Officials celebrated the groundbreaking of Phase 2 of Connecticut's Stamford Urban Transitway, a broad, multi-lane road providing direct access for rapid bus service, shuttle vans, cars and other vehicles heading from I-95 into the Stamford Intermodal Transportation Center, where passengers board Metro-North commuter rail, Amtrak trains and commuter buses.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is contributing $94.2 million toward the $117.2 million project, which is part of a larger plan to connect this busy transportation hub with downtown Stamford and the city’s business district, while reducing congestion on local streets.

The transitway alleviates the need for drivers to navigate one-way streets through downtown Stamford, while making the trip to the transportation center quicker, thanks in part to partially dedicated lanes for high-occupancy vehicles and efficiently timed signals to keep buses moving.

Phase 1, completed in November 2010, spurred major local employers, including NBC Sports and financial service companies RBS and UBS, to relocate their headquarters alongside the transitway, further streamlining the commute for thousands of employees.

The FTA contribution to the project includes $52.8 million for Phase 1 and $41.4 million for Phase 2.

Upon its completion next year, the transitway will become part of a plan to open Stamford’s south waterfront as part of a $4 billion brownfields revitalization and mixed-use redevelopment that is already underway.