HUD Grant Will Improve Shoreline Infrastructure in New Haven and Bridgeport

Governor Dannel P. Malloy today joined Connecticut Department of Housing (DOH) Commissioner Evonne M. Klein and members of the state’s congressional delegation to announce that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has approved a $54 million grant the state applied for that will be used to improve shoreline infrastructure and increase resiliency to combat future weather events.

“Over the last few years in Connecticut, we have transformed the way we respond to emergencies, and we are now more prepared to respond to an extreme weather event than ever before.  We are no doubt continuing to be proactive in modernizing our infrastructure so that our state – and especially our shoreline – is even more protected for the next severe weather event,” Governor Malloy said.  “Global warming is real – the science is real.  And the more we all acknowledge that reality, the more prepared we can be for extreme weather.  I want to thank the Obama Administration, particularly Secretary Julián Castro and his team at HUD, the state Department of Housing, and our Congressional delegation for our united efforts to see that we can help communities better prepare for future storms.”

Read the full press release

Funding for the following projects has been approved under the federal grant:

• Bridgeport – South End East Resilience Network – $34,368,759: Elevation of University Avenue and construction of a greenway earthen berm to create a new baseline for the establishment of an urban coastal community that will be protected against future storms and sea level rise, removing the risk to reinvestment and inviting new development to strengthen this extension of downtown Bridgeport.
• Bridgeport – Community Design Center – $1,000,000: Construction and rehabilitation of an anchor community center in the South End to serve as a design center and central location for future recovery efforts.
• Bridgeport – South End District Energy Infrastructure Study – $350,000: Analysis of opportunities to utilize micro-grids, cogeneration systems, and alternative energy sources to limit disruptions in energy supply due to emergencies.
• New Haven/Fairfield County – Floodplain Design Guidelines – $330,000: Development of new guidelines to incorporate cutting edge flood mitigation technologies
• New Haven/Fairfield County – Connecticut Connections Coastal Resilience Plan – $18,228,600: Extend this existing planning effort to more communities in New Haven and Fairfield Counties with the goal of providing accessible downscaled inland and coastal flooding information at the watershed scale for inland and coastal municipalities.