MIDDLETOWN — As the state Department of Transportation explores potential remedies to the high number of crashes on Route 9 through Middletown and Portland, local officials are seeking to ensure residents have a voice in the process. The city’s Common Council passed a resolution at its Monday meeting requesting that the department schedule a public hearing on all proposed changes to Route 9 and adjacent city streets within 90 days. “I fully expect that there will be a public session to review the plan,” Mayor Gene Nocera said. Nocera questioned what would happen if traffic lights were removed — something he acknowledged could make overall travel in the area safer — and wanted to ensure the plan is “well thought out and achievable.” The 41-mile expressway connects the eastern Connecticut coastline at Old Saybrook to the Hartford suburbs in Farmington. According to the DOT’s website, there are currently two active projects underway in Middletown’s portion of the expressway. First is a reconfiguration of a northbound entrance ramp to Route 9 in Middletown, which the department says will help reduce rear-end crashes at the Route 9 northbound and Route 17 northbound interchange. The existing ramp from Route 17 onto Route 9 is controlled by a stop sign and has significantly higher crash rates than similar adjacent on-ramps, according to the DOT. The four-year project began in March 2023 with an estimated cost of $54 million. The second project is the removal of two traffic signals on Route 9 — from Exit 22 near Silver Street in Middletown to Exit 25 at Route 99 in Cromwell — which the department says is to improve safety and reduce congestion.

https://ctexaminer.com/2026/06/02/middletown-officials-push-dot-for-public-input-on-route-9-changes/