Divide on I-95 southbound in New Haven to be gone by Sunday
NEW HAVEN >> The divide in Interstate 95 southbound that has given drivers a splitting headache will be eliminated by the end of the week.
The split in the roadway, which routinely backs up traffic as drivers decide which side to take, will be gone because the new southbound lanes of the new West River bridge will open to traffic.“What we’re doing is we’re moving three lanes of I-95 southbound from the existing bridge onto the recently completed sections of the new structure,” said John Antonucci, the state Department of Transportation’s supervising engineer for the West River bridge project, which includes replacing the I-95 bridge over Ella T. Grasso Boulevard. The project began Feb. 17, 2014, and will be completed in fall 2018. Once traffic is shifted, the center pier of the Howard Avenue bridge, which has been the cause of the I-95 split, will become part of the median between northbound and southbound traffic, with all New York-bound traffic moving to the right of the barrier Antonucci acknowledged that the divided highway has been confusing to drivers. (Those taking Exit 44 have to use the right lane but through traffic continues on either side.) “Unfortunately, they didn’t get used to it, but this is the end of that and traffic will move smoothly,” Antonucci said. “By Sunday morning, everybody will be on the new structure.” In fact, this traffic shift will be completed three months early, he said.
The split on I-95 south was necessary in order to maintain three lanes of traffic in each direction. The next step is for the center portion of the bridge to be demolished and replaced. “When the entire bridge is done you’ll have three lanes with wide shoulders,” Antonucci said. The contractor is Middlesex Corp. of Littleton, Massachusetts. Another project that has caused concerns for City Point neighbors is the reconstruction of the intersection of Sea Street and Ella T. Grasso Boulevard. It is now possible to take a right turn onto Sea Street when exiting I-95 northbound. It had been prohibited, though many residents of Harbour Landing condos and the rest of City Point took the right anyway. “What used to happen is you couldn’t take a right onto Sea Street,” Antonucci said. “Now you are able to do that.” It’s still not OK to turn right off the new Ella T. Grasso Boulevard Extension onto Sea Street, according to Antonucci, but that will change this fall. Further plans include a roundabout in front of the Harbour Landing entrance to slow traffic in the area. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Opponents organizing to derail new route for high-speed trains
Old Lyme — As federal officials near a decision on a railroad bypass residents are calling destructive and wasteful, about 70 people from across southeastern Connecticut’s shoreline gathered Friday with local, state and federal lawmakers at a forum at Old Lyme Town Hall to find out how they could help stop it “dead in its tracks.”
More than a half-dozen concerned leaders from four coastal towns attended the forum, which was organized by U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Old Lyme First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder.
Blumenthal and Reemsnyder said officials at the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) have agreed to hold a meeting with southeastern Connecticut residents before making a decision on which of three major railroad upgrades they will pursue for the Northeast Corridor (NEC). A spokesman for the FRA confirmed Friday that agency officials would attend. The meeting has not been scheduled, but Blumenthal is hoping for high turnout once a date is set.
"We have to approach it as though we were making (a legal) case, presenting evidence," Blumenthal said. "Our side should be fact-based and evidence-based."
The railroad upgrades under consideration are part of FRA’s long-term plan – called NEC Future – to improve rail service on its 457-mile line from Washington, D.C., to Boston. Federal officials hope the improvements will bring high-speed rail to the Northeast. The agency unveiled three proposals in November, one of which would reroute the line in southeastern Connecticut from Old Saybrook to Rhode Island.
Local leaders and residents are concerned that this proposal – known as Alternative 1 – would devastate historical sites in the region and negatively impact the environment. The proposal is the least ambitious and least expensive of the three, at a cost of $68 billion.
The second plan, Alternative 2, would go from New Haven to Hartford via Meriden before heading northeast to Boston – with a stop near the University of Connecticut in Storrs. It would come at a price tag of $135 billion. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Business (not) as usual
I-84 project has impact on bottom line, for better or worse
WATERBURY — When work began in April 2015 on the major Interstate 84 construction project in Waterbury, local business owners were anxious. "We were nervous, obviously, because we didn't know how it was going to affect things and if it was going to slow things down and divert traffic," said Anthony D'Elia, co-owner of Nino's Trattoria on Reidville Drive. The $330 million highway project involves adding a third lane in each direction and straightening a dangerous S-curve on the 2.7-mile stretch between Washington Street and Pierpont Road. The state Department of Transportation's contract with the construction firm, I-84 Constructors, scheduled the work do be completed by June 2020. The project is currently running about 10 months ahead of schedule.
"We also knew that eventually, in the future, it's going to help things," D'Elia said. "So we took it in stride, and as time went on, it's gone a lot better than we expected." Nearly every store has reported fluctuations in the hours that they are busy, as customers typically plan trips later to avoid traffic. The stores whose sales are most sensitive to the construction are restaurants. For well-known fast food chains Subway and Burger King on Reidville Drive, the project has been more boon than burden.
"If anything, the truth is it's positively affected our business," said Celia Gill, general manager of Subway. "We get a lot of construction workers who work on the highway who come in here."
Those restaurants have the advantage of national name recognition, as well as easy-on, easy-off access from I-84 eastbound. That's not the case for Nardelli's Grinder Shoppe and Sultan's Turkish Restaurant on Plank Road. "At least 10 to 15 percent of the business is not coming in because of the traffic that the construction creates over here with the trucks all over the place," said Selim Ergin, co-owner of Sultan's. "Lunchtime has slowed down a lot, because that's when people only have 45 minutes to an hour."
"My big thing is labor," said Amanda Leo, Nardelli's general manager, of her 15 employees. "These guys want to work, but I can't give them enough hours because business is slowing down a little bit. It's the frustration of stopping. Nobody really wants to do it anymore." For these businesses, though, the reward should be worth the trouble. The project will extend Plank Road west to Harpers Ferry Road, enabling access to businesses from both the east and the west. On Reidville Drive, things are different. Nino's Ristorante, furniture store Raymour & Flanigan, Blasius Chevrolet Cadillac and Frankies Family Restaurant all reported little to no fluctuations in their business. Despite the varying fortunes of businesses during the project, one thing that's agreed upon is optimism in the future. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE