Connecticut political leaders secure $125M federal grant for Interstate interchange upgrade in Meriden. The grant supports phase 3 of the project, aimed at reducing congestion, improving safety, and modernizing the dangerous roadway configuration. Construction to be completed by 2030, with estimated total project cost exceeding $500M. Project funded by bipartisan infrastructure law, creating jobs and enhancing infrastructural development.
A $125 million competitive grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) was awarded to the Connecticut to support the third phase of a construction project designed to reconfigure the dangerous roadway interchange that connects Interstate 91, Interstate 691 and Conn. Route 15 in Meriden.
The joint announcement was made Oct. 18 through Gov. Ned Lamont and included the state's two Democratic U.S. senators, Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, Congresswomen Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District and Jahana Hayes, D-5th District, Congressman John B. Larson, D-1st District, and Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto.
The funding was delivered to the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) through President Joe Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), which he signed into law three years ago.
The interchange is one of Connecticut's most congested, outdated and crash-prone highway corridors — so much so that the state's political leaders have been unified in working to secure the federal monies that will enable the state to complete the major reconfiguration.
Currently, CTDOT is building the second of the project's three phases. The construction's overall goal is to reduce congestion and improve safety by eliminating dangerous weaving points, correcting roadway geometry, and adding multi-lane exits.
Upon completion of Phase 3, expected in 2030, the project will see the replacement and rehabilitation of several bridges and the addition and extension of auxiliary lanes to reduce crashes and improve traffic flow.
In the news release, Lamont said his administration has made the highway reconfiguration a priority "because it's about time that we do something about the backups, crashes and delays that this oddly designed section of roadway causes nearly every day."
He admitted that due to it being in such a heavily traveled part of the state near Hartford, "it's going to take some time to complete, but ultimately central Connecticut will benefit from finally easing the congestion on these highways.
"I applaud Connecticut's outstanding Congressional delegation for not only helping to get this law passed but also working to ensure that our state benefits from it in a major way," Lamont continued. "I thank the Biden-Harris administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation for working with our administration to secure the funding for this important project."
Murphy noted in his comments, "Getting through the congestion on I-91, I-691, and Route 15 has become a daily headache for Connecticut drivers. This $125 million in federal dollars from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will help realign ramps, replace aging bridges, improve drainage and support other long-needed infrastructure upgrades that streamline the flow of traffic, create good-paying jobs and ensure a safer, smoother commute for thousands of people."
Entire Project Likely to Cost Over $500 Million
The cost of the project's first phase totaled $80 million and was entirely funded by Connecticut. The second portion of the work is supported by a combination of $50 million in state funding and $200 million federal funding from the BIL. The third phase will be supported by the $125 million federal grant just announced, as well as additional state funding.
Combined, the expenditure for all three phases is anticipated to be more than $500 million.
CTDOT's I-91/I-691/Route 15 Interchangement overhaul includes a project labor agreement with the building trades, providing good-paying jobs and workforce development training for the next generation of workers, Lamont noted.
The initial phase of work began in early 2023 and is aimed at repairing bridges, adding a lane of traffic to I-91, and making related road improvements. It includes:
- Realigning and reconfiguring the ramp to two lanes to meet traffic demand from I-691 eastbound to I-91 northbound (Exit 1A to old Exit 11).
- Building a bridge replacement due to the proposed ramp realignment.
- Adding an auxiliary lane on I-91 northbound to relieve congestion and improve safety caused by a steep uphill grade.
This past June, the project's second slate of work got under way and includes:
- Adding a new two-lane exit ramp from Route 15 to I-91 northbound to reduce traffic congestion on the Exit 68 North/East ramp.
- Closing the existing Exit 17 ramp from I-91 northbound to Route 15 northbound and re-routing traffic to Exit 16 to provide a two-lane exit ramp with a right-side traffic merge onto Route 15 northbound.
- Reconfiguring the existing Exit 68 West ramp from Route 15 northbound to I-691 westbound to two lanes.
- Rebuilding the acceleration and deceleration lanes to provide adequate traffic weaving distances to improve safety.
When the third phase begins, crews will:
- Build a new two-lane exit ramp from Route 15 southbound to I-91 southbound to reduce traffic congestion on the existing Exit 67 ramp.
- Construct another new two-lane I-91 southbound ramp to Route 15 southbound to cut down on the amount of traffic tie-ups on the existing Exit 17 ramp.
- Reconfigure the ramp from I-691 eastbound to Route 15 southbound (Exit 10) to two lanes.
- Redo the ramp from I-91 southbound to I-691 westbound (Exit 18) to make it two lanes.
"This redesign will provide relief to the countless motorists who pass through every day and provide much-needed infrastructure upgrades," explained Blumenthal. "I will continue fighting to deliver federal investments to Connecticut that make our roads and highways more safe and secure."
"When my fellow Congressional members and I worked on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, we understood the law's potential to benefit communities throughout the state," noted DeLauro, who added that with the funding now in place for the third phase of work on the Meriden highway interchanges, "we are generating well-paying jobs, fixing bridges, expanding traffic lanes on I-91, making our roads safer and enhancing road conditions."
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