I-95 reconstruction in East Lyme about to have major traffic impact
East Lyme ― Project officials behind the
four-and-a-half-year, $148 million Interstate 95 reconstruction project are
warning travelers to brace for the most significant impacts to Route 161 to
date.
Resident Engineer Robert Obey of the Glastonbury-based
engineering firm GM2 said crews on Sept. 8 are set to begin construction of a
new bridge that by the end of the year will carry highway traffic on the newly
aligned northbound lanes alongside a revamped Exit 74 on-ramp.
The new bridge will be constructed south of the existing
one, which will be demolished and rebuilt in later phases of the project, which
is slated for completion in 2027.
Route 161, where it runs under the bridge and through the
Exit 74 interchange, will be widened by 40 feet under the bridge and raised by
up to 2 feet between Costco and Stop & Shop.
“The transformation that East Lyme is going to see over the
next three months is going to be significant,” Obey said.
So are the traffic implications.
Obey said work done so far on Route 161 has included
sporadic lane closures to relocate utilities or to accommodate smaller,
short-term projects.
“That’s all about to change,” he said.
The most immediate effects will be felt as Route 161 is
closed overnight for two weeks starting Sept. 8 for the installation of four,
200-foot-wide girders atop abutments that have risen up over the course of this
year adjacent to the existing overpass. During the day, Obey said, traffic will
be reduced to one lane in each direction.
“We’ve had single lane closures out here, but this will be
consecutive,” he said. “Every day until that’s done.”
State Department of Transportation Project Engineer Andrew
Millovitsch said cranes hauling the structural steel into place will be the
most visible and far-reaching sign of the new phase.
“Once they see those seven-foot-tall girders being swung
into place, that’s when people’s attention is going to be way up,” he said.
Traffic impacts on the state road will continue once the new
bridge is in place, according to Obey. That’s when reconstruction of Route 161
will begin overnight with one-lane closures in each direction for two months.
Night-time crews will work in 500- to 700-feet increments ― described by Obey
as “manageable chunks” ― as they rip up the existing road, regrade and then
pave it.
Each disturbed section will remain as gravel for no more
than 10 days before being paved, according to a notice distributed to local
businesses by Obey’s team.
Come November, the engineer estimated relocation of the Exit
74 northbound on-ramp will take two weeks to complete as it is moved closer to
the retaining wall built after more than 800 feet of ledge was blasted away
over the final quarter of last year.
The move will require the complete closure of the on-ramp
for those two weeks as crews “shove it over, pick it up 30 inches, pave it, and
get it back into service,” according to Obey.
Grade changes are a key component of the project designed to
increase safety in the historically crash-prone area. The work will get rid of
the hills and valleys that currently make it hard for drivers to see ahead.
“This geometry change, this raising of the highway and
cutting the highway, is going to eliminate that so you never lose sight of the
vehicles in front of you, which will improve the accident rate,” he said.
The highway will be raised on one side of the overpass and
lowered on the other to make for a more level commute. Obey described it as a
“radical change.”
“I was with the (state) Department of Transportation for 35
years. I’ve never seen a limited access highway raised 14 feet and cut 10
feet,” he said.
Millovitsch said he anticipates the return next year of
automated speed cameras affixed to trucks parked on the side of the highway
that send warnings or tickets to the owners of vehicles going more than 15 mph
over the limit. The project was one of the pilot sites for the DOT’s “Know The
Zone” program.
Obey emphasized the importance of watching out for
construction crews on the highway and Route 161. The work planned over the next
three months amounts to $25 million, according to Obey.
He emphasized work in this $25 million phase of the project
will bring construction crews night and day into roadways where they haven’t
been before.
“We want people to be aware of workers on the roads,” he
said. “We’re not going to be behind barriers.”
DOT: Norwalk I-95 overpass that was destroyed, demolished after fiery crash to be rebuilt by spring
NORWALK — The new
$20 million Fairfield Avenue overpass spanning Interstate 95 is taking
shape, with orange safety fencing lining the sides and wood planks paneling the
bottom of steel beams.
The progress is a sign that traffic
in the area could ease after the old bridge was severely damaged and
later demolished due to a fiery
crash on I-95 in early May.
“Now that steel has been installed, we plan to re-open the
I-95 south, Route 7 on-ramp lane to its original configuration in early
September to ease congestion,” state Department of
Transportation Spokesperson Samaia Hernandez said in the statement, noting
that DOT aims to reopen the bridge fully by the spring.
Connecticut Department of Transportation crews “are
installing utilities, which is driving the schedule for the reopening,”
Hernandez said. After the car fire, dozens
of Norwalkers lost landline service following the removal of copper
wires in the demolition.
The timeline matches the department’s estimates in July.
Since the reconstruction project began after the May 2 fire, commuters and
other drivers have faced traffic and delays.
The on-ramp from Route 7 in Norwalk to the southbound lanes
of I-95 has been narrowed with concrete Jersey barriers, which also abut the
construction area.
Alleviating the traffic backlog that stems from the Route 7
on-ramp is “definitely a priority,” Hernandez said last month. But closing
highway lanes was necessary for crews to work safely on the bridge’s
reconstruction, she had said.
State Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, said that
the traffic jams can be frustrating for drivers on the highway.
