A plan to replace a failing bridge on a stretch of highway in Stamford that may include some of the most congested miles in the United States will likely ripple out into many projects, all intended to relieve that traffic congestion. It has been more than 60 years since Interstate 95 opened in the area, which has been increasing in population and traffic ever since. Sections of the road see more than 160,000 vehicles every day, according to the state Department of Transportation. Now, the state is beginning a comprehensive study, the first stage of which promises to be not one major project but many projects, large and small, to rethink one of the region’s busiest stretch of highway. The condition of the I-95 bridge over the Metro-North tracks at Myrtle Street, called “bridge 32,” between Exits 7 and 8, is an example of the wear and tear those decades of commuters have wrought. The bridge was recently “rehabbed,” a $26.7 million project that extended its life, but it’s not enough.
I-95 overhaul? How one failing bridge could lead to much bigger changes in this CT city
