Darn that CT traffic jam: These major projects, traffic shifts will add to backups this summer

ED STANNARD 

Summer is upon us, time for barbecues, swimming at the beach …

And sitting in traffic.

There wasn’t any state Department of Transportation work on Memorial Day weekend — much of the clogged highway traffic was just lots of people heading for the shoreline, Cape Cod, Vermont or upstate New York.

But highway construction work will play a part in slowing down and frustrating drivers this summer, even during weekends, when DOT workers aren’t out on the job, said Josh Morgan, state DOT spokesman.

The Waterbury ‘Mixmaster’

One that’s nearing completion is the interchange of Interstate 84 and Route 8 in Waterbury, known as “The Mixmaster,” which is composed of a stack of bridges.

“We’re finally going to be finished with that project by the end of October,” Morgan said. “What’s going to be happening over the next five months or so will be periodic lane closures, some nighttime work, but we’re in the home stretch.”

Begun in 2018, it will end a year behind schedule, according to the project website. Morgan said most of the work that’s left on the $200 million project is “punch list work”: paving, lane striping, etc. “Some of that work is going to have to happen at nighttime, so that could create some traffic congestion,” Morgan said.

Interstate 91/Interstate 691/Route 15 in Meriden

This project’s biggest construction work has just been getting underway in the last year and it will ultimately eliminate Exit 17 northbound on I-91, making it easier to get from I-91 to Route 15.

“In this one we’ll have some of these traffic shifts during the daytime and then during the night, there’ll be lane closures … People are going to see a lot of barrels, a lot of the concrete barriers, a lot of equipment out there,” Morgan said. 

“That’s going to be slowing people down and all that is going to create a little more traffic congestion, but it’s hundreds of millions of dollars that will certainly be well spent when that project is completed because (if) you ask anyone who’s driven through that part of the state even once, they say, Gee, this is pretty bad.” 

Interstate 95 Exit 74 in East Lyme

“We’re rocking and rolling out in East Lyme. That’s about a $150 million project,” Morgan said.

The project to straighten the highway at Exit 74 and replace the exit and entrance ramps is expected to last until 2027.

“That part of the highway had really bad sightlines,” Morgan said. “Flat is better so you can actually see pretty far ahead of you. So we’re actually going to be elevating the highway to eliminate some of the ups and downs, which surprise people if they don’t see the traffic or maybe they don’t see the other vehicles.”

An auxiliary lane also will be added between Exits 74 and 75 for those who use the highway to get on and off between those exits. Also the bridge over Route 161 will be replaced, the road will be widened and a commuter lot will be added, Morgan said.

A new longer off ramp already has been opened. “Especially with all the summer beach traffic out in that part of the state, we see that a lot of the ramps just simply aren’t long enough to queue cars,” forcing them to back up onto the highway, Morgan said.

The Exit 75 southbound entrance ramp is closed until June 30. No work will occur on Friday and Saturday nights, he said.

Exits 16 and 17 in Westport and Norwalk

The $100 million project to improve I-95 between Exits 16 and 17 in Westport and Norwalk will finish in November, Morgan said. 

“Last year we did what’s called accelerated bridge construction on 95, where we built two bridges next to 95 and then slid them into place over a weekend,” he said.

The project involved improving drainage and sight lines on the highway, he said.

“So when people are merging onto the highway, they can actually see where they’re going and where they’re merging,” Morgan said. “A lot of the concrete barriers are out there when they’re paving and working. So we’re going to be out of there by the end of the year but people will still see some of those impacts this summer.”   

Daily operations

Meanwhile, the daily maintenance of the highways goes on, which also slows down highway traffic because lanes must be shut down, Morgan said.

“We also will have our highway operation folks who will be out there,” he said. “They’ll be mowing, they’ll be picking up litter, they’ll be filling potholes and repairing the guide rails. And they always have to do that behind crash trucks and closing a lane.

“We don’t take lanes and we don’t create traffic congestion just to make people mad. That’s not our goal,” Morgan said. “We’re doing it to improve our infrastructure, to make sure that it’s safe for people. You ask any of our workers: They don’t like sitting in traffic congestion when they go on vacation or when they’re traveling on an off day.”

In fact, Morgan said, DOT workers’ safety has become a major concern as people drinking or texting while driving have hit the DOT vehicles on the highways.

