We’ve all been there – cruising up Route 9 when all of a sudden the lights turn red.
“It really bogs the traffic up. It goes all the way from Route 9 to Cromwell sometimes,” said Chick Faraci of Middletown.
But driving north before you reach the Middletown stop lights, there’s another dicey traffic pattern where Route 17 and Route 9 North converge.
“I see a stop sign, and it just took me by surprise because I would expect a yield to continue that speed onto the highway,” said Josh Lombardo, a student at UConn.
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“I don’t know who designed it, but they’re not working at DOT anymore,” Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto said with a laugh.
On Tuesday, Eucalitto, Governor Lamont and others state leaders broke ground on a project to replace the on-ramp with a new full-length design.
“This may not be flashy, but jerking the head back, trying to get on that highway creates about, sounds like 100 accidents a year,” Lamont said.
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According to DOT numbers, the ramp connecting Route 17 to Route 9 North created over 240 accidents from 2019 to 2021. The new design would remove the stop sign, and include a full-length acceleration lane to connect to Route 9.
“The visibility is not very good, and I see people banging their cars all the time,” said Nelly Altenburger of Middletown.
The state has the total cost for this project hovering around $50 million, 80% of which is federally funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“As construction season begins, we urge all the drivers to respect the rules of the road, drive safe, and slow down through our work zones,” Eucalitto said.
DOT hopes the project will be complete in 2026. It will be the first in a series of traffic redevelopment projects over the next decade.
Eucalitto said the state is finalizing designs to remove the Route 9 stop lights up the road, and hopes to present those designs to the public for feedback by the end of the year. He said the plan is to begin the project in 2026.
