The Connecticut Transportation Strategy Board voted last week that Bridgeport should receive up to $7 million in state funds to host a Long Island Sound container barge feeder service. The decision comes after a year of strategy board debate and several years of competition between the cities over the barge facility.

The barge port is designed to help reduce truck traffic and congestion on I-95 between the NY/NJ port southwestern CT. If approved, $1.5 will be available to Bridgeport immediately, while $5.5 in additional funds will be available in three years.

Newspapers posited several reasons for the choice. First, Bridgeport asked for less money up front than New Haven did. Second, Bridgeport is more economically distressed than New Haven, and thus could use the investment. Third, Bridgeport local officials are closer to the Rowland administration than are New Haven’s.

New Haven elected officials opted for the latter explanation. They criticized the decision, noting that New Haven is better situated for the project geographically. New Haven is further east along I-95, and sits at the I-95—I-91 intersection, so arguably has better northward and eastward highway access than Bridgeport. New Haven hopefully declared that the General Assembly will overturn the vote.

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