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New Canaan Receives $150K State Grant For Downtown Pedestrian Loop

NEW CANAAN, Conn. -- The State of Connecticut is awarding New Canaan a grant of $150,000 for the creation of a Downtown Pedestrian Loop - Weed Street Sidewalk Connection.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced 20 projects in towns and cities across Connecticut will receive nearly $11 million in funding under a competitive grant program.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced 20 projects in towns and cities across Connecticut will receive nearly $11 million in funding under a competitive grant program.

Photo Credit: CT-N

The New Canaan grant will pay for the construction of sidewalks and crosswalks along a portion of Weed Street between Elm Street and Irwin Park. The proposed walkway is within a half-mile of the train station and downtown. The walkway aims to enhance pedestrian access to the train station and decrease the demand for motor vehicles.

The New Canaan project is one of 20 in towns and cities across Connecticut that will receive part of nearly $11 million in funding in a competitive state grant program. The program supports transit-oriented development and responsible growth, targeted at boosting economic activity and creating jobs. 

The grants come under the state’s Responsible Growth and Transit-Oriented Development Grant Program, which is administered by the Office of Policy and Management and relies on a combination of funding from the Responsible Growth Incentive Fund and the Transit-Oriented Development and Pre-development Fund. 

In addition to New Canaan, Danbury and Westport have also been awarded grants from the State of Connecticut's Responsible Growth and Transit-Oriented Development Grant Program. Danbury will receive a grant of $225,000 to conduct research on land use and transportation conditions in the downtown area. Westport will receive a grant of $440,000 for the improvement of the Saugatuck Station area.

“Investing in transportation is critical. Transportation and the future of our economy are fundamentally linked. Our focus is on not only improving overall quality of life for residents in these areas, but also encouraging economic development by making our towns and cities more accessible,” Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said. “These grants will help us take another step towards making our state more competitive.” 

“The grants announced...will make Connecticut a better place to live, work, and compete in the 21st Century. These projects will improve pedestrian connections, increase multimodal transportation options, encourage infill development and discourage sprawl. And they complement the historic investments being made in public transit under the Let’s Go CT! initiative,” OPM Secretary Ben Barnes said.

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