Thursday, March 22, 2012

Transportation: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: April 17th, Noon at Connecticut’s Old State House


For Immediate Release
March 22, 2012
Contact: Meaghan MacDonald
(860) 246-1553, ext. 116



Where Are We Going?
Transportation: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
April 17th, Noon at Connecticut’s Old State House

Hartford, CT – Is traffic strangling Connecticut’s economy? Transportation experts warn that the state economy can’t grow without better highways and bridges, major investments in mass transit, reinvigorating our ports and making improvements to Bradley International Airport.  Earlier generations knew this, as transportation technology transformed the Constitution State from a network of colonial towns into an industrial powerhouse.

Come to the Old State House on Tuesday, April 17 at noon as historian and transportation engineer Richard DeLuca talks about the fascinating history of turnpikes, steamboats, canals, railroads and trolleys in Connecticut. His book, Post Roads and Iron Horses, is the first to look in detail at the development of a transportation network that helped define Connecticut and shape New England.

Afterwards, join the conversation as the Connecticut Network’s Diane Smith moderates a panel discussing Connecticut’s transportation needs today and in the future. Richard DeLuca will be joined by Commissioner James P. Redeker, who is reinventing the Department of Transportation as it sheds its image as mainly a highway department, and Jim Cameron, Chairman of the Connecticut Metro-North Rail Commuter Council and long time advocate for rail commuters.

Registrations are not required but encouraged. Please visit http://tinyurl.com/OSH2012Lecture or call 860-522-6766 to make your reservation today!

Ahead at the Old State House: On June 12th at Noon, join Diane Smith as she sits down for an intimate one-on-one conversation with former Connecticut Governor Lowell Weicker.

Connecticut’s Old State House will validate parking tickets from the State Street South Parking Garage (formerly the Constitution Plaza garage). The cost, after validating, is $5. The validation is good all day.

Throughout 2012, the Old State House will have a variety of lunchtime lectures and other special events and programming. Visit the calendar on www.ctoldstatehouse.org for more information.

Located in Hartford just minutes from the Connecticut Science Center, Wadsworth Athenaeum and the riverfront, Connecticut’s Old State House invites visitors of all ages to discover that their voices matter, and that words, ideas, persuasion and debate really can change minds – and, quite possibly, the world.  The building served as the Constitution State’s original seat of government from 1796 to 1878. For more information on admission prices, upcoming events and parking discounts nearby, become a fan of Connecticut’s Old State House on Facebook, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CTOldStateHouse or visit us online at www.ctoldstatehouse.org.

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