CTDOT has started construction of Project 0082-0316 – Reconfiguration of the Route 17 Northbound On-ramp to Route 9 Northbound in Middletown, which will help reduce rear-end crashes at the Route 9 northbound and Route 17 northbound interchange. The existing on-ramp from Route 17 onto Route 9 is controlled by a stop sign and has significantly higher crash rates than similar adjacent on-ramps.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) is currently developing plans to remove two traffic signals on Route 9 to improve safety and reduce congestion. The project is located on Route 9 from Exit 22 near Silver St. in Middletown to Exit 25 at Route 99 in Cromwell.

Constructed 18 sidewalk bump outs on Main Street in 2019 between Union Street and Washington Street. These bump outs occupy unused space on the corners of the intersections and reduce pedestrian crossing distances to improve safety. By bumping out the sidewalk closer to the travel ways, the pedestrians are more visible to approaching motorists and exposed to traffic for a shorter time as they cross the roadway. Reducing the pedestrian crossing distance also allows more green time to be allocated to Main Street, encouraging vehicles to travel on Main Street instead of cutting through local residential streets.

The closure of the Miller Street access to Route 9. Currently, the only legal access into and out of the Miller Street neighborhood is directly from Route 9 southbound because Bridge Street and Portland Street are separated by an at-grade railroad crossing that is only open to pedestrians and emergency vehicles. This project required a legislation modification to legally open the at-grade railroad crossing for daily use by all users. By opening this railroad crossing, direct access to downtown will be provided on the local roadway network for the residents of the Miller Street neighborhood. Construction has recently started for the project and is expected to be completed by late Fall 2024.

Provided safety and operational improvements to Saint John’s Square in 2020. This project provided sidewalk bump outs north of Washington Street, similar to CTDOT Project# 82-319. Additionally, two turn lanes were added, and geometric improvements were provided at Saint John’s Square to reduce congestion and improve safety. The traffic signal configuration in this area has been designed to encourage drivers to travel down Main Street instead of cutting through local residential streets. By improving the geometrics and operations of Saint John’s Square, Main Street becomes the more desirable route for traffic coming off the Arrigoni Bridge and heading to destinations west of downtown.

This project has been initiated to construct a wide pedestrian bridge across Route 9 in the vicinity of Court Street and Dingwall Drive. In addition to providing access to Harbor Park across Route 9, the pedestrian bridge will serve as a destination, wide enough for landscaping and sitting areas. Connection to both sides of the pedestrian bridge will be coordinated with Middletown Officials.