The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Work nears completion on missing exit ramps
Will be opened between fall and next spring; entire project estimated to be done in 2022
STRATFORD — Work to complete a $29 million reconstruction of the Interstate 95 Exit 33 interchange near the Milford border is ramping up — literally and figuratively.
When done, there will be a new on-ramp northbound off Ferry Boulevard and a new southbound off-ramp near Veterans Boulevard to create a full interchange at the exit.
The new ramps will correct a quirk in the state’s highway history dating back to the days when toll plazas dotted I-95 and the Merritt Parkway.
One such toll plaza stood athwart I-95 near Exit 33.
So to keep drivers from bypassing the toll by quickly getting on and off the highway, the northbound on-ramp and southbound off-ramp were never built.
But the state later eliminated highway tolls two years after seven people were killed in a fiery crash when a tractor trailer driver failed to slow down at the Stratford plaza and plowed into a line of waiting vehicles.
Removing the toll plazas was quick work. Getting the exits built has not been.
Former Mayor John Harkins said Thursday he’s been looking forward to seeing the project completed for decades. “We started this in 1999,” Harkins, who was a state legislator at the time, said of the effort to get the interchange built.
“It’s been a long time waiting,” he said. “Every time I drive by it I smile. I’m looking forward to it being open.”
Laura Hoydick, Harkins’s successor — both as a lawmaker and in the mayor’s chair — agreed. “Seeing this Exit 33 interchange project through to completion has been one of my primary goals, first as state representative, and now as mayor,” Hoydick said Friday.
The work will have a variety of benefits, she said.
“With the completion of this project, we will provide faster access to one of our largest commercial areas, have more direct access for Metro-North commuters using the Stratford platforms and additional evacuation if needed in the event of an emergency,” Hoydick said.
The exits are near several major shopping plazas in Stratford, including one with a Walmart, Home Depot and Shop Rite. The Dock shopping center, home to several restaurants, a BJs Wholesale Club and more, is also nearby.
The mayor credited Harkins, late former state Reps. Larry Miller and Terry Backer, as well as current state Sen. Kevin Kelly and Reps. Joe Gresko and Ben McGorty with supporting the project.
“I remain especially appreciative of the effective collaboration we have had with the state Department of Transportation under Governor (Ned) Lamont in getting us to the final stretch of this project,” Hoydick said.
Harkins said a lack of an easy on-off for drivers stymied the growth of the town’s businesses on Route 1, drawing a comparison to Post Road commercial mega-development in neighboring towns.
“That was critical to the growth of our community,” Harkins said. “The town was always at a disadvantage because of that. We should have had this interchange years ago. Unfortunately, we didn’t.”
Though the area is no stranger to commercial development — a new Chipotle and a self-storage facility recently opened at The Dock shopping center —
navigating the area is anything but easy, especially with all the construction work.
Michael Downes, Hoydick’s chief of staff, said the work is currently estimated to be done
in June 2022, a month ahead of schedule.
The ramps themselves will be opened between this fall and next spring, he said.
“Right now, the contractor is
working through the winter” on retaining walls, noise barrier walls, a new overpass and electrical work, Downes said.
About 300 cubic yards of waste associated with the former Raymark factory nearby has been removed and disposed of, with about 40 more cubic yards due to be taken out next week, Downes said.
Harkins said the effort took years but will pay off for the town.
“When communities are competing for economic development right now, this is going to be great for Stratford,” he said.
“You don’t see new ramps on 95 much,” the former mayor said. “We’re finally getting ours in Stratford. I think the longterm effects will be very positive. Access is huge to any business.”