U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., announced Friday that the state would receive $9 million for Connecticut-specific projects after Congress approved the Transportation Appropriations Conference report for fiscal year 2002.

The conference’s report addresses the traffic congestion in south-central Connecticut by providing $5 million for the replacement of the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge, $1 million for Greater New Haven Transit to convert a portion of their busses to operate on compressed natural gas, and $500,000 for the New Haven Bus Facility.

“This is great news for Connecticut’s Third District,” DeLauro said. “These projects will not only aid in the effort to reduce traffic congestion but will also help to promote mass transit alternatives.”

The report also provides $2.5 million for TRANSCOM, a coalition of 16 transportation and public safety agencies in the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut metropolitan region. It was formed in 1986 to provide a coordinated approach to regional transportation management.

–Yale Daily News