Darien Police Department Traffic Advisory
May 22, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
What/Where: The
US 1 overpass over I-95 in the area
of Exit 9 in Stamford is being completely replaced over two weekends. The replacement bridge structure itself has
been being constructed right next to the highway for many months and is now
ready to be installed. This process,
known as Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) allows the impact on the roadways
to be limited to two weekends rather than enduring two years of standard bridge
construction. Six hundred and
twenty-eight cubic yards of concrete weighing over 1.5 million pounds was used
to build the two bridge spans. About 32 miles of rebar was installed within the
newly constructed bridge spans, and new structural steel was used to create the
new bridge superstructures. Each
individual span to be lifted and set into place weighs between approximately
1.6 million pounds, and 1.8 million pounds.
When: The
Darien Police Department wishes to advise all motorists and residents of
expected significant and severe traffic delays occurring Friday May 31st (PM)
through Monday June 3rd (early AM) and again from Friday June 7th (PM) through
Monday June 10th (early AM). MOTORISTS
ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO AVOID THE AREA DURING THE CLOSURE TIME FRAMES TO AVOID
HEAVY TRAFFIC DELAYS.
Impact to Town of Darien
Traffic: Although no construction is occurring in Darien, the sheer
scope of this project, the major impact to I-95 through Darien and the
proximity of the project to Darien town line makes it clear that there will be significant traffic
congestion and potential significant delays on local Darien roadways during all hours of these two weekends. US 1 (Post Road) in Stamford will be closed
and a detour through Hamilton Ave. and Courtland Ave. will be set up. I-95 will
not be “completely closed” but will be severely restricted as to be
“effectively closed” during much of the weekend(s). The Darien Police Department expects very heavy traffic on most of
our major surface streets (Boston Post Road, West Ave., Mansfield Ave.,
Hoyt Street, Tokeneke Road, etc.) as motorists seek alternates to I-95.
What Have We Done
To Prepare For This? The Darien Police Department has worked closely
with the CT Department of Transportation and all Emergency Services in
neighboring towns to coordinate our preparation for this project. We will have additional police traffic
personnel working around the clock dedicated solely to traffic management at
Darien intersections and areas where delays are to be expected. We expect a large amount of traffic to be
exiting I-95 at Exit 11 (especially S/B) onto US 1.
How You Can Help:
Please consider avoiding the area during these weekends and try to limit
traffic trips if possible. Please allow
for significant extra time if
you must drive in lower Fairfield County during these weekends. Bear with us
and please realize that enduring two weekends of epic delays are far superior
to two years of ongoing traffic congestion and frustration.
Note: There will be
live streaming video feeds of construction during the weekends when the bridge
is installed on the project website.
This live feed, and complete information on the project, can be found at
www.i95exit9.com.
All inquiries concerning the Town of Darien’s involvement
and preparation for this project can be directed to Capt. Don Anderson at danderson@darienct.gov
or by phone at (203) 662-5312.