DOT: EXIT 84 OFF-RAMP IN NEW LONDON TO BE CLOSED WEEKDAY NIGHTS APRIL 9-20

The state Department of Transportation has announced the Exit 84 I-95 Southbound off-ramp to Route 32 and downtown New London will be closed on weekday nights, beginning April 9 and running through April 20.

The exit will be closed from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Friday, as DOT works on the rehabilitation of the I-95 southbound span of the Gold Star Bridge.

Exit 84 traffic will be detoured to Exit 83 (N. Frontage Road) to Briggs Street, according to the DOT news release. At the traffic signal at the end of the ramp, Route 32 traffic will take a left at the signal to Route 32. Downtown New London traffic also will take a left at the end of the ramp, but then take a right at Williams Street, and then a left at Broad Street to Downtown New London.

Keith Schoppe, project engineer for DOT, said the closures are needed to perform concrete deck patches and then install a protective membrane.

“There is not sufficient width to safely complete the work while maintaining traffic,” he said by email.

The rehabilitation of the I-95 southbound span of the Gold Star Bridge includes structural steel repairs, concrete deck patching, joint replacement, illumination and paving. The project was awarded to Mohawk Northeast Inc. of Plantsville for $26 million and is scheduled to be completed Nov. 30, according to DOT.

More information is available on the DOT’s Gold Star Memorial Bridge website, www.i95goldstar. com.

The academy’s previous logo was adopted in 2003, before the widespread use of digital media. The new logo is simpler and will be easier to reproduce and render digitally.

The academy’s website was designed in 2004 and last updated in 2011. The latest redesign effort involved a team of staff, faculty and military members in a two-year effort to expand content and better differentiate the academy.

“Our intent is to offer a sophisticated, interactive experience that will help us meet students where they are, illustrate the benefits of attending the Academy, as well as challenges and rewards of service as a commissioned officer in the Coast Guard,” said Associate Director of Admissions for Marketing Sue Bibeau.

“Our new site will offer a clean look with more dynamic images and videos,” she said. “It will allow us to expand our message on this incredibly important platform, and should better meet the needs of today’s college bound students.”

Academy personnel worked with the marketing firm Paskill, Stapleton and Lord, based in Glenside, Penn., for the redesign of both the logo and website.