“A scary stat is about 150 of our DOT trucks were crashed into last year in work zones,” Morgan said. “Basically about every other day one of our vehicles was hit. Thankfully, none of our workers were seriously injured or killed. But that’s why we have those big trucks out there taking up a traffic lane, trying to get cars to slow down and move over.

“There’s men and women behind those barrels, behind their cones,” he said. “That’s their office and we need people to make sure they’re slowing down, that they’re paying attention.”  

After public 'outrage' on DOT plans to remove Route 9 lights, Middletown leaders want answers

Cassandra Day

MIDDLETOWN — After hearing over two hours of public comment last week objecting to the state’s latest plans to remove traffic lights on Route 9 downtown, city officials will meet Thursday to ask state Department of Transportation officials to listen to “significant” concerns raised by residents.

The cost of the project is estimated at $143 million. Eighty percent of the project cost would be borne by the federal government and 20 percent by the state.

Speakers on May 23 cited several issues, including environmental effects and the impact of rerouting traffic through distressed neighborhoods.

The council is convening Thursday to vote on Mayor Ben Florsheim’s line item veto of the budget that was passed by council members on May 13. After that meeting is adjourned, a special session just on Route 9 will take place, according to Common Council President Gene Nocera. 

The resolution will also ask the DOT to attend a future meeting to answer questions, Nocera said. “Our intention is, the state has a responsibility to address the issues that were raised. That is our hope.”

The state project to remove traffic lights at Washington Street (Route 66) in downtown Middletown at exits 23 northbound and 23C southbound has had several iterations over many decades. The goal is to  reconfigure exits in the often highly congested area near the Arrigoni Bridge and densely populated North End to lessen the high number of crashes.

Over the past three years, in that short stretch of highway, 500 crashes have resulted in 161 injuries, DOT project manager Stephen Hall has said. "It's a crash every other day, an injury once a week" caused by wrong-way entrances, driver distractions and other factors.

Ed McKeon, a former common councilman, said that decisions on the project will be the most "significant for decades" in Middletown. "It's going to reverberate for 50 or 100 years."

Despite the DOT holding two public workshops, McKeon said, Thursday was the first chance the public had an opportunity to comment.

Before the project's unveiling, McKeon said, DOT officials met with the mayor, city leaders and others, however, attendees did not include councilors or members of a number of commissions, such as Public Works & Facilities. "This approach demonstrates an arrogance of power, misuse of authority, and a disingenuous approach to gathering public input," McKeon said.

DOT officials did not attend Thursday's meeting. Some residents, including McKeon, criticized the state for not showing up. 

The Route 9 project team has held multiple public workshops this year on the proposed signal project, DOT's communications director, Josh Morgan, said Friday. They were held on multiple days to make them more accessible for the public, he said.

Morgan said staff were unable to attend the May 23 meeting “due to pre-existing conflicts.” 

Proposals include a new off-ramp on Route 9 northbound at River Road, which would serve as the primary access for northbound exiting vehicles, according to the project. 

“A three-leg roundabout will calm freeway traffic to downtown speeds and serve as a gateway feature to the riverfront,” it said. “The proposed off-ramp requires the acquisition of a portion of a Superfund Site owned by RLO Properties as well as several minor acquisitions of city property."

The intersection of River Road and Harbor Drive will be reconfigured to prioritize River Road, accommodating the vehicles coming from Route 9 northbound, the DOT said. A right-turn lane will be added to Union Street to help encourage vehicles to use deKoven Drive for connection to the Arrigoni Bridge and Route 66. 

McKeon laid out many of his concerns, including the environment. He believes the proposal would cause "severe damage" to the immediate area.

He also pointed out environmental justice, defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as “the just treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of income, race, color, national origin, Tribal affiliation, or disability, in agency decision-making and other federal activities that affect human health and the environment.”

"This policy moves Route 9 closer to at-risk neighborhoods," McKeon said, meaning the North End. "It harms vulnerable neighborhoods, where people of color and people struggling financially potentially live.”

Kidcity founder Jennifer Alexander took the podium, saying, “I wish it were true that removing the lights will make the highway safer and travel time shorter, but decades of data show that's not what happens," she said.

"Why aren't they considering the strategies that cities across the world use to improve old highways that cut downtowns off from their riverfront — strategies that build value and make things safer? There are alternatives they just haven’t considered,” Alexander said.

Wesleyan University professor Kate Ten Eyck likened the DOT to a hammer. "A hammer looks and everything looks like a nail. ... Their solution is big, expensive construction projects. ... Imagine what we can do with $143 million to make the intersections" safer. 

