[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6309447,"mediaKeyId","2412466-96d420efe2c3063c08234f082192157d","parentId",2412466,"title","Families, DOT and unions press committee for stronger work-zone protections after two road-worker deaths","audioSeconds",13032,"startMs",2272000,"endMs",15304000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2412466-96d420efe2c3063c08234f082192157d&start=2272&end=15304","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2412466-96d420efe2c3063c08234f082192157d/thumbnail_2272000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6309447/Connecticut/Families-DOT-and-unions-press-committee-for-stronger-work-zone-protections-after-two-road-worker-deaths","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6309447-c03cb0480018526c1a544aadb7262a72/orig.mp4?Expires=1771160890&Signature=MszQXRdWMJ5whzaV-79zCbexUyGWQNFEb22RwUrtx05VK-0fs0uxx7NfvII1D1hY-MuTOmVRx1D349KU09DRKmeHoGNl1sA7cHQ6Mo20CkwYZaVpMQ2e92-NrpigPY37vEq2NM8iwu2L5xrOfPcAPFXdKUp~AUmmwj5ns24pm3LvjG0ruVpv5LN5G3HjtBHdYNuN3WYVQXgmsGlErBlhsrQS~72XTxEmkZdLtKFjqpn4s4f1JUYYnkhvm~vCUgQWrvH95IKIAQTRbc0WDXP0avWTz1ERw5T6Xxm~RQdupkNPW1fjgpLIpGVRpcuXSFgMW02ibdFlpYCn5LDRrBvGNw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","CGA - Transportation Committee","date","2025-02-26T00:00:00Z","article","Family members of two highway workers who died while on duty told the committee they support HB7060 and described personal loss in emotional testimony. Sherry Di Domenico and family members said their son Andrew, a Connecticut Department of Transportation employee, was struck and killed while conducting roadside work on June 28, 2024. They asked lawmakers to pass changes they said would protect other workers doing the same job.

DOT Commissioner Gary Iucolito and labor representatives urged the committee to adopt a suite of measures. DOT testified that the bill would require a roadway and roadside safety course for driver-license applicants and for people convicted of violating the state's slow-down/move-over law; expand penalties for endangering highway workers; make certain mobile-device use on limited access highways a form of reckless driving; and authorize wider signage, public education and the expansion of work-zone speed-camera programs. Commissioner Iucolito described DOT's practical priorities, including repairing decaying noise-barrier infrastructure, clarifying left-lane passing law and improving crosswalk and pedestrian safety equipment statewide.

Union representatives and DOT employees emphasized the daily risks of roadside work, including near-miss incidents and repeated strikes of departmental safety vehicles. The Connecticut Employees Union urged passage of the bill and said its members want to return home safely each shift; union leaders noted work-zone speed cameras and improving enforcement were priorities. Witnesses and legislators also discussed related measures: upgrading vehicle edge lines to 6 inches on certain highways, deploying speed governors on municipal or fleet vehicles, and pursuing in-vehicle impairment detection technology.

Committee members asked for details about funding, enforcement, and timelines for any permanent camera program. DOT said limited federal funds and ongoing studies affect how quickly the agency can scale programs; DOT officials asked the legislature for specific capital allocations to accelerate installation and outreach. The committee asked DOT to return with cost estimates for cameras, education campaigns, and the new roadside safety course, and to provide a schedule for the permanent work-zone speed-camera program.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Public Hearing 2/26","oneSentenceSummary","Families of highway workers killed on the job, state DOT officials and union leaders urged the Transportation Committee to approve HB7060, a package of measures intended to reduce roadside worker deaths and near-misses by expanding driver education, increasing penalties and funding for enforcement technologies including work-zone speed cameras.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature CT, Connecticut","taxId",77677,"location","Connecticut","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6309452,"NTSB, state officials press Connecticut lawmakers to lower legal BAC to 0.05",3823,837000,4660000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2412466-96d420efe2c3063c08234f082192157d&start=837&end=4660","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2412466-96d420efe2c3063c08234f082192157d/thumbnail_837000.jpg","/articles/6309452/Connecticut/NTSB-state-officials-press-Connecticut-lawmakers-to-lower-legal-BAC-to-005","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6309452-29867f347e45239ff5ef0cf9bb682497/orig.mp4?Expires=1771160890&Signature=HdZU9udjZm~E-9vYQTS3c3F77p1iIgEHcfJ4n-Tc5IUAYrInKcT5RgwaBsv~r113Mst~-etoX3stSU3IHWN~nIL9MOXFal7ZSeOyaHvNT1p9jrCDSd0VdcI5GAoX0x8sQMcyxMxmxNrvQbvqspxXRwfgYjUKiCHo7FYe~qti7WgP30P6nhGfvjlFulwU5j4v~GEA-QvOaDy14fZrPPpxPsA4NR~sRWr1mod49H6-UQZca0KvLWPNDSyeCwyo~4mLD-FMLlx1woLUjJ8fMpBqS29gqJroKxbROnRl2ZLn39fUVktgKS~FM0DVelPSBT9PMRpod8zbZV1SrDEwOkm2iw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Tom Chapman of the National Transportation Safety Board told the Transportation Committee the NTSB \"strongly support[s] legislation that will lower the legal BAC per se limit to 0.05.\" Chapman testified that more than 100 countries use a 0.05 or lower threshold and that Utah's experience showed a deterrent effect after the state lowered the limit, with no large increase in arrests. He cited national statistics showing alcohol remains a leading cause of fatal crashes and told lawmakers research indicates lowering the per se limit can reduce fatal alcohol-related crashes by roughly 11 percent.

