With two of three planned phases actively under construction, the I-91/I-691/Route 15 Improvements Project is well on its way to transforming a major interchange in Meriden, Connecticut.
The I-91/I-691/Route 15 interchange is a critical link for passengers and freight in the Northeast regional transportation network, connecting the I-84 and I-91 corridors between southern New York and Connecticut to points north in Massachusetts and beyond. The current exchange, which was completed in the 1960s, consists of a complex system of mainline lanes, weave sections, and ramp connections, and has become outdated both in its design and its ability to handle a growing volume of traffic traveling through central Connecticut.
Traffic congestion is the norm in the interchange area, where the highways are operating at or near capacity. I-91 carries 120,000 vehicles per day, I-691 carries 80,000 vehicles per day, and Route 15 carries 60,000 vehicles per day. Significant weaving maneuvers occur at closely spaced on- and off-ramps, and capacity is limited on the exit ramps. The I-91/I-691/Route 15 Improvements Project, which is administered by the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT), was developed to address the operational and safety concerns associated with the capacity, congestion, and weaving issues.
The project is structured into three phases. Construction on the first phase began in the spring of 2023, and the overall project is anticipated to be complete in the fall of 2030. Primary project partners include:
- Federal Highway Administration
- Connecticut Department of Transportation
- Cities of Meriden and Middletown
- O&G Industries (prime contractor for Phase I and II)
- AECOM (construction engineering & inspection services for Phase I)
- Tectonic Engineering (construction engineering & inspection services for Phase II)
- WSP Inc. (engineer of record for Phase I design-build)
- Parsons (engineer of record for Phases II and III; pre-award contract documents and base technical concept for Phase I design-build)
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The total cost (construction and design) for all three projects is anticipated to be approximately $650 million, according to CTDOT Supervising Engineer Greg Kozma, who broke down the funding as follows:
- Phase I (Project 0079-0245): “The project is funded entirely with state funds, with a total construction cost of $85 million.”
- Phase II (Project 0079-0246): “The project is funded with 80 percent federal and 20 percent state funds, with a total construction cost of $250 million.”
- Phase III (Project 0079-0240): “The project is in the final design phase and will be funded with 80 percent federal and 20 percent state funds. The total cost of this phase is anticipated to be similar to Project 0079-0246.”
He added that Phase II and Phase III have also received a $125 million competitive grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“The I-91/I-691/Route 15 interchange improvements were originally scoped as one project,” said Sebastian Cannamela, CTDOT Transportation Principal Engineer. “However, due to limited funding, the improvements were separated into three projects. A comprehensive review and analysis were required to identify high-priority deficiency locations within the entire project limits, to phase design and construct the projects.”
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“Phase I [Project 0079-0245] was initiated to address the access from I-691 eastbound [EB] to I-91 northbound [NB] that encompasses the northbound upstream improvements and offered a shorter-term significant impact to the traffic flow in the area,” said Lukasz Obrebski, CTDOT Project Engineer. “By completing this phase first, it will accommodate much more robust Phase II improvements upon completion.”
Phase I began construction in spring 2023. The improvements include: realigning and widening the ramp from I-691 EB to I-91 NB (Exit 1A, old Exit 11) to two lanes by constructing a new bridge offline; and extending the acceleration lane for the I-691 EB to I-91 NB movement. This phase is scheduled to be completed in October 2025.
Phase II (Project 0079-0246) began construction in spring 2024 and is scheduled for completion in November 2028.
“Phase II was initiated to address traffic operational and safety concerns associated with capacity, congestion, and weaving along Route 15 and I-91 in the northbound direction, as well as capacity deficiencies on the Route 15 northbound off-ramp to I-691 westbound [WB] and on mainline I-691,” CTDOT Project Engineer Mohamad Alramahi said.
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Components of this phase include:
- Constructing a new two-lane exit ramp from Route 15 NB to I-91 NB to reduce traffic congestion on the Exit 68 N-E ramp.
- Closing the existing Exit 17 ramp from I-91 NB to Route 15 NB and rerouting traffic to Exit 16. I-91 NB will be widened to provide a two-lane Exit 16 ramp with a right-side traffic merge onto Route 15 NB.
- Widening the existing Exit 68W ramp from Route 15 NB to I-691 WB to two lanes.
- Reconfiguring acceleration and deceleration lanes.
Phase III (Project 0079-0240) is currently in the final design phase and is anticipated to begin construction in spring 2026, with completion projected for fall 2030. This phase is being designed to reduce congestion and improve safety for the southbound movements on Route 15 and I-91 within the I-91, I-691, and Route 15 Interchange. The Phase III proposed improvements include:
- A new two-lane exit ramp from Route 15 southbound (SB) to I-91 SB to reduce congestion at the existing Exit 67 ramp.
- A new two-lane ramp from I-91 SB to Route 15 SB to reduce congestion on the existing Exit 17 ramp.
- Widening the ramp from I-91 SB to I-691 WB to two lanes.
- Widening the ramp from I-691 EB to Route 15 SB.
- Additional improvements include resurfacing of I-91 SB to the Wallingford-Meriden town line.
- Replacement of the Paddock Avenue Bridge over Route 15.
- Installation of micropiles and construction of the abutment and wingwalls for replacement of the bridge carrying Route 15 NB over I-91.