Rani Arbo said she was feeling “outrage” that potential negative impacts aren’t being fully realized.

“The only thing we understand is we're going to save people a couple minutes on their commute — mostly people who are not from Middletown. That, to me, is not enough to make a trade for the unknown,” Arbo said.

For more information on the project, visit visit bit.ly/4bjjhF1. The public has until May 31 to comment on the proposal by emailing DOT.Rte9Middletown@ct.gov.

Linear trail intersections under safety review in Southington, new trail segment to open this summer

Ciara Hooks

SOUTHINGTON — As the latest phase of linear trail construction nears completion in August, town officials are considering safety measures at what will become some of the trail's busiest intersections through a high traffic, heavily commercial area parallel to Queen Street.

The Farmington Canal Heritage Trail's intersections with local roads previously drew concern in 2021, after a pedestrian was struck and seriously injured in the trail crosswalk on West Main Street in Plantsville center.

While there were bright yellow signs warning motorists to yield for pedestrians, town officials looked to increase pedestrian and motorist safety along the popular recreational corridor. The Town Council voted to add stop signs for motorists traveling in either direction at what was considered one of the most dangerous intersections at the time at Mill Street.

The latest stretch of trail will cross Lazy Lane west of the police department and Spring Street between Staples and BJs. Police Chief Jack Daly said Tuesday he is assessing the new intersections to determine necessary safety measures, but is not recommending stop signs for vehicular traffic as of now. 

“So, the plan as it stands right now, there'll be stop signs on the trail itself for the traffic that's walking or riding bikes,” Daly said. “On the roads for both Lazy Lane and Spring Street there'll be just 'yield to pedestrian' traffic signs to alert people, plus painted crosswalks and some other signage.”

Some of the warning signs on the trail will be placed 100 feet ahead of the intersection, Daly said.

Town Council Chairman Paul Chaplinsky Jr. said that he personally thinks there should be stop signs on the roads at those two locations and doesn't think it's too much to ask for people to stop at a pedestrian crossing that has such a high volume of people. 

“We do also need to consider how this impacts traffic flow on both of those streets. Does it cause further safety issues, that might need to be mitigated?” he added. 

Chaplinsky said that both Lazy Lane and Spring Street do have good sight lines and minimal obstructions and that he would implement the police chief's recommendations.

“Both pedestrians and vehicular traffic have a good line of sight to each other, but with that said, I do think that we can still make the area safer,” he added. “So, whatever the police chief feels are most appropriate, we'll implement those recommendations as the chief safety officer.” 

Schultz Corp. of Terryville recently paved the new section of trail and is installing topsoil and planting grass seed along the trail edge, as well as landscaping, and fencing. 

The project did hit a roadblock when it came to repair work on an existing stone arch bridge as the water level of the Quinnipiac River prevented Schultz from doing this work, according to Assistant Town Engineer James A. Grappone.

The Southington Rails to Trails pathway is currently 4.6 miles in length and runs from the Cheshire/Southington town line north to Lazy Lane.

The start date of a subsequent phase of the rails to trails project running through Plainville and on to the existing trail in Farmington is unknown. 

A portion of the Plainville route is still actively used by trains, so the need to find an alternate path has delayed the project, Plainville Town Planner Mark DeVoe said.

“The state is in the process of making acquisitions both from the town and private property owners to begin the process of the first phase, which we hope to begin next year or early 2026,” DeVoe said. 

Grappone said that initial letters were mailed out in February to property owners affected by the project notifying them that the DOT was reinitiating the right of way process and reevaluating their property impacts.

“Once the appraisal section completes the valuation, formal offer letters will be made to those affected property owners,” he added.

This phase will run from the Southington Town line to Norton Park and does not run on a rail bed, but directly on the tow path of the former Farmington Canal. 

The following phase will connect with the Farmington Rails to Trails which utilizes the rail bed in the town of Plainville for a total of 700 square feet.

“The reason that was able to be done was because the rails had been abandoned north of the Northwest Drive rail overpass. That overpass was removed,” DeVoe said. “So, the rail company still owns from just to the south of that railroad bed all the way into a portion of the town of Southington.”  

The final phase will join the previous two phases and the state is currently surveying that particular leg, which has not yet been approved by the Plainville Town Council.

“It’s a complicated project, you know. If you can't go on the rail it tends to really complicate things and that's why we're sort of lagging behind,” DeVoe said. “Lagging behind, but still putting the effort in and I think probably a little more effort than most communities. And we should have this wrapped up by 2028. Best we could do given the obstacles that we've had to overcome.” 

