The City Council will be asked Tuesday to support a $15.6 million federal grant request for improvements to the Interstate 395 Exit 18 ramp and to create dedicated lanes for traffic entering and leaving the planned Occum Industrial Center. The Norwich Community Development Corp. is seeking authorization to apply for the grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity, RAISE, program. The requested $15.6 million would fund the majority of the proposed $20 million project to upgrade the Exit 18 northbound and southbound ramps with wider lanes, including acceleration and deceleration lanes on the steep ramps, a traffic light at the Route 97 intersection, sidewalks along Route 97 and dedicated lanes to enter and exit the industrial center. Nystrom thanked the state for awarding the initial $11.3 million in Community Investment Fund grant money to construct the access road and thanked state Sen. Cathy Osten for obtaining another $500,000 in state funding for design work.
https://www.theday.com/local-news/20240219/norwich-considers-pursuing-15-million-federal-grant-for-i-395-exit-improvements/