Drivers Brace for Possible Traffic Nightmare as Span of I-95 in Connecticut Closes for Construction

What to Know

Drivers who use a busy span of I-95 in Stamford, Connecticut better brace themselves as traffic will come to a halt starting Friday night
Bridge span of I-95 and Route 1 at Exit 9 will shut down Friday at 11 p.m. throughout weekend, and next, to accommodate construction project
Project involves the demolition of the two bridge spans that carry Route 1 over I-95, followed by the sliding in of new replacement spans

Drivers who use a busy span of I-95 in Stamford, Connecticut better brace themselves now that traffic on the busy highway has come to a halt for the whole weekend.

The bridge span of I-95 and Route 1 at Exit 9 shut down Friday night and will remain closed throughout the weekend to accommodate construction work. And for those hoping this is a one-time thing — the highway will be closed next weekend as well, starting during the evening on June 7 until June 9.

The project, which was announced earlier this year, involves the demolition of the two bridge spans that carry Route 1 (East Main Street) over I-95, followed by the sliding in of new replacement spans using an innovative construction method known as accelerated bridge construction, according to Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont.

While drivers are fretting over how they’re going to get around the I-95 shutdown the next two weekends, some local businesses have their own concerns about the traffic. NBC 4 New York’s Jamie Roth reports.

“Thousands of commuters use our state’s highways every day to get to work so they can support their families and maintain a decent quality of life – deciding whether to keep this critical highway in a state of good repair is simply not up for debate,” Lamont said in statement.

Construction project manager Lou Evano explained that the Department of Transportation is using the accelerated bridge construction to allow for the two new spans of the bridge to be built off line.

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The bridge span needs to be replaced because it has outlived its lifecycle, according to the governor.

At Exit 9 Bagels, right off of Exit 9 Chu Trinh, of Stamford, says the shop will remain open throughout construction, and while they are bracing for the impact the construction will have, they are thankful new technology has compacted a construction job that would have lasted two years into two weekends.

"It's amazing how they're going to do it very quickly in two weekends," Trinh said.

Drivers should avoid the area this weekend and next given that a 13-mile backup in both directions is expected. However, because a trickle down effect is expected because of the closure, heavy traffic could also impact Merritt Parkway.

"Be patient with us. We are going to be patient. We are all in this together and it's going to be two weekends of inconvenience to get this thing done," Connecticut State Police Sgt. Robert Derry said.