Regional staff told the committee that USDOT canceled a previously announced RAISE (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) grant for design work on the Naugatuck Valley Greenway corridor.

Mark, who updated the committee on discretionary grants, said the RAISE award was intended to fund design for roughly 12 miles of remaining corridor (the full corridor is described as about 16.9 miles) from the Broomfield area in Naugatuck north to East Main Street in Thomaston. "We were this close to getting the funds awarded and obligated," Mark said. He described a period of negotiations with the Federal Highway and Connecticut offices and said the anticipated obligation date was Oct. 1. A recent USDOT letter, however, announced the cancellation.

Mark said USDOT told staff the project did not align with the department's priority on projects focused on vehicle traffic. Staff noted the cancellation will slow design work for several sections that were expected to be ready for construction once design was complete; the Waterbury sections were singled out as particularly complex and at risk without federal design funds. Staff said portions of the corridor had design or construction funding in place for five sections, and the canceled RAISE funding was intended to design the remaining sections so the region could proceed to bid on construction-ready segments.

Mark said staff will distribute the USDOT cancellation letter and a memo describing the impacts. He added that the region will explore other ways to secure design or construction funding but did not provide an alternative funding commitment during the meeting.