Transportation Planning
The Northwest Hills Council of Governments assists in developing and administering comprehensive transportation planning activities with local government and regional stakeholders according to federal, state, and local regulations. This collaboration facilitates the development of strategies that generate applicable infrastructure, transit services, and capital procurements that address the economic and environmental impacts of the Northwest Hills region.
Rural Independent Transportation System (RITS)
What is RITS?
The RITS Program provides rides to non-emergency medical appointments for the elderly and disabled living in the NHCOG region.
Who provides the services?
Depending on what town you live in, Geer, Northwestern CT Transit District, or Sullivan Senior Center will provide transportation with handicapped-accessible mini-vans.
Where can I go?
Transportation can be provided to any health or mental healthcare professional in Connecticut.
How much does it cost?
NHCOG funds the program and there is no cost to the user. Donations are accepted and greatly appreciated.
How do I use it?
Call your designated provider and arrange for your ride as soon as you schedule your medical appointment. Calls should be made at least 48 hours in advance.
Provider Phone Numbers:
Geer Village: (860) 824-7067
Northwest CT Transit District: (860) 489-2535
Sullivan Senior Center: (860) 489-2580
State Matching Grant Program for Demand Responsive Transportation –
This is an annual program to support elderly and disabled transportation. This grant program from CT DOT provides an operating subsidy for Geer Village with a formula population allocation and 50 percent match for the towns of Canaan (Falls Village). Cornwall, North Canaan, Sharon and Salisbury. Northwestern CT Transit District is the provider for the towns of Burlington, Colebrook, Goshen, Hartland, Kent, Litchfield, Morris, New Hartford, Norfolk, Roxbury, and Washington.
Click here for additional program information.
Road Supervisors Meeting -
The Northwest Hills regional road supervisors meet on a quarterly basis to discuss important issues such as equipment or material purchasing, road maintenance, safety concerns and other related public works topics.
Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program (LOTCIP) –
The purpose of this program is to provide State funding to urbanized municipalities in lieu of Federal funds. NHCOG receives approx. $1 million/year for five qualifying towns (Burlington, Litchfield, Winchester, Torrington, and Harwinton).
Click here for additional program information.
Transportation Rural Improvement Program (TRIPS) -
The Connecticut Department of Transportation will again be accepting application for the Transportation Rural Improvement Grant Program (TRIP) to fund municipal construction projects. This is the second time CTDOT has solicitated applications for this program to date. The TRIP is an infrastructure improvement program that provides construction funding for local capital improvement initiatives to improve the transportation infrastructure in rural communities.
Projects funded through the TRIP will allow rural municipalities to perform small to medium scale capital improvements to address safety and accessibility primarily for a wide range of project types. Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis and will range between $300,000 and $2,000,000.
Applications are expected to be available Friday, November 1, 2024, with an application submission deadline of 4:00 p.m. on Friday, February 7, 2025. Applications must be submitted to CTDOT through the municipalities respective Council of Government. Each eligible municipality may submit only one application. To be considered for this solicitation, Municipalities that were previously awarded a grant under this program must have submitted, and received an approval of, their final project design submission package by the application deadline.
You can find further program information, guidelines, and the application from CT DOT, here.
Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) –
Four-year planning document reflecting first 3 years of CT Department of Transportation Capital Plan. The STIP provides a statewide list of all federally funded highway and public transit projects.
Click here for program information and statewide project listings.
Regional Trails Connectivity Assessment and Interactive Online Map -
The Regional Trails Maps and Connectivity Assessment are now available for review! This project included a variety of products, carefully created by our consultant, Housatonic Valley Association.
Check out the Housatonic Valley Association's Regional Trails page for more information.
Regional Transportation Safety Plan (2019) -
In 2017 the Connecticut Department of Transportation published the Connecticut Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) to guide the State in reducing fatalities and serious injuries along CT roadways. The Northwest Hills Regional Transportation Safety Plan in congruence with the SHSP, serves as a road map and strategy to help the region and all twenty-one municipalities collaborate with the State to reach the same objective of reducing fatalities and injuries, increasing safety awareness and allowing the Towns and region to focus on their unique safety issues.
Click here to view the Plan.
Regional Transportation Plan (2016) -
The Northwest Hills Council of Governments developed a new Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) to guide future transportation decisions in the 21-town region. The RTP recommends a list of projects and priorities for travel improvements throughout the region. It considers all means of travel including automobile, transit, walking, and bicycle. In addition to input from municipalities in the region, the vision and priorities were shaped by a program of stakeholder input, such as several public forums and an online survey. Information reflects the unique conditions of the Northwest Hills Region.
Click here to view the plan.
Additional Transportation Resources & Maps
Northwest Hills Council of Governments Region Map pdf
New England Heritage Bikeway Map
Northwestern CT Transit District local bus service maps (Torrington, Winsted, Litchfield)
Housatonic River Overlay Zone Maps
Cornwall, CT
Kent, CT
New Milford, CT
Housatonic River Management Plan Maps
Corridor Boundaries
Land cover
Cultural resources
Natural resources
Recreational resources
Water resources
Connecticut Department of Transportation
Download a variety of maps on Title VI Demographic Mapping & Information; Traffic; Air Quality; District, Regional and Urban Maps; and Town Roads
Community Connectivity Program –
This program provides funding for roadway infrastructure improvements identified through Road Safety Audits or other planning initiatives.
Click here for additional information.
Active Transportation Microgrant –
This is a CT Department of Transportation-sponsored program that NHCOG helps to coordinate to provide funding ($5,000 per award) for non-infrastructure grants that support safe bicycle and pedestrian mobility. The list of eligible items is as follows:
Bicycle helmets
Bicycle locks
Bicycle fleets, including adaptive bikes
Safety vests
Bicycle maintenance training and materials
League Cycling Instructors training
Programs, events, and materials for bicycle and pedestrian safety education
Click here for additional program information.
