September 22, 2020
Connecticut Environmental Policy Act (CEPA ) Project Inventory now available.
All submissions to the Council should be sent electronically to: peter.hearn@ct.gov.
1) NEW! Notice of Scoping for Interchange Improvements to I-91, I-691 and Route 15, Meriden and Middletown.
Scoping Notice - Post-Scoping Notice (Need More Time)
No notice for additional time has been submitted for publication in this edition.
Post-Scoping Notice
Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE)
No EIE Notice has been submitted for publication in this edition.
Agency Record of Decision
No Record of Decision has been submitted for publication in this edition.
No Determination of Adequacy Notice has been submitted for publication in this edition.
No State Land Transfer Notice has been submitted for publication in this edition.
The next edition of the Environmental Monitor will be published on October 6, 2020.
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Inquiries and requests to view or copy documents, pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, must be submitted to the sponsoring state agency.
Scoping Notice
"Scoping" is for projects in the earliest stages of planning. At the scoping stage, detailed information on a project's design, alternatives, and environmental impacts does not yet exist. Sponsoring agencies are asking for comments from other agencies and from the public as to the scope of alternatives and environmental impacts that should be considered for further study. Send your comments to the contact person listed for the project by the date indicated. Read More
1) Notice of Scoping for Interchange Improvements to I-91, I-691 and Route 15
Municipalities where proposed action might be located: Meriden and Middletown
Project Description:
This scoping notice is for three separate projects having independent utility within the I-91, I-691, and Route 15 interchange area. The purpose of these projects is to reduce traffic congestion and improve safety associated with crashes caused by congestion and weaving. Originally, the proposed improvements were to be addressed as part of one large project, however, based on project size, scope, construction costs, and available funding, CTDOT determined that three smaller independent projects would be a much more manageable and cost effective approach.
State Project No. 79-240: Interchange Improvements to I-91 Southbound, I-691 Eastbound, and Route 15 Southbound. The proposed improvements include the following:
I-91 Southbound
- Provide operational lanes from Exit 19 (Baldwin/Preston Avenue) to Exit 18 (I-691 WB) and from the Route 66/I-691 WB On-ramp to the East Main Street Off-ramp (Exit 17)
- Provide a two-lane exit ramp to I-691 WB
- Relocate the access to Route 15 SB and realign the exit ramp to East Main Street
- Resurface the highway pavement to the Wallingford town line
Route 15 Southbound
- Provide a two-lane exit ramp from I-691 EB
- Relocate the ramps to and from East Main Street
- Relocate the exit ramp to I-91 SB
- Widen the highway to accommodate the new two-lane ramp from I-91 SB
State Project No. 79-245: Improvements to the I-691 Eastbound Off-ramp to I-91 Northbound. The proposed improvements consist of providing a two-lane exit ramp from I-691 EB to I-91 NB and an operational lane on I-91 NB from the On-ramp from I-691 EB to the Middletown rest area.
State Project No. 79-246: Interchange improvements to I-91 Northbound, I-691 Westbound and Route 15 Northbound. The proposed improvements include the following:
Route 15 Northbound
- Provide a new two-lane ramp to I-91 NB
- Provide an additional lane on the exit ramp to I-691 WB
- Reconfigure the ramp to East Main Street
I-91 Northbound
- Reconfigure the ramp to Route 15 NB
- Widen the highway to accommodate the new two-lane ramp from Route 15 NB
- Resurface the highway pavement from the Wallingford town line
Alternatives Analysis Report and Maps: Click Here to view the Alternatives Analysis Report (which includes maps of the project area).
Written comments from the public are welcomed and will be accepted until the close of business on: October 23, 2020
There will be a virtual Public Scoping Meeting for this proposed action:
DATE: Thursday October 8, 2020
TIME: 7:00 p.m.
