The state Department of Transportation has goals over the next few decades to make the state's roads safer, travel more efficient, and more resilient to severe weather, according to a newly released 30-year transportation plan.
Connecticut 2055, the state's long-term transportation plan, outlines several distinct goals, including road safety, reducing congestion, and eliminating serious injuries or fatalities, creating more connected communities through a multimodal transportation network, implementing emerging technology into road design, and creating resilient and sustainable infrastructure, according to the DOT report.
"Connecticut 2055 is a forward-thinking plan that will drive economic growth, connect our communities, and improve lives through an integrated multimodal transportation system," Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto said, in a statement. "The final plan reflects years of collaboration with residents, stakeholders, and partners across the state, and positions Connecticut to meet the transportation needs of today and opportunities of the future."
While the report does not outline costs for specific projects, it does offer "baseline scenario forecast findings" projected through 2055, and notes, the "anticipated level of state and federal funding would only meet the state's transportation needs" through 2029. "By 2030, a funding gap would emerge and continue to grow over time, reaching $1.7 billion annually in 2040 and $5.6 billion annually in 2055," it says.
"Under these projected funding and expenditure levels, Connecticut can only sustain its current infrastructure investment for the next few years before it begins facing a major shortfall in funding to meet baseline needs. While core maintenance and operations can continue in the near term, additional or enhanced revenue sources would be needed to maintain current service levels and system performance."
The report, which notes the state "transportation system relies on a mix of federal, state, and local funding sources," also offers "alternative future scenario forecast findings" through which the gap would be lower or disappear. For example, under an "accelerated plus scenario" in which the assumption would be increased federal funding, consistent bonding proceeds, and increased new state funding source (to $800M), the total funding available through 2035 would be $47.9 billion, it says. In this example the average annual funding in 2025 dollars is $4.1 billion.
A DOT spokesperson said the Long-Range Transportation Plan lays "out different scenarios for different levels of investment. These plans are focused on the transportation system of the future, not how to fund the system."
"Decisions on how to fund transportation are made as part of the state budget process. CTDOT does not propose transportation funding measures but rather, is doing the work to ensure Connecticut is in a position to put to work whatever funding streams might be in place in 2055."
The spokesperson said that increased level of investment "would require new funding sources as the transportation system evolves over the next few years and decades."
The agency said that safety is a top priority for the future of transportation. The DOT said the agency, for example will focus on increasing work zone safety training, awareness, and enforcement. In addition, transportation officials will support the expansion of programs such as the state's wrong way driving alert program, automated speed enforcement through cameras, and continue complete streets initiatives.
Complete streets in Connecticut refers to roadway policies and designs aimed at making public rights-of-way safe, accessible, and convenient for all users—including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, and motorists of all ages and abilities, according to the DOT.
Officials say traffic fatalities in the state fell 12% in 2025 compared with the previous year. Preliminary data from CTDOT's Highway Safety Office show 274 roadway deaths in 2025, down from 312 in 2024. Officials say greater awareness around safe driving, targeted enforcement, and the state's wrong way driving alert program have all saved lives.
"Our combined efforts of engineering, education, and enforcement is helping improve road safety in our state, and we will keep working hard toward our goal of ZERO traffic fatalities and serious injuries," the DOT said in the report.
The agency also highlighted that seatbelt usage has increased by 12% since 2014 and that wrong way detection systems have been installed at over 200 locations across the state. Officials say they have been 83% effective in stopping wrong way driving, significantly reducing crashes.
There have been an average of 268 crashes involving fatalities per year on Connecticut's roadways between 2023 and 2025, officials said.
The state transportation agency also said the way people use transportation has changed over time. In 2024, officials said they conducted a daily travel survey to gain insight into Connecticut residents' travel patterns. Over 8,400 households participated through surveys, travel diaries, and smartphone tracking.
The agency found that 79.8% of respondents use a personal vehicle daily, 6.1% ride a bus or take public rail, 9.3% walk, bike, or use a wheelchair, 3.2% use a school bus, and 1.6% use other modes. Among those that responded, 26.6% said they were going somewhere work-related, 22.8% said they were doing shopping, meals, and errands, 13.5% said trips were school-related, 13.1% said a loop trip such as dog walking, 11.2% said escorting someone else, 10.1% said social and recreational, and 2.6% said an overnight stay.