Commissioner Gary Iucolito of the Connecticut Department of Transportation reinforced the safety argument. He described alcohol as \"still very much our biggest problem in terms of impaired driving\" and told the panel lowering the limit would \"shift behavior and act as a deterrent.\" Several senators and representatives pressed Chapman and the commissioner on implementation questions: whether Utah's results were affected by tourism patterns or local laws, whether field sobriety tests and existing enforcement tools remain valid at the lower threshold, and how the state would handle interactions with drug-impaired driving.

Law enforcement and public-safety speakers emphasized enforcement resources and complementary tools. Questions at the hearing covered the limits of detectability between 0.04 and 0.05, the role of public education campaigns, and the importance of technologies such as ignition-interlock devices and in-vehicle impairment detection. Chapman and others stressed that 0.05 is not a single solution but a proven measure that, combined with enforcement and technology, can save lives.

Committee members asked for state-specific data and comparisons to other states. Witnesses said Connecticut has room to improve testing and data collection so that policymakers can track impacts precisely. The hearing included separate but related testimony on drug-impaired driving and the rising prevalence of cannabis combined with alcohol; the NTSB and DOT witnesses described polydrug impairment as an increasing concern and urged a multimodal response.

The committee heard political and operational questions about how the change would be communicated to drivers, how it would affect hospitality and tourism, and whether penalties or enforcement approaches should differ for the lower range between 0.05 and 0.08. Supporters argued that the primary benefit is deterrence and behavior change; opponents and cautious members sought more state-level evidence and assurances about enforcement fairness and resource needs. The hearing closed with requests that the agencies return with additional Connecticut-specific analyses and with continued committee discussion on companion enforcement and education measures.","Federal and state safety experts urged the Transportation Committee to approve legislation lowering Connecticut's per se blood-alcohol limit from 0.08 to 0.05, citing international experience, Utah's data and research on deterrence; debate focused on enforcement, equity and drug-impaired driving.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":44,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":50,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6309442,"Riders, towns and businesses urge funding to restore Shoreline East service",1788,4060000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2412466-96d420efe2c3063c08234f082192157d&start=2272&end=4060","/articles/6309442/Connecticut/Riders-towns-and-businesses-urge-funding-to-restore-Shoreline-East-service","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6309442-69b0a390d0c6f1f2417b2415d680da56/orig.mp4?Expires=1771160890&Signature=TyNc0cKAagCnIfTCzkQwc8Nd0iIDnR8aswMENfxU8p2I4V-hbOSe7WUXuq6hEljNvW~cX1IXF0Z97IGO9AE84Ly8WUJQcfOBasmLv9zNGhAJqZuoJq4hgIVxDL6jNWDK--om55-esCQIoFWe-nyZKU5B9tWHf1gyatES9rlooNVwqF4O0-5enHgb7I-vmMBZgIIL-m94KWMqqS9fKMj2jNDbkDSXahOO5OkGh0b5y7qCMo1pxb1u-H7ZY0xTngSc3y6SNdb1OLwUpD34VTBHUIMLKFymnIICRfpviIABJ~gGK2jj25zVxqHUvjeI7qBnTpXmfTrPO8zSHuhLFVqMWw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Multiple witnesses urged the committee to approve SB714 and to restore Shoreline East service to its pre-pandemic frequency. Susan Feaster, founder of the Shoreline East Riders Advocacy Group, presented ridership data showing sharp month-to-month increases after modest service restorations funded with $5 million in ARPA money. She told the committee that September'December 2024 ridership rose between 32% and 74% compared with the same months in 2023 and said the results show strong latent demand when trains run reliably.

Municipal leaders and business representatives testified the line supports tourism and local economies. Guilford First Selectman Matt Hoey and Madison First Selectman Peggy Lyons said restored service would help bring visitors to beaches and downtowns, support employers and enable transit-oriented housing near stations. Wynnham'area employers and institutional riders described the line as a practical commuter alternative if frequency and schedules better connect to destinations and to Metro-North transfer points.

DOT and regional planning witnesses acknowledged past cuts and said funding and operations choices affected the line more than other branches. DOT Commissioner Gary Iucolito described capital investments (new M8 cars and overhead-catenary upgrades) but said service levels require operating funds. He also described constraints such as coordination with Amtrak and the scheduling that affects through connections.

Advocates asked for a multi-year funding commitment and a feasibility study already completed that showed eastward extension options and potential ridership gains; witnesses asked the committee to turn the study findings into an operational plan and funding commitment. Committee members and DOT asked for updated ridership forecasts, an operating-cost plan, and clearer timelines for any expansion; most speakers requested prompt committee action so that summer 2025 travel season could see increased service.","Community advocates, municipal leaders, business groups and riders pressed the committee to restore and expand Shoreline East rail service to pre-pandemic levels, saying ridership rebounds after small service increases and that more frequent trains support tourism, commuting, transit-oriented development and regional economic growth.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Families, DOT and unions press committee for stronger work-zone protections after two road-worker deaths

NTSB, state officials press Connecticut lawmakers to lower legal BAC to 0.05

Riders, towns and businesses urge funding to restore Shoreline East service