“Every time I go over a bridge, whether it's on East Avenue
or Strawberry Hill, you just look over and you can see the traffic that is just
backed up,” Duff said in July. “It's not good for the environment. It's not
good for people's time.”
Balancing quick work and safety during the project is
crucial, Duff said last month, citing the death of 26-year-old
DOT worker Andrew DiDomenico on I-91 after a driver charged with
driving under the influence struck him in June.
Construction has moved steadily since the fire
and DOT’s goal is to pour the bridge’s deck in October, Hernandez said.
The old overpass was demolished
and debris was cleared within 80 hours of the May 2 fire, where
a Standard Oil tanker had swerved to avoid a collision after a sedan
cut off a tractor-trailer on I-95 southbound. In doing so, the back of the
tanker was ripped open, spilling gasoline and causing the fire, officials said
at the time.
The fire and the subsequent demolition hamstrung regional
traffic. By June 1, engineers
completed a design for the bridge.
Danbury Officials Push $49M Bond for Firehouse, Road Repairs and Police Tech
Robert Storace
DANBURY — Calling it “critical” and long overdue, Danbury
Mayor Roberto Alves and other city officials are urging residents to approve a
$49 million bond package to pay for a new firehouse, technology for the police
department, and a citywide road reconstruction program.
“This is critical. It’s something that’s been kicked around
and talked about for decades,” Avles told CT Examiner this week. “We saw an
opportunity here to move forward and get this done.”
Following a public hearing, the Town Council voted
unanimously on Monday to authorize the bond and to place the bond package on
referendum for Nov. 5.
“We campaigned on it and we talked about it. We had a plan
to aggressively take care of our roads and we talked about our commitment to
public safety and this bond helps everybody who voted and expected us to do
something,” said Alves, a Democrat who was elected in November. “This is how we
do it. … It’s a responsible bond that comes in at the lowest dollar amount
possible.”
Alves said the city, which has a AA+ bond rating, is on a
strong fiscal setting.
“Our revenues are good and our finances are stable,” he
said. “We inherited a city that was behind on two fiscal audits. We got the
2022 audit done; we are in the mix with the 2023 audit, and we are looking to
be able to catch up because the 2024 audit is coming due in December. We will
have our fiscal house in order.”
Firehouse funds
If approved in referendum, the new firehouse planned off
Mill Plain Road on the city’s west side, will cost between $18 million and $22
million. Local leaders said work would then begin on the city’s roads with most
of the remaining bond money.
Fire Chief Richard Thode told CT Examiner that, although the
city has a firehouse near Danbury Airport on the west side, responding to calls
in many parts of the area from that location is often difficult and cumbersome.
Thode said response time would be cut in half with a new
firehouse off of Mill Plain Road.
“Right now, the response time on average is between nine and
14 minutes. We estimate it will be between four and five minutes with the new
fire station,” Thode said, adding the new building should be up and running by
November 2025. “It 100% can save lives.”
Thode and other city leaders say the west side, which
borders New York state, is Danbury’s fastest growing section.
According to the census, Danbury had about 70,000 residents
in 2000; it now has about 90,000, with most of the newer residents living on
the west side, officials said.
Thode estimated that more than 7,000 housing units at three
separate complexes were added in the past 20 years, thus the urgent need for a
new fire station.
The city currently has five paid firehouses, six independent
all-volunteer fire stations, 134 paid firefighters and 60 volunteer
firefighters, according to Thode.
In addition to improving response times,, Thode, who’s been
the city’s fire chief for three years following a 35-year career with the
Bridgeport Fire Department, said the new facility will benefit everyone.
“Having that firehouse would enhance the overall city
response time because you have an extra truck on the road,” he said. Thode
explained that 16 firefighters would be assigned to the new firehouse in
four-person shifts. He said he expects the new fire station would respond to
1,000 fire and medical calls per year.
Council President Peter Buzaid told CT Examiner that having
a dedicated fire station on the west side “has been a recurring topic for 20
years. It’s really, really crowded over there. People started to move in and
now it’s full.”
Roadwork
The bond package will also pay for a major overhaul of the
city’s roads.
Longtime Danbury Public Works Director Antonio Iadarola told
CT Examiner that he has identified $20 million in needed road paving and
preservation, $8 million for drainage work, and $5 million for vehicle
replacements. While these needs have been identified, Iadarola stressed that it
doesn’t guarantee all that money will be allocated to those projects, as the
final budget for his department will depend on the costs associated with the
fire station.
Iadarola said his department fixes roads based on a ratings
system that identifies the city’s worst roads — such as Old Lantern Road,
Lamppost Drive, Side Hill Lane, Middle Street and Frontier Lane.
“Those have been identified as poor condition roads,”
Iadarola said.
Iadarola said the project would last about three years and
include paving, upgrades and drainage work on about 46 miles of city
roads.
Iadarola stressed the importance of residents going to the
polls in November and voting yes on the referendum.
“Vote in the positive for this bond so I can come and pave
your roads and fix your drainage,” he said.
The bond money would additionally fund the replacement and
upgrade of the closed circuit television camera and recording system at the
city’s police department. The new technology, officials said, will have a
useful life span of more than 20 years.