CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NEWS RELEASE 2800 BERLIN TURNPIKE P.O. BOX 317546 NEWINGTON CONNECTICUT, 06131-7546

FOR RELEASE: November 17, 2016

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS TELEPHONE: (860) 594-3062 FAX: (860) 594-3065 WEB SITE: www.ct.gov/dot

GOV. MALLOY ANNOUNCES COMPLETION OF Q-BRIDGE/I-95 NEW HAVEN HARBOR CROSSING CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Dannel P. Malloy, Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) Commissioner James Redeker and other officials today announced the substantial completion of the I-95 New Haven Harbor Crossing Corridor Improvement Program, a multi-modal transportation project designed to increase capacity and safety and reduce congestion in the area.  As of today, all major roadwork has been completed and travel lanes opened for use.

The program, completed on schedule and $200 million under budget, features the new ten-lane, extradosed Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge – informally known as the Q Bridge – and various improvements to roadway operations, such as additional highway lanes and the complete reconstruction of the I-95/I-91/Route 34 Interchange.  It also includes enhancements to public transit that, taken together with the bridge replacement, will ease traffic in the heavily traveled 7.2-mile stretch of I-95 between Long Wharf Drive (Exit 46) and Cedar Street (Exit 54).

“The completion of this major transportation project – one of the biggest our state has ever undertaken – will result in improved commutes for thousands of Connecticut residents in the region who depend on it for their economic well-being as part of their day-to-day lives,” Governor Malloy said.  “In order to have a successful economy that attracts businesses and grows jobs, we must have an effective transportation system that efficiently moves workers, as well as goods and services.  For too long, our state did not make the needed investments to keep up with our transportation needs – and we can no longer afford to sit back and let the status quo remain.  This project is a great example of a bold step in making a modernized transportation system a reality.  Our economic future depends on these kinds of major upgrades, and our residents deserve nothing less.”

“The I-95 New Haven Harbor Crossing Corridor Improvement Program continues to improve traffic operations along Interstate 95 and Interstate 91 in Greater New Haven,” Commissioner Redeker said.  “CTDOT thanks the Greater New Haven community, for their continued patience, understanding, and cooperation during the life of this project.”

The new Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge is the central component of the 18-year, nearly $2 billion I-95 New Haven Harbor Crossing Corridor Improvement Program.  It is the first extradosed cable-stayed bridge in the United States and its replacement is considered the largest, most comprehensive project ever undertaken by CTDOT.  The bridge now provides four additional lanes and much needed congestion relief in one of the most heavily traveled segments of the northeast corridor between New York and Boston.  It accommodates traffic volumes in excess of 140,000 vehicles per day – more than three times the 40,000 vehicles per day its predecessor was designed to carry.

The program also included the reconstruction of the I-95/I-91/Route 34 Interchange, providing three additional travel lanes on I-95 and safety features, including full shoulders, improved sight lines, illumination, signing and pavement markings, a new Incident Management System (IMS), new drainage systems, and improvements to eighteen local roads.  The project also reconfigures the interchange to eliminate left lane exit and entrance ramps and provides for two-lane interstate to interstate connections, including:

• The I-95 Southbound off-ramp to I-91 Northbound (Exit 48)
• The I-95 Southbound off-ramp to Route 34 Westbound (Exit 47)
• The Route 34 Eastbound on-ramp to I-95 Southbound
• The Route 34 Eastbound on-ramp to I-91 Northbound

As was previously announced, CTDOT was recently honored with the Grand Prize at the 2016 America’s Transportation Awards competition in recognition of the agency’s successful work on creating the new Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge.  The state beat out 84 other project nominees from 39 state transportation departments plus the District of Columbia as part of the national competition.

For more information on the I-95 New Haven Harbor Crossing Corridor Improvement Program, visit www.i95newhaven.com.