Debicella Releases Transportation Plan

Press Release

Congressional candidate Dan Debicella is fed up with battling traffic jams around Fairfield County and is vowing to do something about it, if elected.

"I live in Shelton and have worked in Westport and Stamford, so I've lived through the traffic on the Merritt and I-95," Debicella said. "It's time someone steps up and fixes it."

Debicella, a former Republican state senator and businessman who is challenging Democratic incumbent Jim Himes to represent Connecticut's Fourth District in the U.S. House of Representatives, held a press conference Wednesday at the Westport train station to announce his commitment to improving transportation.

Debicella called out Himes for allegedly failing to adequately address the transportation situation in Fairfield County.

"In 2007 and 2008 transportation was a big issue for candidate Himes, but then Congressman Himes forgot all about it," Debicella said. "Only recently when bridges began to fail and Metro-North faced unprecedented delays did he finally start to pay lip service to the issue."

Flanked by state Sen. Majority Leader John McKinney and state Sen. Toni Boucher, Debicella released his plan to tackle transportation woes by expanding entrance and exit lanes on I-95 and the Merritt Parkway.

Enhanced maintenance and a repair schedule for Metro-North tracks and electrical work are also on Debicella's to do list.

"There are specific choke points on the Merritt at exits 35, 40, 42 and 44 and areas on I-95 such as exit 15 that consistently jam at the same places," Debicella said. "I'm not claiming to be able to solve all traffic jams, but if I can take 10 minutes off of a person's commute, that's a good thing."

Debicella criticized Himes' support for a second train station in Bridgeport, saying political pandering was not the right way to solve the area's transportation issues.
He also accused Himes of not serving on the Transportation Committee as he allegedly promised.

"If your commute has gotten better, then vote for Jim Himes," Debicella said. "But if you think we need better solutions for our roads and rails, then vote for me to actually address these problems."

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