State transportation officials have quietly ramped up work on a nearly $500 million project overhauling one of central Connecticut’s most congested and headache-inducing highway corridors. On Thursday, the state Department of Transportation opened bidding for the second of three construction phases on the Meriden interchange formed by the merger of three highways — Interstates 91 and 691, as well as state Route 15 — that collectively carry around 260,000 vehicles every day. Work began earlier this year on the initial, $85 million phase of the project to repair bridges, add one lane of traffic to I-91 north and make related road improvements, according to DOT spokesman Josh Morgan. The final two — and largest — phases of the project, however, will begin early next year and work is scheduled to last until 2029. Both of those phases will focus on restructuring the northbound and southbound interchanges between I-91 and the other highways. In October, the State Bond Commission agreed to borrow $31.7 million toward the second, northbound phase of the project, which is also slated to receive $220 million in federal funding.
https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/connecticut/article/ct-meriden-interstate-91-691-route-15-interchange-18553771.php