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Union leader urges Appropriations Committee to fund more in‑house DOT staff, citing high contractor costs

Appropriations Committee (public hearing) · February 12, 2026

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Summary

Travis Woodward, a DOT engineer and CSEA SEIU Local 2001 president, told the committee that reliance on private contractors increases costs and reduces transparency and urged hiring to restore in‑house inspection and engineering capacity.

Travis Woodward, an engineer at the Connecticut Department of Transportation and president of CSEA SEIU Local 2001, testified that the department has kept internal staff lean and relied heavily on private contractors, which he said cost over 50% more than state employees and amount to more than $100,000,000 annually.

Woodward said the lack of internal staff reduces transparency about how public dollars are spent on consultants and urged the committee to pass a budget that allows DOT to hire needed engineers and inspectors. "With the resources we need and a focus on cost effective work performed by in house state employees, we can build and maintain roads, bridges, and highways that keep Connecticut moving," Woodward said.

He asked lawmakers to consider staffing as part of DOT's budget to reduce reliance on higher‑cost outside contractors; no agency rebuttal or DOT staff response took place during the hearing.