Plans for a full interchange at exit 33 on Interstate 95 are progressing via $24 million in funding that has been unanimously approved by the Greater Bridgeport and Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization.
Stratford Mayor John Harkins made the announcement recently, calling it “a major deal.”
The money and the work are part of a broad-based municipal effort to centralize urban activities in downtowns, familiarly called transit-oriented development.
Funding ”“ 90 percent ”“ will be provided by the Federal Highway Administration”™s national highway performance program; 10 percent is the state of Connecticut”™s responsibility. The plan was included in an amendment, approved Feb. 17, to the fiscal year 2015-2018 state Transportation Improvement Plan. That federally approved plan is in place until October 2018.
Exit 33 will see the construction of two new ramps in Stratford: a northbound on-ramp at Ferry Boulevard and a southbound off-ramp near Barnum Avenue Cutoff and Veterans Boulevard.
Construction is projected to begin in 2017, but the right-of-way and design phases will begin this year.
“The availability of funding marks a major step in progression for the proposed project that would construct a full interchange at exit 33,” the mayor”™s office said in a statement.
“The new ramps would provide full access to I-95 for residents and visitors wishing to patronize businesses in Stratford, especially in the developing transit-oriented district and Route 1 corridor,” the statement said. Another anticipated benefit is congestion relief on Route 1 and surrounding streets.
“This project is a common-sense approach to address traffic and safety concerns as well as to stimulate our local and regional economies,” Harkins said. “Residents will finally be able to easily access many of Stratford”™s great businesses and will be able to have better access to the highway.”
