Votes at a glance: CROG committee recommends TIP amendments, approves trail funding increase and forwards Vision Zero plan

The CROG Transportation Committee on June 22 reviewed multiple agenda items and recorded several formal recommendations and approvals that will be forwarded to the policy board or put into program work streams.

TIP amendments recommended
Rob (CROG staff) presented eight Transportation Improvement Program amendments: five new projects, one low‑bid funding adjustment, and two removals because projects are fully state‑funded or have been merged. Notable items included three trail projects on the East Coast Greenway in Simsbury, Bloomfield and Hartford and a $116,000,000 full reconstruction of Route 9 through the center of New Britain (about 2.5 miles) that includes removal of underlying concrete pavement, full drainage and noise‑wall work. The committee voted by voice to recommend approval of the TIP amendments and forward them to the policy board.

Suffield–Windsor Locks trail funding increase approved
CROG staff presented a scope modification and funding increase request for the Suffield–Windsor Locks canal/multi‑use trail after CTDEEP and consultant reviews identified required changes: switching the surface from asphalt to permeable stone dust (DOT/DEEP maintenance preference for this corridor), additional topsoil and seeding ($140,000), comprehensive erosion control ($315,000), structural bridge evaluations and upgrades ($122,000) and temporary reinforcement during construction ($30,000). Staff recommended and the committee approved an additional $780,000, which raises the award from $1,200,000 to $1,980,000. Bill Hawkins, the towns' director of planning and development, urged support because the corridor is constrained by steep embankments and water on both sides.

Vision Zero safety action plan forwarded to policy board
Roger (CROG staff) described a safety action plan developed with USDOT SS4A support to meet CROG's Vision Zero goal (adopted by the policy board in 2024) to reach zero fatal and serious crashes by 2040. The Vision Zero task force approved the plan on June 11, 2026; the transportation committee voted to forward the plan to the policy board for adoption.

Other resolutions and votes
The committee also endorsed the final Priority Pathways report (protected/off‑road pathways) and the Warehousing Land Use & Traffic Study, both to be forwarded to the policy board, and approved an annual resolution authorizing the transportation committee to act as the policy board during the policy board's summer break. All endorsements and authorizations were approved by voice vote.

Procedural notes
The meeting began with approval of May 18 minutes (voice vote; abstention recorded by Larry Burrell, Town of Avon). Most subsequent committee actions were passed by voice vote with no roll‑call tallies recorded in the transcript; where a named mover/second was given it is recorded in CROG minutes and backup materials posted with the meeting packet.

Next steps
Items forwarded to the policy board will be considered at the board meeting later in the week; the TIP amendments, if approved by policy board, will be incorporated into CROG's TIP and sent to state and federal partners as required.