(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he has signed an order modifying rules that prohibit certain vehicles from driving on the Merritt Parkway and Wilbur Cross Parkway in order to allow for utility restoration trucks to use these limited access highways if they are needed in response to outages that may be caused by Tropical Storm Elsa. The storm is forecast to impact Connecticut tomorrow morning, bringing heavy rain and strong wind.
State regulations prohibit certain types of vehicles – such as commercial vehicles, trailers, buses, towed vehicles, and those that exceed a certain weight or length – from driving on these two roads, which are among the oldest parkways in the country.
“While these rules are necessary for day-to-day public safety purposes, putting a pause on them with this narrowly tailored, temporary waiver just makes sense so that the utility companies can provide a quicker response to the impending storm, if they are needed,” Governor Lamont said.
The waiver applies only to energy and telecommunications utility restoration vehicles that do not exceed the maximum height allowed on the parkways, provided that each utility company first consults with the Connecticut Department of Transportation to provide information about the types and heights of vehicles that will use them. The waiver begins at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, July 9, 2021, and lasts through 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 15, 2021.
**Download: Governor Lamont’s waiver of limited access highway restriction in response to Tropical Storm Elsa