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NORWALK, Conn. – At first, Laura Allen figured it was just the usual mowing along Interstate 95 in Norwalk.
Do you think two new lanes will decrease traffic on I-95 in Norwalk?
View ResultsDo you think two new lanes will decrease traffic on I-95 in Norwalk?
-
Yes
45% -
No
36% -
Way too soon to tell
19%
But when the trees started coming down Wednesday, Allen realized the deforestation happening behind the parking lot at REI, where she works, had to be part of the widening of I-95.
The $42 million project will provide an additional lane in each direction of the highway between Exits 14 and 15 in the hopes of easing congestion and making the roadway safer. Connecticut Avenue will also see major improvements.
The I-95 overpasses at Taylor Avenue, Cedar Street and Fairfield Avenue will be reconstructed to span the new space and will be higher.
Cedar Street will be the first to go. It will close on or about Aug. 13 and stay closed through November 2013, according to information provided by state Sen. Bob Duff, D-Norwalk.
Taylor Avenue and Fairfield Avenue will then close concurrently. They will be worked on simultaneously; they are expected to reopen in December 2015.
What else will you see in the near future? Tree cutting will continue over the next two weeks, and a drainage improvement project will begin near West Avenue. The I-95 pavement between exits 13 and 16 will be rehabilitated, both northbound and southbound. Barriers will be placed along the I-95 shoulders near Cedar Street.
By the end of 2015, Norwalk should see significant changes: There will be left-turn lanes at four Connecticut Avenue intersections as well as new curbs and 7-foot-wide sidewalks installed along both sides. The sidewalks along the north side of Connecticut Avenue will be extended to Scribner Avenue. Hopefully, there will be less flooding near Fairfield Avenue, thanks to the new drainage system.
On I-95, the new northbound lane will be 2,100 feet long. The new southbound lane will extend 2,300 feet, from the Route 7 on ramp at Exit 15 to the Exit 14 off ramp at Connecticut Avenue. The ramp will be reconfigured as well as its intersection with Connecticut Avenue.
Gov. Dannel Malloy stood at that ramp in November 2010 during his campaign, promising to improve I-95 in Norwalk if he won. "For years I have fought for funding for additional lanes on this congested section of I-95, and it is gratifying to see this important project get under way," said Duff, vice chairman of the General Assembly's Transportation Committee. "I thank Gov. Malloy for making good on his promise to fix the worst highway choke point in the I-95 corridor."
In July 2005, the state legislature passed a $1.3 billion transportation initiative that included $187 million for “congestion mitigation” measures on I-95 from Greenwich to North Stonington. This project is one of three planned along one of the most congested corridors in Connecticut.
O&G Industries of Torrington is under contract to the Connecticut Department of Transportation to do the work. It is expected to create or sustain about 80 jobs.
Comments (6)
yes, about time is correct.
Hope its an extra 2 lanes from Stamford to Bridgeport
If they had not wasted so much money on non-road projects, this would have been done years ago.
The current roadway strangles commerce.
CT Avenue is horrid already; they're ripping it up all the time and the patch jobs are atrocious. I didn't realize that people are paid to make potholes! It was hard not to notice the deforestation taking place along CT Ave and I95 this week. I feel sorry for anybody living along that area, the local businesses that will suffer, and the commuters who will be tearing their hair out trying to get to their place of work, just 100 feet away, but it will take them 15 minutes just to move the car that distance...
And remember, I-95 was the highway that was going to SOLVE all the driving problems in CT. Sure hasn't worked out, has it?
About time is right. Those bridges mentioned are falling apart. And of course it makes sense to fix the merging issues of route 7 onto I-95. That area is nothing but rear-end collisions, it needs to be improved for safety reasons more than anything else. But as for the poll regarding lowering traffic. I selected "no", because the more you improve I-95, the more traffic you'll create. You only need to go to cities designed around the automobile to see how 6-12 lane roads do not decrease traffic or congestion for that matter. Frequent public transportation decreases traffic and until our trains are improved with more frequent train schedule like that serving Stamford, more and more people in Norwalk and beyond will opt to drive into the city. Let alone the huge increase in cost, if you have a fuel efficient car, it's almost cheaper and quicker to drive, pay the tolls AND the discounted coupon ICON parking than it is to take the train.
Becareful what you wish for. Yes we do need to get this job going but if you think your having trouble getting up & down Ct. Ave. now just wait. This is a massive project and will disrupt the flow of traffic in the area around 95 & on 95 it self. I for one do not use this section of Ct.Ave. because the traffic is so bad now. Hold on for a bumpy road for the next three years and lets just hope all this work will pay off in the end.
Al Raymond
Al, and the miles of backed up traffic during construction will be horrendous. Though some say we abutting highway neighbors have no right to complain about noise and pollution, fact remains that the only stretch of abutting residential that is still without sound barriers is NORWALK.
This construction project came in 50% under budget on the expected bid, so no one can tell me that there is still no money to help us. Taxpayers (hundreds of us) that live within 300 feet of I-95 need to unite and demand we get what others in Greenwich, Darien, Westport, Southport and Fairfield all have.
about time.