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Senator Jan Hochadel, D-Meriden, welcomed Friday a $125 million U.S. Department of Transportation grant that will support the reconfiguration of Meriden’s highway interchange, which connects Interstate 91, Interstate 691, and Route 15.
“It’s great to see the Biden-Harris Administration’s landmark infrastructure law making tangible improvements in the lives of Meriden residents and Connecticut commuters,” Senator Hochadel said. “Improving the I-91, I-691, and Route 15 interchange will make motorists safer, reduce congestion, and provide quality jobs to our building trades. I’m grateful to our state and federal partners for prioritizing this project.”
The grant, announced Friday by Gov. Ned Lamont’s office, will support the third and final phase of the ongoing project. Connecticut’s Department of Transportation is currently working on its second phase.
The outdated structure of the current interchange has contributed to its status as one of the most traffic and accident-prone highway corridors in Connecticut. When it is completed, the project is expected to make the interchange safer by eliminating dangerous weaving points, adding multi-lane exits, and rehabilitating several bridges, among other improvements.
The three phases of the interchange’s reconfiguration will cost a total of more than $500 million. The $125 million grant announced Friday comes in addition to $200 million in federal support, which offset the cost of the project’s second phase.
Governor Lamont said, “This area of highway is one of the most heavily congested in Connecticut and our administration has made its reconfiguration a priority because it’s about time that we do something about the backups, crashes, and delays that this oddly designed section of roadway causes nearly every day. This is a major reconfiguration of a very heavily traveled area and it’s going to take some time to complete, but ultimately central Connecticut will benefit from finally easing the congestion on these highways. We’re able to execute this project thanks to the funding released by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and I applaud Connecticut’s outstanding Congressional delegation for not only helping to get this law passed but also working to ensure that our state benefits from it in a major way. I thank the Biden-Harris administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation for working with our administration to secure the funding for this important project.”
Visit the project’s website at i-91i-691route15interchange.com to learn more.
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