The US DOT recently added the extension of Route 11 in Connecticut to its list of "Priority Transportation Projects." A September 2002 executive order by President Bush requires federal agencies to expedite environmental review of such projects in the name of "streamlining" and "environmental stewardship." However, it remains far from clear how such designation will actually speed the project.

According to US DOT’s website, criteria for selection are projects that have national or regional significance, have a high level of support among local transportation authorities and elected officials, and are being unduly delayed by slow federal review or coordination. Endorsement by a governor or state agency gives a project greater weight.

However, an April 2004 report by Environmental Defense and NRDC that analyzed implementation of the order after its first year concluded that too many of the projects placed on the priority list "had high environmental impact, are highly controversial among local officials, and ignore many communities’ need for transit." Other reviews found planning processes that engendered conflict with communities and muddled state priorities contributing far more to project delay than federal environmental regulations.

The presidential order seems more a focusing influence at the executive level than a transformer of project development. Legislation proposed in Congress over the last few years would be much further-reaching in its effects on state agency abilities to conduct meaningful environmental reviews of transportation projects (MTR #’s 357, 368, 414).

At a press conference announcing the Route 11 designation, Secretary Mineta said, "We did not choose projects because they were easy. In fact, we looked for projects that had difficult issues that the government needed to work through, projects that had been languishing for years, but projects whose potential impact on the economy and quality of life, locally and nationally, was significant."

The 8.5-mile Route 11 extension has languished for years due to local opposition. It would connect a local road network to I-95 in eastern CT. Opponents cite its $500 million price tag (far more if the I-95 interchange is included), the entrée to sprawl development it will create in relatively undeveloped areas, the additional congestion it will bring to I-95 and its destructive impact on wetlands. A ConnDOT spokesman said Mineta’s designation could break a logjam between US DOT, EPA, and the Army Corps over the project’s approval. 

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