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Prepare to Queue on the Q
Q Bridge widening a 12-year ordeal
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Business New Haven
8/20/2001
By: Linda Mele
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The reconstruction and widening of I-95 between Long Wharf and Cedar Street in Branford is only one component of a 12-year project known as the “I-95 New Haven Corridor Improvement Program/I-95 New Haven Harbor Crossing Project.”
The project is designed to “replace operationally outdated roadway infrastructure,” address safety and traffic issues caused by the structural deficiencies of the Pearl Harbor Memorial (Quinnipiac River) Bridge [and] to improve traffic safety and traffic flow.”
The process began in 1991 with a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). The state Department of Transportation's (DOT's) Record of Decision (ROD) and Recommended Action was issued in August 1999, and actual construction on Phase 1 began last year. If all goes according to plan, the entire project will be completed in 2012.
At a cost of $700 million, the project will widen and reconfigure the Q Bridge along with the roadways, highways and exits/entrances along a 7.2-mile stretch of road that includes Long Wharf.
Phase 1of the project is already in the works. This phase is the new State Street Commuter Railroad Station located between Court and Chapel streets, designed to make part of the mass transit system more convenient to attract new customers. Improvements at the Branford, Guilford, Madison, Clinton and Westbrook stations are also a part of the overall project and are expected to entice new commuters, as well.
Phase 2 is the reconstruction and widening of I-95 from the Saltonstall Bridge in East Haven and Cedar Street (Exit 54) in Branford.
A third travel lane, a new median barrier and wider shoulders in each direction will be added. Two bridges will be reconstructed or replaced along with new signage, lighting and noise-barrier walls. The drainage system will also be upgraded.
Phase 3 will include the widening and reconstruction of I-95 from Woodward Avenue (Exit 50) to Lake Saltonstall in East Haven.
From Frontage Road to the western end of the Lake Saltonstall Bridge, in both directions, a third travel lane will be added and between Woodward Avenue and Frontage Road, a fourth lane will be added in both directions.
Nine bridges will also be replaced or rehabilitated.
Phase 4 is the most complex par part of the project and will take the most time to complete. A new, ten-lane Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge will be built over the Quinnipiac River, with five lanes in each direction, which will hook up to a new, wider I-95 from Long Wharf to East Street.
The current Stiles Street and Woodward Avenue exits will be combined into one with access from a connector road. As well, new shoulders and a new median will be constructed.
Phase 5 - the final phase - will reconstruct the I-95/I-91/Route 34 interchange. The left lane exit will be eliminated, 18 bridges will be replaced and 3,500 feet of I-91 will be reconstructed.
According to state officials, “existing traffic lanes will be maintained during peak hours. Commuters can call the state's 24/7 construction information hotline (203-777-INFO) to get an up-to-the-minute status report, tune to the Highway Advisory Radio (HAR) to get around-the-clock information or visit the project's Web site (www.I95newhaven.com) for a more detailed traffic/construction report.
Built in 1958, the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge was originally designed to carry 40,000 vehicles per day - a far cry from the 140,000 per day that is expected by the year 2015.
Christopher Gallucci, the DOT's transportation supervising engineer, says his department will keep traffic flowing by keeping enough lanes open at peak traffic times during construction.
In addition, commuters will be encouraged to use alternate modes of transportation such as busses, trains, taxi cabs, van/car pools and shuttles to get in and out of the city.
According to Gallucci, the Long Wharf portion of the project has been left for last because the DOT still isn't clear about how to deal with that section of highway in light of the city's desire to lower and/or raise it to make it more accessible from downtown.
Asked about the status of the so-called “super station” proposed for either West Haven or Orange, Gallucci says a decision remains up in the air. That station would provide parking for 1,000 cars and serve Metro North riders.
As many as 40 alternative plans for the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge were considered, Gallucci says, and ten were actually studied in depth.
“The High Vehicle Occupancy, or HOV, lanes like they installed in Hartford were considered,” Gallucci says, “but they will not become a part of this project because they aren't as successful as we hoped they would be.”
The first hurdle the project faces is the acquisition of “quite a few” properties, including businesses, the Woodward Avenue school and a strip mall, according to Gallucci.
“We are widening I-95 as much as we possibly can,” Gallucci says, “because we hope we don't have to do this again” in the next 30 or 40 years.
For more information about alternatives to braving the bridge during construction, contact the following:
• Rideworks - for train, car and van pools, access the Internet at www.rideworks.com or call 800-ALL-RIDE.
• CT Transit - for bus service information, call 624-0151 or visit www.cttransit.com.
For the most up-to-date project and traffic information about the project, visit its Web site at www.I95newhaven.com.
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