PLACE: Virtual Meeting
NOTES: The meeting will be live streamed via Microsoft Teams Live Event and YouTube Live. A Question and Answer session will immediately follow the presentation. A link to join the virtual meeting will be available at the following location: https://portal.ct.gov/DOT79-240
Individuals with limited internet access can listen to the meeting by calling (888) 989-9724 and entering the Participant Code: 5891744 when prompted. Individuals with limited internet access can request meeting materials and project information be mailed to them prior to the meeting by contacting Sebastian Cannamela by email at Sebastian.Cannamela@ct.gov or phone at 860-594-2698 prior to September 29, 2020.
Persons with hearing and/or speech disabilities may dial 711 for Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS). Language assistance may be requested by contacting the CTDOT's Language Assistance Call Line (860) 594-2109. Requests should be made at least 5 business days prior to the meeting. Language assistance is provided at no cost to the public and efforts will be made to respond to timely requests for assistance.
The MS Teams Live Event offers closed-captioning for the hearing impaired and non-English translation options. A recording of the formal presentation will be posted to YouTube following the meeting and closed-captioning (including non-English translation options) will be available at that time. The recording of the presentation will also be posted within 7 days on CTDOT's virtual public meetings website at the following location: https://portal.ct.gov/dot/general/CTDOT-VPIM-Library.
Written comments (email preferred) should be sent to:
Name: Kevin Fleming
Agency: Connecticut Department of Transportation, Office of Environmental Planning
Address: 2800 Berlin Turnpike, Newington, CT 06131
E-Mail: dot.EnvironmentalPlanning@ct.gov
If you have questions about the public meeting, or other questions about the scoping for this project, contact:
Name: Sebastian Cannamela, P.E., Project Manager
Agency: Connecticut Department of Transportation, Bureau of Engineering and Construction
Address: 2800 Berlin Turnpike, Newington, CT 06131
Phone: (860) 594-2698
E-Mail: Sebastian.Cannamela@ct.gov
Inquiries and requests to view and or copy documents, pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, must be submitted to the sponsoring state agency:
Name: Ms. Alice M. Sexton
Agency: Connecticut Department of Transportation, Office of Legal Services
Address: 2800 Berlin Turnpike, Newington, CT 06131
Phone: (860) 594-3045
E-Mail: Alice.Sexton@ct.gov
What Happens Next: CTDOT will make a determination whether to proceed with preparation of an Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE) or that the project does not require the preparation of an EIE under the Connecticut Environmental Policy Act (CEPA). A Post-Scoping Notice of its decision will appear in a future edition of the Environmental Monitor.
Scoping Notice - Post-Scoping Notice (Need More Time)
If an agency is unable to publish a Post-Scoping Notice within six months after the comment period for scoping, the agency will publish an update with an action status and an estimate as to when a Post-Scoping Notice will be published. Such an update will be published by the agency at six-month intervals until the Post-Scoping Notice is published. Read More
Post-Scoping Notice
A Post-Scoping Notice is the determination by a sponsoring agency, after publication of a Scoping Notice and consideration of comments received, whether an Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE) needs to be prepared for a proposed State action. Read More
EIE Notice
After Scoping, an agency that wishes to undertake an action that could significantly affect the environment must produce, for public review and comment, a detailed written evaluation of the expected environmental impacts. This is called an Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE). Read More
Agency Record of Decision
After an Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE) is developed, an agency will prepare a concise public record of decision, which takes into consideration the agency’s findings in the EIE, and any comments received on that evaluation. Read More
OPM's Determination of Adequacy
After an Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE) is developed. the Office of Policy and Management (OPM) will determine if the EIE is adequate. If not, OPM will specify the areas of inadequacy with reference to CEPA or the CEPA regulations and specify the corrective action required. Read More
State Land Transfer Notice
Connecticut General Statutes Section 4b-47 requires public notice of most proposed sales and transfers of state-owned lands. The public has an opportunity to comment on any such proposed transfer. Each notice includes an address where comments should be sent. Read more about the process.
CEPA Project Inventory
The Office of Policy and Management maintains a list of projects the have entered the CEPA process. It shows each project's status. The inventory can be found at ftp://ftp.ct.gov/opm/CEPA/CEPA%20Project%20Inventory.xlsx .
