May 15, 2025 (press release) –
Latest move slashes red tape, expedites environmental reviews, and empowers states
HARTFORD, CT—U.S. Deputy Transportation Secretary Steven G. Bradbury today joined state officials in Connecticut to announce a first-of-its-kind programmatic agreement establishing a unified federal review process and delegating authority to the state to accelerate the review of individual transportation projects that may affect historic properties under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. This move is the latest in a series of innovative actions to ensure America is building again.
The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that this new type of streamlined agreement could cut up to 6 weeks or more off from the schedules of at least 90 projects in Connecticut per year, including the Gold Star Memorial Bridge between New London and Groton, a new Bus Rapid Transit system in New Haven and Metro-North Railroad Customer Service Improvements along the New Haven Line.
“Thanks to President Trump, America is building again. We’ve slashed costly red tape and prevented unending environmental reviews to build the big, beautiful infrastructure projects that will propel America forward for generations,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy.
“This first-of-its kind agreement is a great example of the commonsense approach we are taking at USDOT to remove unnecessary burdens, empower states, and deliver a safe and efficient world class transportation system that Americans deserve. We hope more States are interested in entering this more efficient agreement to streamline the regulatory process,” said U.S. Deputy Transportation Secretary Steven Bradbury.
“This agreement is the result of productive collaborations between CTDOT and our federal and state partners, and we deeply appreciate the support from the U.S. Department of Transportation in making it a reality. By streamlining environmental reviews and cutting government red tape, we can more efficiently advance projects and ultimately reduce costs,” said Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto.
You can read the programmatic agreement here.
Background
The multimodal agreement is the first of its kind in the nation and brings together multiple federal agencies under a single agreement to accelerate and enhance the review process for transportation projects in Connecticut. This includes the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration and Federal Railroad Administration, along with the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT), Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. The agreement also delegates certain responsibilities to CTDOT in evaluating historic properties and potential impacts in compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act.
Today’s action builds on Secretary Duffy’s First 100 Days Accomplishments to usher in a golden age of transportation under President Trump’s leadership to serve the American people and build big, beautiful infrastructure once again. The programmatic agreement with Connecticut is the latest in a series of actions designed to deliver on the President’s commitment to rescind harmful policies enacted under the Biden-Harris Administration and reaffirm USDOT’s focus on safety, efficiency, economic prosperity, and regulatory reform.
* All content is copyrighted by Industry Intelligence, or the original respective author or source. You may not recirculate, redistribute or publish the analysis and presentation included in the service without Industry Intelligence's prior written consent. Please review our terms of use.