With the Department of Motor Vehicles expected to continue struggling with long lines for a few more weeks because of a computer overhaul, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced Monday he would extend deadlines for license and vehicle registration renewals until Oct. 10.
The governor also urged residents, if they could, to avoid visiting DMV offices for a few weeks.
The department, which recently undertook its first computer system upgrade in decades and temporarily closed its offices earlier this month, has faced huge customer lines since reopening last Tuesday.
“We know it has caused unusually large lines at the DMV across the state,” Malloy told Capitol reporters. “I understand the frustration customers are feeling having to stand in those lines to get their normal business done.”
But the governor noted that “other states that have upgraded their systems experienced similar lines for a period of time.”
Still, lines could persist in the short-term as the department adjusts to the new computer system. “If you can all avoid going to DMV in the next couple of weeks, I would strongly urge that you avoid them,” Malloy said.
To ease pressure on customers whose driver’s license or vehicle registration may have expired since the temporary closure, or during the next month-and-a-half, the governor said he would suspend deadlines for those items until Oct. 10.
The governor also urged residents to visit the DMV’s website, since many of the services customers seek at branch offices also can be accessed online.
The DMV website is located at www.ct.gov/dmv