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NVCOG committee recommends 2027–2030 TIP to policy board while flagging $134M Stevenson Dam element
Summary
NVCOG's technical committee voted to recommend adoption of the 2027–2030 Transportation Improvement Program to the policy board but expressed concern about limited details for a $134 million Stevenson Dam/Route 34 bridge project and the unresolved question of cost responsibility with dam owner FirstLight.
The Nogatuck Valley Council of Governments’ technical advisory committee voted to recommend adoption of the Central Naugatuck Valley MPO’s 2027–2030 Transportation Improvement Program to its policy board, while asking for more information about a $134 million Stevenson Dam element.
NVCOG staff told the committee the TIP lists about $1.4 billion of projects statewide but that approximately $158 million of projects are regionally constrained within the CNV MPO. Staff said the TIP is primarily funded by federal (about 82%) and state dollars and includes projects such as Route 8 repaving, auxiliary lanes, bridge work and safety improvements. Staff recommended full adoption to the policy board but flagged the Stevenson Dam/Route 34 project for which NTCOG staff said they lacked full details and therefore could not in good faith fully endorse every element.
Mark, who identified himself and offered historical background on the Stevenson Dam project, said previous plans considered building a new bridge north of the dam to remove Route 34 from the dam crest. He said a longstanding question dating back to early 20th-century agreements concerns which party is financially responsible for the roadway on the dam: “The big issue…is more with who’s responsible for the road going on the bridge and the condition of that road,” he said, adding that FirstLight (the dam owner) historically has been assigned some maintenance responsibility and that clarifying that allocation has delayed resolution for years.
NVCOG staff said they have asked CTDOT for additional project details and that, depending on the response, they might recommend the policy board adopt the TIP while remaining neutral on the Stevenson Dam element, or defer action on that specific element until more information is available. The committee nonetheless voted to recommend the TIP’s adoption to the policy board; the transcript records the motion passed but does not include a roll-call tally in the record provided.
Next steps: NVCOG staff will continue to seek CTDOT clarification about the Stevenson Dam scope, cost allocation and schedule before the policy board takes final action; the policy board will receive the full TIP document and may choose to adopt, partially adopt, or reject elements of it.
