As part of an effort to alleviate traffic on one of the nation’s most congested stretches of interstate highway, the Connecticut Department of Transportation is weighing a fix that has roused local opposition: adding more highway. In October, the agency delivered a presentation to a committee made up of Stamford residents, business leaders and other local groups unveiling several concepts for a planned overhaul of Interstate 95 through the city’s downtown. One option called for widening the interstate by a single lane in each direction. Another suggests putting up a “collector-distributor” road running parallel to the highway. Those proposals were pitched as part of DOT’s long-term study of ways to improve traffic and safety on I-95 between exits 6 and 9, a bottleneck that is well known to Connecticut drivers for producing chronic delays. In addition, the DOT is looking to replace a bridge carrying the highway over local roads and the Metro-North railroad tracks, which is outdated and in need of replacement.
CT DOT considering widening a major state highway. Why it’s bringing heated debate.
