I-95 reconstruction in East Lyme about to have major traffic impact

Elizabeth Regan

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

Kalleen Rose Ozanic

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.