The Connecticut Department of Transportation said a long-awaited $54 million reconfiguration of the notorious intersection will center around a new bridge to carry Route 9 over Union Street, complete with an additional northbound acceleration lane that will allow Route 17 traffic to merge onto the highway without having to stop first at a stop sign. The project has not been bid yet, with an advertisement planned for next month – but construction is projected to begin in the spring of 2023 with the reconfiguration of the Route 17-Main Street Extension interchange, and wrap up in fall 2026 with the construction of the new bridge on Route 9, Connecticut DOT engineer Stephen Hall said during a virtual informational meeting Thursday night. Construction on the Route 9 bridge isn’t actually expected to start until the winter of 2023 – Hall said construction will be year-round to allow it to be completed sooner. In the spring, construction would begin at the interchange of Route 17 and Main Street Extension.
Plans Announced to Fix Accident-Prone Route 17 Interchange Onto Route 9 at Middletown