State funds handed to towns for road improvements, snow removal

A number of Fairfield County municipalities will share $26.7 million in Municipal Grants-in-Aid to help fund costs associated with road construction and improvement, as well as snow and ice removal, and transportation safety-related expenses, according to Office of Policy & Management Secretary Benjamin Barnes.

The Municipal Grants-in-Aid program was continued by passage of Public Act 17-2 Section 432, June Special Session. It provides grants to municipalities for fiscal year ending June 30. Funds may be used as specified in Section 13a-175a(a) of the general statutes, which the relevant portion provides:

“”¦ to be used by the towns for construction, reconstruction, improvement or maintenance of highways, sections of highways, bridges or structures incidental to highways and bridges or the improvement thereof, including the plowing of snow, the sanding of icy pavements, the trimming and removal of trees, the installation, replacement and maintenance of traffic signs, signals and markings, and for traffic control and vehicular safety programs, traffic and parking planning and administration, and other purposes and programs related to highways, traffic and parking, and for the purposes of providing and operating essential public transportation services and related facilities.”

Towns receiving the grants have certified the funds received are to be used in compliance with Section 13a-175a(a). Another round of funding will go out in May as additional communities submit certifications.

Receiving funds this round are Bridgeport ($1,031,564); Brookfield ($118,281); Fairfield ($96,747); Monroe ($179,106); New Canaan ($200); Newtown ($235,371); Redding ($1,329); Weston ($453); and Wilton ($307,058). Topping the list statewide is East Hartford with $4,447,536.