New Haven Independent

The city set up the authority in 2003 to push expansion of the harbor, including a 10-year $20 million plan to lay rail tracks to enable shippers to bypass trucks and transport goods directly from the harbor to the train station.

Judi Sheiffele, a former city economic development staffer, has been picked to run the authority on an interim basis. The idea is to get the the authority “up and running” on projects like the rail extension.

The authority now owns East Shore Parkway. That means businesses like Colony Hardware, Gateway Terminal, and New Haven Terminal pay rent to the authority rather than the city, guaranteeing the authority a revenue stream, said city transportation czar Mike Piscitelli.