Malloy proposes millions of dollars for Bridgeport economic development

Outgoing Gov. Dannel Malloy has proposed millions of dollars”™ worth of projects to be discussed at the State Bond Commission meeting on Dec. 11, including $7 million for improvements to Sikorsky Memorial Airport.

As previously reported, part of the reason behind the Sikorsky funding would be to attract a private company to return commercial passenger service to the airport, which is in Stratford but owned by Bridgeport.

Also on the commission”™s agenda for Dec. 11 is a proposed $3.7 million that would be used in part to replace Bridgeport”™s Congress Street Bridge.

State Sen. Marilyn Moore of Bridgeport, Senate chair of the State Bond Commission, said she expected approval of more than $14.6 million for the various proposed economic development projects in the city.

“I”™m especially excited about the work being done to finally restore the Congress Street Bridge, which was once a major link between downtown and the city”™s East Side, and about the improvements to Sikorsky Memorial Airport,” Moore said. “These transportation infrastructure projects will support future initiatives ”” like the entertainment that”™s being proposed ”” and will attract other businesses to our city. I am glad to secure funding for these excellent projects in my district.”

“Bridgeport has a significant opportunity to leverage these state investments with private dollars to create a new regional transportation hub, get eyesores demolished to clear land for development, and rebuild a bridge to improve public safety and reconnect the East Side of Bridgeport with our rapidly developing downtown,” Mayor Joe Ganim said.

The mayor also cited U.S. Rep. Jim Himes and U.S. Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal “for their efforts on the federal level to finally make it possible to replace a bridge that has sat broken for decades with one that will significantly ease the flow of commercial, residential and emergency traffic in the center of our city.”