Any driver who has spent time on I-95 in Connecticut knows traffic on the well-traveled highway can very quickly lead to headaches. Now, state leaders have crafted a plan to make the commute smoother, including changes to several exits that have been thorns in drivers' sides for decades.
The state's Department of Transportation announced Friday that it is leading a $76 million project to extend ramps on I-95 from Exit 6 to Exit 7 in both directions north and south in Stamford. That stretch of road is routinely clogged, with 150,000 vehicles passing through every day.
"This ramp is a gigantic pain in the butt," said Sen. Richard Blumenthal.
"I’ve been driving this road for 50 years, I’ve been cursing at traffic. I’ve been howling at the moon and finally at long last we are doing something about it," Gov. Ned Lamont said.
The hope is that by extending the lane from the on-ramp, it will stop the bottle-necking and increase traffic flow for miles.
"It will be a continual lane. Give you longer time to get over and giving people longer time to get over to the right when they’re trying to exit, because right now what’s occurring is everyone is weaving at the exact same time in the exact same space," DOT Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto said.
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Eucalitto noted that many of the congestion problems in the state are "caused by hard braking and crashes." He said extending the lanes — as well as improving drainage and lighting in the quarter-mile stretch of highway — will make a positive impact for miles, as it will keep traffic flowing and make driving safer.
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"When you have hard braking on the highway it causes a ripple affect in both directions. So this will result in much fewer delays up and down the highway through Stamford," said Eucalitto.
The strategy is being installed in other places across the state as well. Construction is expected to wrap up in 2025.
