The project includes major improvements on a 1.3-mile stretch of I-95, including reconfiguring the Exit 74 interchange, adding full length acceleration lanes, and creating 12-foot shoulders. These improvements will help reduce the number of crashes in the area and allow traffic to move safer and more freely. On Route 161, the project includes adding sidewalks and shoulders which will improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety and mobility. The bridge over Route 161 will also be replaced, and the vertical clearance issues will be eliminated. The project also includes a project labor agreement, which helps train the next generation of tradespeople.
The current interchange configuration has resulted in nearly 200 crashes with more than 50 injuries between 2018 and 2021.
Manafort Brothers Inc. was awarded the contract, valued at $148 million, which is 80 percent federally funded through President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the remaining 20 percent is state funded. It is expected to be completed in 2027.
“This major infrastructure project improves the safety and mobility for all roadway users in the area," Eucalitto said. "We will be able to alleviate the congestion on I-95 in this area currently caused by inadequate design and a high rate of crashes. While working in this area, we want to make sure to improve the safety of walkers and bikers through the corridor by building new sidewalks. Thanks to the federal infrastructure law, we are able to kick-start more projects and make a safer transportation system for all.”
