Two construction projects will result in highway lane closures in Norwalk — one long-term bridge rehabilitation project closing lanes on Interstate 95 through November 2019; the other, a paving project just begun on Route 7 — the Connecticut Department of Transportation announced.
Work on the I-95 bridge is expected to last 15 months, starting Aug. 16. The paving project on Route 7 is expected to last about a month.
Interstate 95, Between Exits 15 and 16
Rehabilitation work on the Yankee Doodle Bridge carrying I-95 over the Norwalk River between Exits 15 and 16 will begin on or about Aug. 16, 2018. The project is expected to last 15 months, with completion scheduled by Nov. 23, 2019.
The work (see the schedule, below) is scheduled to be done nights, starting at either 9 or 10 p.m., and ending early in the morning — but as late as 9 a.m. on Saturdays for southbound-traffic lanes and 10 a.m. on Sundays in both directions.
The ConnDOT announcement said:
- The project consists of repairing existing steel, localized paint removal and field painting of existing repaired steel, substructure and deck concrete repairs, replacement of the bridge parapet including pedestrian protective fencing and median barrier, bridge drainage and storm water management improvements, and replacement of roadway lighting including the Norwalk River navigation lighting systems.
- DOT Project No. 102-348 was awarded to Manafort Brothers, Inc. at a cost of $14,767,559 on Aug. 1, 2018.
Manafort Brothers is the same company replacing the concrete platforms at the Noroton Heights Railroad Station.
The company was founded by the father of — and is still run by brothers of — Paul Manafort, who was at one time President Donald Trump’s campaign director and is now on trial in federal court in Virginia. Paul Manafort is not a part of the company.
- (The bridge’s name comes from an assertion by some in Norwalk in the past that the song Yankee Doodle, was created by Norwalk patriots during the American Revolution. Norwalk also has a Yankee Doodle parking garage. Historians have disputed the assertion.)
Possible Lane Closure Times
I-95 Northbound traffic lanes
- Sunday through Wednesday between 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.
- Thursday 10 p.m. to Friday 6 a.m.
- Friday 10 p.m. to Saturday 8 a.m.
- Saturday 9 p.m. to Sunday 10 a.m.
I-95 Southbound traffic lanes
- Monday through Thursday between 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
- Friday 10 p.m. to Saturday 9 a.m.
- Saturday 5 p.m. to Sunday 10 a.m.
On adjacent streets and associated ramps
- Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, or 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., nightly.
Route 7, From Exit 2 to End of Highway
The “Super 7” highway portion of U.S. Route 7 in Norwalk, from Exit 2 (New Canaan Avenue [Route 123]) north to Glover Avenue (where the limited-access highway ends at Glover Avenue) will be repaved, the department said in a separate announcement.
The “pavement preservation project” takes place along of 2.15 miles (for lanes on both sides of the highway, for northbound and southbound traffic) of the highway.
The work consists of milling existing bituminous concrete pavement, crack-filling, and repairs to the underlying roadway, replacement of catch basin tops and placing new bituminous concrete pavement.
Project No.0170-3488 was awarded to Tilcon Connecticut Inc. at a cost of $3,630,593.15 on March 28 and is scheduled to be completed in September 2018.
Lane closures were scheduled to begin Sunday night, Aug. 5 and continue for about a month. They will take place between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, with Friday night as a rain date.
Throughout the project, one lane will be maintained in each direction of Route 7 in the stretch of the road where the work will take place.
Other Long-Term Highway Projects Near Darien
In recent months, the state has announced several long-term highway projects in southwestern Fairfield County. Here’s a list of projects of longer than two months where lanes will be closed (with one exception, noted below) possibly off and on and always at night:
MERRITT PARKWAY
Four-Month, Nighttime Project Along Merritt Parkway in Greenwich to Result in Closed Lanes (June 24) COMPLETION DATE: Oct 24
Nighttime Lane Closures on Merritt Parkway in Norwalk From Now to 2019 for Bridge Project (April 29) COMPLETION DATE: May 13, 2019
INTERSTATE 95
Nighttime Lane Closures on I-95, Off and On, in Greenwich, Stamford Start July 1, Continue Till Nov 15 (June 29) COMPLETION DATE: Nov. 15
Rt. 1 Bridge Over I-95 at Exit 9 To Be Replaced By November 2019 (June 20) NO LONG TERM LANE CLOSURES EXPECTED. COMPLETION DATE: Nov. 30, 2019