Washington, DC--- Congressman Jim Himes (CT-4) announced that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will provide a $2.8 million grant to the City of Bridgeport to replace 40 aging bus engines with cleaner, more fuel-efficient engines. The new engines will reduce maintenance costs, improve performance and reliability, and extend the life span of the buses.
“Smart investment in transportation leads to sustained economic growth and helps create jobs,” said Congressman Himes. “These new engines are a win-win—they will reduce costs and improve service simultaneously.”
The city plans to open bids for the engines later this month and expects to announce a contract sometime in late July or early August. Over the course of the next 18 months, the city will cycle the busses through the engine-replacement process.
“This funding will go a long way to modernizing our city’s bus fleet,” said Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch, adding “and it will help us to encourage more people to use the bus, rather than their cars, reducing pollution and making the roadways a friendlier place for pedestrians and bicyclists.”