- Installation of the superstructure for the new bridge carrying the Route 15 off-ramp (Exit 67) to East Main Street and construction of retaining walls along I-91 and Route 15 NB.
- GM2, GZA, Terracon, Luchs (Parsons design subconsultants)
- Berlin Steel
- Blast All Inc.
- KTM Electric
- National Water Main Cleaning Company
- Nucor Harris Rebar
- Structural Services
- Keller North America
- Norwalk Marine Contractors
- Atlas Concrete Products Inc.
- Coastal Materials Testing Lab
- The Jack Farrelly Company
- Tri State Materials Testing
- National Water Main Cleaning
- Black and Boucher
- CT Traffic Control
- Santoro Inc.
- Zwally Hauling LLC
- Kevins Sweeping Inc.
- Concrete Cutting Co.
- LM Sessler Excavating
- Alma Iron LLC
- Berkshire Environmental Services
- Safety Marking LLC
- Haven Steel Erectors Inc.
- PIM Corporation
- National Shoring LLC
- Fibre Optic Plus
- RKJR Enterprises LLC
- Ducci Electrical Contractors
- Genovesi Construction LLC
- Strategic Environmental Services
- Modern Concrete Pumping Inc.
- All Seasons Landscaping Inc.
- Atlas Companies LLC
- CT Civil Group LLC
- The Quaker Corporation
- Warning Lights Inc.
- Davis Tree and Logging LLC
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| Richmond Machinery & Equipment |
The I-91/I-691/Route 15 Improvements Project achieved numerous milestones over the course of the 2024 construction season.
“In Phase I, the extended acceleration lane from I-691 EB to I-91 NB was opened in December 2024, which resulted in reduced congestion on I-91 NB heading out of the interchange,” Obrebski said. “The ramp from I-691 EB to I-91 NB was shifted onto its new alignment and onto a new bridge. The existing asphalt pavement was milled to expose the underlying concrete pavement throughout the project, and approximately 80 percent of the concrete pavement repairs were completed. An auxiliary lane from Preston Avenue to the Middletown Rest Area was constructed, and bridge deck repairs were completed on four of the five bridges within the project limits.
“Currently underway are construction of the noise barrier wall and maintenance repairs at all five bridges — including bearing replacement, lead paint removal, and concrete repairs. Demolition of the old bridge on the ramp from I-691 EB to I-91 NB and completion of the second lane on the new bridge are also in progress.”
“Phase II is still in its early stages, and many activities are still underway,” Alramahi said. “The rehabilitation of the culvert carrying ramps over Willow Brook has been completed. A new detention basin and wetland creation are complete, apart from the proposed plantings.”
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Alramahi said that Phase II work currently underway includes:
The primary construction challenge for these projects has been the ability to phase the construction in three phases to avoid conflicts between the existing and proposed conditions, according to AECOM Resident Engineer Steve Macdonald.
“Maintaining independent utility among the phases and reducing conflicts between contractors is a common challenge, but in this case the projects are utilizing the same contractor,” he said. “A few specific challenges include construction of significant retaining walls to reduce environmental impacts and concrete pavement repairs while maintaining traffic flow through the work zone.”
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An innovative construction method being utilized on the project is the GRS-IBS bridge system used for a new bridge going from I-691 EB to I-91 NB. Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil (GRS) technology consists of closely spaced layers of geosynthetic reinforcement and compacted granular fill material. Since first used in the 1970s, the technology has evolved into the GRS Integrated Bridge System (IBS), a fast, cost-effective method of bridge support that blends the roadway into the superstructure.
GRS-IBS includes a reinforced soil foundation, a GRS abutment, and a GRS integrated approach. The system is easy to design and economical to construct, and it can be built in variable weather conditions.
Cannamela provided a summary of the expected benefits of the I-91/I-691/Route 15 Improvements.
“Improving safety is the foremost priority of these projects,” he said. “Inadequate capacity and geometry of the interchange have led to poor peak-hour level of service for vehicles traveling between highways in the project area. Crashes are both caused and exacerbated by abrupt lane changes due to long queues at ramps, substandard acceleration/deceleration lanes, and ramps operating at capacity.
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| Dobbs Equipment (SC) |
“According to data from the Connecticut Crash Data Repository, between May 1, 2021, and April 19, 2024, the three highways within the project area averaged approximately 650 crashes per year, with a total of six fatalities and 288 injuries during that period. The majority of crashes in the project area were rear-end collisions, which are typically caused by vehicles weaving and merging into and out of entrance and exit lanes. By adding an additional travel lane on the I-91 mainline and updating the horizontal and vertical geometry of the connecting ramps, crashes are projected to be significantly reduced over the 20-year post-construction period.
“It is expected that interchange improvements will reduce conflict points and reduce merge areas that will improve travel time throughout the area. Measuring travel time reliability using the Travel Time Index will provide quantitative proof that this expected project benefit is realized by roadway users.
“This project will alleviate congestion and reduce bottlenecks within the highway corridors of central Connecticut. The Benefit Cost Analysis calculated travel time savings for both freight trucks and automobile travelers and found savings of 4.6 million hours and 39.6 million hours, respectively, over the 20-year post construction period. This savings in travel times will result in an undiscounted value of $153.6 million in savings for trucks and an undiscounted value of $776.4 million in savings for automobiles.”