The Southington and Plainville Rails to Trails pathway are part of the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail that begins in New Haven and travels 54 miles north to the Massachusetts border and beyond. When completed, the trail will span over 80 continuous miles from Long Wharf Pier in New Haven to Northampton, Massachusetts.

Historic New Haven mill site approved for major apartment redevelopment goes up for sale

Hanna Snyder Gambini

As a slew of new residential and mixed-use developments continue popping up throughout downtown New Haven, the city’s Westville neighborhood — bordering the town of Woodbridge and near Southern Connecticut State University — is also seeing increased activity.

One potential project in the district is looking for a new owner and developer.

Earlier this month, a 1.8-acre property — which has approvals in place for a multifamily redevelopment — was listed for sale.

The parcel at 446A Blake St. has been approved for 144 residential units to be completed over three phases.

Phase one is a ground-up development of a new five-story, 55-unit apartment building.

Phase two is an adaptive reuse of an existing 45,800-square-foot historic mill building, which is currently being used as office space, into 36 residential units.

Phase three entails construction of a new five-story, 53-unit apartment building.

The approved plans call for a mix of studio and one- and two-bedroom apartments, some of which would be set aside as affordable, and 36,000 square feet of open space.

Bradley Balletto, co-founder and investments managing director of Northeast Private Client Group, which has the listing, said it’s not uncommon for property owners to gain approvals for a development, and then sell the site before construction begins. Some owners are real estate investors who either don’t have the expertise to develop a site, or simply aren’t interested in taking the property through the construction phase.

Developers in Connecticut and nationwide have also hit stumbling blocks in the last year or so, as higher interest rates and construction costs have made it harder to find project financing.

Balletto, who has the listing with Northeast Senior Associate Jeff Wright, said the planning and zoning process “is long, capital-intensive and can be risky,” so an investor or developer who wins project approvals “has added a lot of value to the site.”

New Haven has several recent examples of approved projects that traded hands before construction began, including: 673 Chapel St., which became The Whit Apartments; 87 Union St., which is now Olive & Wooster Apartments; 842-848 Chapel St., which is under construction and will be The Archive Apartments; and 20 and 36 Fair St., which were recently purchased to be built into 185 units.

‘More vibrant’

The 446A Blake St. property is owned by a limited liability company — 446A BLAKE — that traces back to other LLCs controlled by Tom Gelman, Yael Ilani and Yair Barda, all of Brooklyn, New York, as well as California-based Moonars LLC.

The owners purchased the property in 2018 for $1.55 million, and have since taken out two separate mortgages with a combined value of $1.48 million from the Israel Discount Bank of New York, land records show. The loans had an aggregate outstanding principal balance of $1.28 million as of March 25, land records show.

The city approved the redevelopment plan in January 2023.

The property is listed for an undisclosed amount, but has already garnered interest from potential developers, Balletto said.

“We have heard from several developers that they are only pursuing approved sites in the current market,” Balletto said.

The Blake Street property is for sale as demand for apartments in New Haven remains strong — the city has a vacancy rate of around 3%, according to Northeast Private Client Group.

Since 2014, New Haven has added at least 3,500 new affordable and market rate apartments. There’s another 3,500 units in the works for the next few years, not including about 1,000 apartments expected to debut in 2024.

New Haven is benefiting from continued investment by Yale, Yale New Haven Hospital and the life sciences sector, Balletto said, adding that recent new apartments are being absorbed quickly.

The Blake Street site is attractive because it’s part of a broader redevelopment area. It sits next to a similar project currently under construction at 500 Blake St., which will include 129 apartments.

Since the pandemic, several new businesses — including the Camacho Garage restaurant, Pistachio Cafe, a planned pickleball facility, vintage clothing stores and artist studios — have added to Westville’s signature village vibe, said Elizabeth Donius, executive director of the Westville Village Renaissance Alliance.

In the next few years, more than 650 apartments are set to come online in the neighborhood, bringing new residents to the area, Donius said.

The city revamped zoning regulations years ago to encourage more mixed-use development in Westville, while putting in place certain building restrictions — like limiting property heights to four stories — to maintain the district’s character, Donius said.

“The growth has really been positive,” she said. “This all just adds to the walkable, bikeable, community feel, it adds more people living here in Westville, which is becoming more diverse, more connected, more vibrant.”