MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (WTIC Radio) - A major project to make the Route 17 on-ramp to Route 9 Northbound in Middletown safer is expected to be done soon than originally planned due to the massive infrastructure investment from the Biden Administration.
The federal funding is expected to reduce the Route 9/Route 17 Interchange Project timeline by one full year, State Transportation Deputy Commissioner Mark Rolfe said, putting its new estimated completion around the fall of 2024.
Middletown and State officials first began developing the plans years ago due to the significantly high crash rate at the stop-controlled on-ramp onto Route 9 North, Mayor Ben Florsheim said.
Florsheim described the area as "the most dangerous, crash-prone on-ramp of any highway in the State of Connecticut." The area also isolates areas meant to be open for the public like Harbor Park, he said, due to dangerous pedestrian conditions.
The project proposes big changes that would reconfigure the on-ramp in a way that would reduce crashes and improve safety.
For example, the proposed work includes a full-length acceleration lane for Route 17 traffic to merge onto Route 9 north, requiring the closure of the Harbor Drive on-ramp to Route 9, Rolfe said.
It also includes an additional pedestrian access point on Union Street, additional dedicated turn lanes to increase traffic capacity, and other features, he said.
With these improvements, "you're going to have much safer, much faster, much more efficient experience whether you're driving, whether you're walking, whether you live in Middletown [or] whether you're passing through," Florsheim said.