HB 6821 Summary

• Authorizes Department of Transportation to use construction-manager-at-risk and design-build contracts as alternatives to traditional design-bid-build contracts for transportation projects, with commissioner discretion over contractor selection and project oversight.

• Establishes authority for commissioner to indemnify Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company and New Haven-Hartford-Springfield rail line operators against third-party claims related to state rail operations.

• Permits commissioner to establish and collect parking fees at rail commuter parking areas and authorizes parking inspectors to issue citations for violations, with fines deposited into the Special Transportation Fund.

• Reduces the rent-free occupancy period for owners of residential or business properties taken by the state for highway purposes from 120 days to 90 days.

• Designates multiple state routes and bridges as memorial highways and memorial bridges throughout Connecticut honoring military personnel, public servants, and notable individuals.

• Requires study and reporting on rumble strip cost-effectiveness, joint municipal-DOT project approval processes, and options for operating state rail lines by specified dates in 2016.

• Establishes competitive bidding requirements for qualified storm drainage pipe materials meeting AASHTO specifications, effective October 1, 2015.