Connecticut State Council on Environmental Quality

Environmental Monitor

  August 18, 2015

  1.   NEW! Relocation of I-91 Northbound (NB) Interchange 29 and Widening of I-91 NB and Route 15 NB to I-84 Eastbound, Hartford and East Hartford
      

     No Post- Scoping Notice has been submitted for publication in this edition.

 
     No Environmental Impact Evaluation has been submitted for publication in this edition.
 
 
     No State Land Transfer has been submitted for publication in this edition.
                  
The next edition of the Environmental Monitor will be published on September 8, 2015.
 
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Notices in the Environmental Monitor are written by the sponsoring agencies and are published unedited. Questions about the content of any notice should be directed to the sponsoring agency.
 
Scoping Notices

"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.
The following Scoping Notice has been submitted for review and comment.
1. Notice of Scoping for the Relocation of I-91 Northbound (NB) Interchange 29 and Widening of I-91 NB and Route 15 NB to I-84 Eastbound (EB)

Municipalities where proposed project might be located: Hartford and East Hartford

Address of Possible Project Location:  I-91 from Interchange 27 to Interchange 29, Route 15 from the Charter Oak Bridge to I-84 EB 

Purpose and Need:  The purpose and need of this project is to address safety concerns associated with congestion and operational failures at Interchange 29 on I-91 NB, which connects to Route 15 NB and I-84 EB.  

Project Description: The following improvements are proposed:

Widen I-91 NB from Interchange 27 to Interchange 29 - To relieve congestion, address significant safety concerns and provide an efficient I-91 to I-84 connection, I-91 NB will be widened to extend the four-lane travel lane section from Interchange 27 to Interchange 29.  This widening will occur on the easterly side of I-91 NB and will require modifications to four existing bridges. A total length of approximately 6,700 feet of I-91 NB will be widened.

Relocate the I-91 NB Exit Ramp at Interchange 29 - To address the adverse vertical grade and limited capacity of the existing ramp, it is proposed to remove the existing ramp and provide a major diverge on I-91 NB just south of the overpass of Route 15.  The diverge will consist of three lanes of I-91 NB traffic maintained to the right (existing condition) and two lanes to the left via a new bridge over Route 15 SB.  This will require realignment of Route 15 and widening of the southern approach to the Charter Oak Bridge. 

To avoid widening the Charter Oak Bridge over the Connecticut River, existing pavement markings on Route 15 NB will be modified to accommodate the added lane from the new I-91 NB Interchange 29 ramp.  These four travel lanes on Route 15 NB will be carried across the bridge to the existing lane-drop at Interchange 90 to Route 2 and Route 5. 

Widen Route 15 NB from the Charter Oak Bridge to the Silver Lane Underpass - Due to the proximity of the four lane merge and lane-drop at Interchange 90, it is proposed that Route 15 will be widened to three travel lanes from Interchange 90 to the Silver Lane underpass, prior to merging with I-84 EB.  This widening addresses congestion concerns on Route 15 and allows for a more desirable distance prior to the I-84 EB merge.  The improvement will require widening two bridges on Route 15 (Route 15 over Route 5 and Route 15 over Silver Lane).                   

Project Maps:  Click here to view a map of the project area.

Written comments from the public are welcomed and will be accepted until the close of business on:  Friday September 18, 2015.

Any person can ask the sponsoring agency to hold a Public Scoping Meeting by sending such a request to the address or email below.  If a meeting is requested by 25 or more individuals, or by an association that represents 25 or more members, the sponsoring agency shall schedule a Public Scoping Meeting.  Such requests must be made by Friday August 28, 2015.

Written comments and/or requests for a Public Scoping Meeting should be sent to:

Name: Mr. Mark W. Alexander, Transportation Assistant Planning Director
Agency: Connecticut Department of Transportation
Bureau of Policy and Planning
Address: 2800 Berlin Turnpike, Newington, CT 06131
E-Mail: dot.environmentalplanning@ct.gov

If you have questions about the scoping for this project, contact:

Name: Mr. Sebastian Cannamela, Transportation Supervising Engineer
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
 
Post-Scoping Notices:   Environmental Impact Evaluation Not Required
 
This category is required by the October 2010 revision of the Generic Environmental Classification Document for State Agencies. A notice is published here if the sponsoring agency, after publication of a scoping notice and consideration of comments received, has determined that an  Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE) does not need to be prepared for the proposed project.
No Post-Scoping Notices have been submitted for publication in this edition.
 
 
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).
No Environmental Impact Evaluation has been submitted for publication in this edition.
 
 
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.

No State Land Transfer Notice has been submitted for publication in this edition.

 
 
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