Interstate 95 In Connecticut Article Index for
Interstate 95
Website Links For
Interstate
 

Information About

Interstate 95 In Connecticut




  article Route 95
  type Main
  length Mi 11157
  length Round 2
  length Ref Route Log - Main Routes of the Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways - Table 1
  direction A South
  terminus A I-95 in Port Chester, NY
  junction Route 8 in Bridgeport <br> I-91 in New Haven <br> Route 9 in Old Saybrook <br> I-395 in East Lyme
  direction B North
  terminus B I-95 in Hopkinton, RI
  previous Type CT
  previous Route 94
  next Type CT
  next Route 97


Interstate 95 , the main north-south Interstate Highway on the East Coast Of The United States , runs in a general east-west compass direction for 111.57 miles (179.55 km) in Connecticut . The majority of the road, west (south) of the New London area, is part of the Connecticut Turnpike , connecting to the New England Thruway in New York State . I-95 leaves the Turnpike in East Lyme west of New London, and continues east through that city towards Westerly, Rhode Island as the Jewish War Veterans Memorial Highway, while the Turnpike turns north designated Interstate 395 .


MAJOR CITIES

Bolded cities are officially-designated Control Cities for signs.


SPUR ROUTES

  • Interstate 395 is I-95's only spur in Connecticut. It runs from I-95 west (south) of New London north along the Connecticut Turnpike to a split south of Danielson , where it continues north on a newer freeway to Interstate 90 and Interstate 290 south of Worcester, Massachusetts . At the split in Danielson, the Turnpike again turns east, merging with U.S. Route 6 near the Rhode Island state line; that short spur is unsigned Route 695 , but the inclusion of 95 in its number is coincidental.



DISASTERS

In January 1983 , a truck with a brake failure slammed into a line of cars waiting to pay a toll on I-95 in Stratford, Connecticut . Seven people were killed. This accident helped lead to the removal of toll barriers throughout Connecticut , which was completed six years after.

On the morning of June 28 , 1983 , a 100 foot (30 m) section of the Mianus River Bridge in Cos Cob collapsed, plunging northbound I-95 traffic into the Mianus River below, killing three. The collapse was blamed on the failure of the steel pins to hold the horizontal beams together and inadequate inspection prior to the collapse. Northbound traffic was diverted on this section of I-95 for 25 days. Southbound traffic was unaffected.

On March 26 , 2004 , a bridge on I-95 in Bridgeport, Connecticut was partly melted by the explosion of a Tanker Truck carrying over 11,900 gallons (45,000 L) of Fuel Oil . Repairs were estimated to take at least two weeks, but the highway was opened to northbound traffic in only a few days. Southbound traffic resumed about a week later.


HISTORY

While most of I-95 was built as the Connecticut Turnpike, the Connecticut Turnpike incorporated several pieces of already-built relocations, some to Freeway standards, of U.S. Route 1 (the Turnpike split from the US 1 relocation in East Lyme , along the Old Lyme-New London section):


Most of the Turnpike opened January 2 , 1958 , and was designated I-95 south/west of the split with the relocated US 1 by 1959. The rest of I-95 to Rhode Island opened December 12 , 1964 . The Gold Star Bridge was twinned ca. 1975, along with a reconstruction of its approaches, and in 1993 the Raymond E. Baldwin Bridge was widened.

The state installed cameras to watch traffic along the highway in the early 1990s. As of 2007, about 100 cameras have been set up and are monitored by state police and the state Department of Transportation. In Fairfield County , local emergency responders (fire departments and ambulance services) that serve the highway in individual towns have asked for direct feeds from the cameras to avoid mistakes. When travelers report an accident, they sometimes tell authorities that it occurred near an exit that is actually not the nearest to the scene, slowing down response time. The traffic feed from the cameras is available on the World Wide Web, but the service can be spotty, according to the Stamford, Connecticut and Norwalk, Connecticut fire chiefs, who said they were hoping that a proposed $40 million upgrade of the camera system, under consideration by the state in 2007, would provide them access.Ginocchio, Mark, "Local leaders want access to DOT cameras", '' The Advocate '' of Stamford, Connecticut , July 15 , 2007 , pp 1, A6


CONSTRUCTION PLANS

While the corridor was designated "High Priority Corridor 65" in 2005 , work along Interstate 95 in Connecticut has been ongoing for nearly 15 years.


Interstate upgrades

  • Replace the bridge over the Connecticut River in Saybrook (completed in 1993 )

  • Replace the bridge over the Saugatuck River in Westport (completed in 2001 )

  • Widening and reconstruction of I-95 through Bridgeport (nearing completion)

  • Upgrade the median divider from New York State line to Waterford to meet current safety standards (segmented construction ongoing since 1993)

  • Construction of a new extradosed Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge (underway)

  • Reconfiguring the interchange between I-91, I-95, and Route 34 in New Haven (underway)

  • Replace bridge over the West River in New Haven (in planning)

  • Reconstruct I-95/ I-395 interchange in Waterford to accommodate proposed Route 11 Expressway connection (in planning).

  • Replacement of the Moses Wheeler Bridge over the Housatonic River (to start in late 2007 )

  • Widening and reconstruction of I-95 between Norwalk and Stamford

  • Widen I-95 mainline from Branford to the Rhode Island state line



Mass transit upgrades

  • New Train Station near the Fairfield /Bridgeport city line (construction started May 2006 )

  • Intermodal Transportation Center in Bridgeport (in planning)

  • New train stations in Orange and West Haven (in planning)

  • Upgrade Catenary Power Lines along the New Haven Line

  • New train station in Madison

  • Purchase new Railroad Car s and refurbish existing cars to increase capacity and reliability

  • Construct new container Barge ports at Bridgeport and New Haven



EXIT LIST



SCENIC OVERLOOKS


Between Exits 89 and 90 heading eastbound, you will find the Jerome Hoxie Scenic Overlook. This overlooks Mystic Cove.


REFERENCES