City to Shift Its Staff Start Time up One Hour; Mayor Finch Urging Employers to Follow City’s Lead
Water Street Closed Until Further Notice for Bus Staging
BRIDGEPORT, CT (May 19, 2013) – Mayor Bill Finch announced today that the City of Bridgeport is asking its office staff to report to work an hour earlier on Monday in an effort to help alleviate the road congestion that is expected as a result of the train derailment that occurred on May 17.
“The roads in the Bridgeport metro area are some of the most congested in the country. Following Friday night’s train incident, we can expect an even greater number of cars on these roads. We know that Monday morning’s commute is going to be very challenging. The City is making an effort to help alleviate this congestion by asking our staff to report to work one hour earlier,” said Mayor Finch. “I am urging other employers in our area to make similar shifts to help take some cars off of the road during rush hour.”
In addition to shifting the City’s staff start time up one hour, Mayor Finch also encourages commuters to carpool and use secondary roads to avoid the highway system. Mayor Finch also reiterated Governor Malloy’s recommendation, encouraging residents, if possible, to avoid driving all together and work from home.
“There are going to be significant travel delays until the trains get back online, running as normal,” said Mayor Finch. “We are asking for patience and cooperation from residents and employers during this challenging time.”
On Sunday evening the Connecticut Department of Transportation and Metro-North Railroad released their commuter plan for Monday, May 20 and until further notice. That plan, which can be found at http://www.ct.gov/dot/cwp/view.asp?A=1373&Q=524974, includes shuttle bus services in Bridgeport. As a result of the high number of buses coming and going in Bridgeport, Police Chief Joseph Gaudett announced that Water Street between Stratford Avenue and Main Street will be closed to through traffic.
Bridgeport Police Officers will be on site to help facilitate traffic in this area. Mayor Finch encourages drivers to listen to their local radio traffic reports to stay informed. For train schedule information, please refer to the schedules page at www.mta.info or the Connecticut DOT website, www.ct.gov/dot.
The City has requested additional resources from the State for assistance during this time.