           |
| Medium**                                 |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| Existing Land Use                        | Medium-Low                |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| Transit Supportive Plans and Policies    | Medium                    |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| Performance and Impacts of Policies      | Medium                    |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

# \*Indicates that measure is a component of Cost Effectiveness rating

# [Local Financial Commitment Rating: Medium]{.underline} 

The *Medium* local financial commitment rating is based on *Medium*
ratings for the New Starts share of project costs and for both the
operating and capital finance plans. The plan was evaluated and rated in
November 2006, and assumes a capital cost estimate of \$458.78 million.

+-------------------------+-----------------------+--------------------+
| **Locally Proposed      |                       |                    |
| Financial Plan**        |                       |                    |
+-------------------------+-----------------------+--------------------+
| **[Source of            | **[Total Funds        | **[Percent of      |
| Funds]{.underline}**    | (\$mi                 | To                 |
|                         | llion)]{.underline}** | tal]{.underline}** |
+-------------------------+-----------------------+--------------------+
| **Federal:**            | \$275.27              | 60.0%              |
|                         |                       |                    |
| Section 5309 New Starts | \$12.98               | 2.8%               |
|                         |                       |                    |
| Section 5307 Urbanized  | \$13.06               | 2.9%               |
| Area                    |                       |                    |
|                         | \$22.06               | 4.8%               |
| Formula Funds           |                       |                    |
|                         | \$38.85               | 8.5%               |
| Section 5309 Fixed      |                       |                    |
| Guideway                | \$6.00                | 1.3%               |
|                         |                       |                    |
| Modernization Funds     |                       |                    |
|                         |                       |                    |
| Section 5309 Bus        |                       |                    |
| Discretionary           |                       |                    |
|                         |                       |                    |
| FHWA Flexible Funds     |                       |                    |
|                         |                       |                    |
| (CMAQ and STP)          |                       |                    |
|                         |                       |                    |
| FHWA NHS Funds          |                       |                    |
+-------------------------+-----------------------+--------------------+
| **State:**              | \$38.56               | 8.4%               |
|                         |                       |                    |
| Special Transportation  | \$52.00               | 11.3%              |
| Fund (STF)              |                       |                    |
|                         |                       |                    |
| STF/Public Act 06-136   |                       |                    |
+-------------------------+-----------------------+--------------------+
| **Total:**              | **\$458.78**          | 100.0%             |
+-------------------------+-----------------------+--------------------+

**NOTE**: The financial plan reflected in this table has been developed
by the project sponsor and does not reflect a commitment by DOT or FTA.
The sum of the figures may differ from the total as listed due to
rounding.

MAP