DOT reports improved hiring but lingering contractor shortages and grant-administration constraints

Connecticut Department of Transportation officials told the Finance, Revenue and Bonding transportation bonding subcommittee that hiring has improved since a wave of retirements but capacity constraints remain in parts of the state and in program administration.

Commissioner said highway operations and maintenance vacancy rates are down to roughly 7 percent and the engineering and construction bureau vacancy rate is down to about 15 percent after targeted recruitment and internal reforms. "We are down to only a 7% vacancy rate in our highway operations, and maintenance bureau," the commissioner said, adding the engineering bureau has improved from about 24% vacancy to around 15%.

Chief Engineer Scott Hill and other DOT staff described earlier inflation and supply-chain shortages that pushed some bids as much as 20% above normal levels; Hill said recent bids are settling back toward estimates but noted a continuing market pattern in Lower Fairfield County where fewer Connecticut bidders are available and some winning bids come from out-of-state contractors. "We did have a situation where we were getting bids that were 20% higher than normal... What we're seeing now... have been much more competitive," Hill said.

On winter operations and procurement, DOT described a shift to cyclical equipment replacement to improve resale value (changing to white trucks with stickers) and said revised salt contracting preserved inventories while saving about $3 million in operating expense. Gary Pascosolido, DOT's bureau chief for finance and administration, told the committee earlier contract minimums were reduced so DOT avoided over-purchasing and penalty charges.

Members also discussed local grant programs' demand and administration: DOT said Community Connectivity has close to $70 million authorized with about $55 million allocated to date, LOTCIP has program value around $3.7 billion with $561 million allocated so far, and TRIP had $10 million authorized and the recent awards fully allocated. DOT acknowledged some awardable applications remain unfunded and that administrative capacity to manage many local grants is reaching constraints, and promised the committee a breakdown of turned-down or unfunded applications.

The subcommittee did not take votes on program changes; DOT said it will continue recruitment efforts and return with requested grant-administration details.