According to the daily travel survey, 51% of residents work from home at least occasionally, and 16% of residents work from home full time. As people continue to work remotely and access more services virtually, traditional travel patterns are changing, the agency said.
"Our last long-range transportation plan was published in 2018, and so much has changed since then. Connecticut is growing and people's travel needs are evolving. Connecticut 2055 reflects this reality and ensures safety and mobility remain the top priority," Eucalitto said. "Whether someone drives, uses public transportation, walks, or bikes, that trip must be safe and convenient. Connecticut 2055 is a transformative plan that will drive economic growth, connect our communities, and enhance lives through a forward-thinking, multimodal transportation system."
The DOT said that among its top priorities over the next three decades is to enhance multimodal transportation choices by increasing access to public transportation. The agency said it aims to increase public transportation frequency through expanding coverage and continuing to improve reliability for bus and rail options.
Officials say they want to prioritize investments that close connectivity gaps between transportation modes, neighborhoods, job centers, healthcare, education, and regional hubs. The idea officials say is that transportation will better connect communities and cities in the state for residents to have greater mobility options. This will become more important as the state's population grows and increases the number of cars on Connecticut's roads, increasing congestion and commuting times.
"In Connecticut and nationwide, the combined cost of housing and transportation often consumes half of a household's budget, with low- and moderate-income families most affected. As housing costs continue to climb, aligning transportation and housing strategies is essential for improving affordability, reducing economic burdens, and enhancing quality of life," the report says.
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Connecticut has 3.6 million residents and that number is expected to grow 9% by 2055, with an additional 18% growth in employment, according to the report. The state has 3,716 overall miles of
state-maintained roads, 4,002 state-maintained bridge, and 238 miles of state-maintained rail.
The DOT notes it uses a statewide vehicle miles traveled metric to show "where demand for travel occurs across the roadway network and understand how that changes over time," and reports that, in 2024, about 30.5 billion vehicle miles were traveled in Connecticut.
"Today, congestion is most extensive within the urbanized areas of Bridgeport, Stamford, and New Haven. By 2055, congestion is expected to worsen through steady population growth, growth in vehicle miles traveled, and expanding economic activity. Vital corridors such as I-95 and I-84 will be particularly impacted by more frequent bottlenecks and delays. By prioritizing infrastructure upgrades, expanding multimodal options, and leveraging technology to optimize traffic flow, CTDOT can work to reduce congestion, enhance mobility, and support Connecticut's long-term vitality," the report said.
The report also outlines the state's changing climate and the impacts of severe weather events on infrastructure.
The agency said that over the coming years it will develop improved data collection and forecasting tools to better assess bridges, culverts, and other transportation infrastructure areas that are prone to intense storms, recurring flooding, and extreme weather.
The report also highlighted the DOT's plans to incorporate resilient roadway design such as raising road elevations, armoring roadway shoulders, minimizing erosion, stabilizing embankments, using stronger pavement surfaces, adding protective coatings on bridges, and improving storm water drainage to protect against severe weather impacts.
Other priorities outlined include improving emergency preparedness by developing communications procedures that improve coordination across DOT staff, transportation operators, and transportation users prior to, during, and after emergencies.
In the realm of freight rail, trucking, aviation, ports, and waterways, the report found: constraints in the rail system that limit freight volume and reduce "operational efficiency", congestion and capacity issues on routes leading to and from Bradley International Airport; congestion and traffic delays on key freight routes that slow deliveries and increase operating costs; lack of sufficient and safe overnight parking options for truck drivers; sediment buildup and material disposal needs at ports and navigable channels that limit freight capacity and navigability, a need for rehabilitating, repairing, and replacing deteriorating facilities and expanding rail access at the Port of New London and Port of New Haven to maintain operations.
For opportunities is those areas, the report states that improvement can be made to rail freight linkages and supply chain connectivity to streamline transfers between rail, truck, and port facilities; improvements made to transportation hubs that support goods movement; there could be a modal shift from highways to freight rail to reduce congestion, lower emissions, and improve system performance and use of state coastal and river assets as freight movement options to relieve pressure on highways.
The report also, in the area of autonomous vehicle pilot programs, says the state should consider legislation and partnering with AV companies for pilot deployment of AVs in urban and rural areas and potentially support expanded drone use for traffic monitoring, emergency management support, and post-disaster assessments.
The entire report along with the state's transportation goals and vision for Connecticut 2055 can be found here.
Stephen Underwood can be reached at [email protected]