(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that the Connecticut Department of Transportation has been awarded a $1 million grant from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to support the state agency in a study it recently launched that is researching safety improvements that can be made on I-95 in Stamford.
Known as the Interstate 95 Stamford Planning and Environmental Linkage Study, the review is researching alternatives that will create safer merges and reduce crashes on the highway between exits 7 and 9. There were 736 crashes on this segment of the I-95 corridor between 2018 and 2020.
The study is also developing concepts to replace the I-95 bridge over Metro-North Railroad and Myrtle Avenue in Stamford. The 1,065-foot-long bridge, originally constructed in 1958, carries I-95 over Metro-North Railroad, one of the nation’s busiest passenger railroads. Despite ongoing rehabilitation, the bridge remains in poor condition and solutions will be developed utilizing this grant to allow for its replacement.
The grant was released by the Federal Highway Administration through the Bridge Investment Program and is funded by President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“I’m excited that one of Connecticut’s busiest interstate corridors has received some of the first funding from a federal program created under last year’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” Governor Lamont said. “I’d like to thank President Biden and his administration for recognizing the most critical infrastructure upgrades and improvements Connecticut needs to make. I’d also like to thank our federal partners and Congressional delegation for their continued support and advocacy to apply infrastructure investments where they’re needed most in our state.”
“This award supports the goals of the grant program – improving safety for drivers and pedestrians, easing travel time for freight and travelers, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from traffic congestion, and improving the quality of life for residents of Stamford and surrounding communities,” Connecticut Transportation Commissioner Joe Giulietti said. “This is just the beginning of many federal grant funding opportunities that the Connecticut Department of Transportation is targeting to accelerate and prioritize safety improvement and accessibility upgrade projects on all of our roadways.”
Exits 7 and 8 provide access to downtown Stamford and their ramps carry high volumes onto and off the highway. In addition to car and truck traffic, rail (Metro-North Railroad and Amtrak) and bus riders, bicyclists, and pedestrians all use this area daily.
The Connecticut Department of Transportation plans to host public information meetings early next year to support the agency in this study.
For more information on the study and to sign up for project updates, visit i95stamford.com.