Hartford Infrastructure Bond Referendum Sets Funding for Local Jobs and Road Projects

The proposed Hartford Infrastructure and Workforce Bond Referendum would authorise the city to issue $75 million in general obligation bonds for road resurfacing, bus route expansions and new job training facilities. City residents would vote on the measure during the November 3 municipal election.

The referendum arrives as Hartford faces a documented infrastructure maintenance backlog that the city's public works department has estimated at $180 million over the next decade. Federal transportation funding formulas have shifted in recent years, leaving local governments to cover a larger share of project costs through their own borrowing authority.

Effects on daily travel and employment access

Residents who drive or take public transit on routes such as Albany Avenue and Main Street would see scheduled pavement repairs and new bus shelters funded by the bond. Construction contracts tied to the measure are required to include local hiring targets, which city procurement rules set at 25 percent of total labour hours for Hartford residents. The bond also directs $12 million toward two workforce development centres operated by Capital Workforce Partners, one in the North End and one near the downtown rail station.

Budget figures and next steps

According to the city's 2025 capital improvement plan, each $10 million spent on street reconstruction supports an average of 160 construction jobs for one year. If approved, the bond would be repaid over 20 years through property tax revenues already included in the city's five-year financial forecast. The Board of Aldermen will hold a final public hearing on the ballot language on July 22 before certifying the measure for the November ballot.