The notorious stop lights on Route 9 in Middletown are going away. The Department of Transportation has announced a plan to reconfigure traffic in the town, but it may take a while.
Route 9, one of the major north-south commuter arteries from the shoreline to the greater Hartford area, comes to a screeching halt in the center of Middletown as the highway intersects with local traffic in town.
Governor Dannel Malloy said solving that problem is not just a matter of convenience.
"There are 60 accidents, serious accidents, caused by this traffic light in the middle of a highway, per year," he told a news conference overlooking the road. "This goes all the way back to the 1950s. It is outrageous that the state tolerated that for such a long period of time without coming up with an appropriate design to fix it."
Malloy said the DOT now has such a design. The south bound lanes of the highway will be elevated over north bound exits, while the north bound side will remain at grade. One of the left exits into town will be eliminated. A roundabout will be put in place as a way for traffic to exit onto Washington Street.
Middletown mayor Dan Drew said the $75 million investment, which will also provide better access to the riverfront via a pedestrian bridge, is long overdue.
"It’s going to have a tremendously positive effect on the City of Middletown, and on the people of Connecticut writ large," he said.
Malloy said he’s asked the DOT to fast track the improvements, but the plans are still at a conceptual stage. Construction is not slated to begin until 2021, with a tentative completion date in 2023.
