Stamford’s dangerous stretch of Interstate 95
State gets $1M federal grant to seek solutions
STAMFORD — There were 736 car crashes between Exit 7 and 9 on Interstate 95 in Stamford between 2018 and 2020, and officials are banking on $1 million to help improve the treacherous stretch.
Gov. Ned Lamont announced on Friday that the state’s Department of Transportation has been awarded a $1 million grant from the Federal Highway Administration to support a study on safety improvements for I-95 in Stamford.
Known as the Interstate 95 Stamford Planning and Environmental Linkage Study, the review will include research on alternatives to create safer ways for vehicles to merge and reduce the amount of accidents on the major highway.
The $1 million grant is funded by President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“I’m excited that one of Connecticut’s busiest interstate corridors has received some of the first funding from a federal program created under last year’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” Lamont said. “I’d like to thank President Biden and his administration for recognizing the most critical infrastructure upgrades and improvements Connecticut needs to make. I’d also like to thank our federal partners and Congressional delegation for their continued support and advocacy to apply infrastructure investments where they’re needed most in our state.”
Additionally, the work will include developing ways to replace the stretch of I-95 that travels over the Metro-North Railroad and Myrtle Avenue. The 1,065foot-long bridge, originally built in 1958, remains in poor condition, according to the state.
In 2020, the state spent $17 million on repairs to the bridge, which carries about 127,000 vehicles every day through Stamford, over three local roads and the underlying Metro-North train tracks.
The curved structure, which crosses Myrtle Avenue, South State Street and Lafayette Street, was in need of repairs, particularly
on the underside of the deck, which developed hairline cracks, deteriorated concrete resulting in exposed rebar, as well as hollow areas and rust, officials said at the time.
The “deficient” designation landed the 64-year-old bridge on Lamont’s nowdefunct CT2030 plan, which envisioned a system in which tolls on highways only for large tractor trailers would help pay for costly transportation repairs over a 10-year period.
But the bridge repair job, which was completed to bring the structure to a state of good repair, went forward without the need of toll money.
Now, officials are studying ways to replace the heavily used bridge.
Exit 7, where the bridge is located, and Exit 8 provide access to downtown Stamford and their ramps carry high volumes of traffic.
“This award supports the goals of the grant program — improving safety for drivers and pedestrians, easing travel time for freight and travelers, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from traffic congestion and improving the quality of life for residents of Stamford and surrounding communities,” said Connecticut Transportation Commissioner Joe Giulietti. “This is just the beginning of many federal grant funding opportunities that the Connecticut Department of Transportation is targeting to accelerate and prioritize safety improvement and accessibility upgrade projects on all of our roadways.”
The state Department of Transportation is expected to host public information meetings early next year on the study. For more information, visit i95stamford.com.