The Hartford Courant's Kevin Rennie is reporting that the state paid $5.6 million to insurance giant Aetna for two pieces of property that will be used for the New Britain-to-Hartford busway.
The state has been assembling the pieces of land needed for the 11-stop bus line that will stretch from downtown New Britain to Union Station in Hartford.
The long-stalled busway recently got the go-ahead from Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, despite complaints from some Republicans that the $569 million project is too expensive. Malloy countered that the federal government will pay the lion's share of the busway, and the state did not want to leave federal money on the table.
State Senator Joe Markley of Southington has written to U.S. House Speaker John Boehner in an attempt to stop federal funding for the project.