Malloy looking to put Route 11 on road to completion

One year ago, the proposed extension of Route 11 was dead.

The state Department of Transportation called the project "unfundable," at least in the next five years, and it seemed no one had the capital - political or financial - necessary to complete the long unfinished road, which would connect southeastern Connecticut with Hartford.

But Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is hoping to bring the project back to life.

Malloy left the state Tuesday afternoon for Washington to attend the State of the Union address as a guest of U.S. Rep. John Larson, D-1st District. The forecast for snow required a brief trip, but Malloy scheduled an early-morning meeting with U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, to discuss Route 11 and other transportation projects in eastern Connecticut.

"I'm trying to figure out what we need to do to see if we can get Route 11 going," Malloy said Wednesday afternoon at the Capitol. "I have asked the congressman's staff to reach out to the federal authorities to see if the money that he has previously been able to get earmarked for this project is still available for this project. ... And once we have that information, I'd be in a better place to make that decision."

Malloy's meeting with Courtney shows the issue is a top priority for the new administration, which has stressed a need to improve the state's infrastructure as a way to make Connecticut more appealing to businesses and industry.

Malloy also met with a candidate to run the Department of Transportation while in Washington, but put off meeting with other members of the state's congressional delegation so he could return before the snow started falling.

Malloy made completing the highway an issue during his campaign, saying it might be possible to finance work on the long-unfinished highway with tolls. He did not offer details about the project.

Courtney's office said the project remained a priority but that the congressman was unavailable for comment on Wednesday because he was traveling.

Though the federal government has set aside money for the project since Republican Rob Simmons was the region's congressman, the highway project could be further stalled by President Barack Obama's pledge Tuesday night that he would veto any bills that contain earmarks, which are spending projects directed by a certain representative back to his or her home district.

"These things were already done," said Malloy, adding that he was confident the federal government could deliver the money needed for the Route 11 project. "And I happen to be a supporter of earmarks because I don't know how else small states are ever going to be able to move some of the projects that need to be moved along if you're constantly in competition with a California or a Pennsylvania or an Iowa, which have their own political implications.

"I like earmark reform," he said. "I don't like the elimination of earmarks. But we'll have to see what happens."

So far, efforts to complete the highway are limited to Courtney and Malloy. James Butler, executive director of the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments, which has long been involved in planning for Route 11, said he had received no new information on Route 11 initiatives.

m.collette@theday.com