Transportation Updates for Southwest Connecticut: Danbury Branch, Merritt Parkway, and more
Work on the Danbury branch of Metro North will close it for two weeks, while drivers will see work taking place on the Merritt Parkway.
It’s the dog days of summer for commuters across southwest Connecticut. As needed infrastructure repairs take place around the region, detours, closures, and alternate routes have become commonplace.
Let’s take a look at some of the work taking place.
Danbury Branch Closures
Metro-North’s Danbury branch will be fully shut down from Friday, August 1 through Sunday, August 17 so the state can conduct “track improvements along the Danbury Branch Line and the restoration and improvement of key railroad crossings at New Canaan Avenue in Norwalk, Kent Road in Wilton, and South Street in Bethel.”
“We understand this work can be disruptive, and we appreciate the patience and understanding of customers during these important infrastructure improvement projects,” said Connecticut Department of Transportation Bureau Chief of Public Transportation Benjamin Limmer. “The work is being scheduled before Labor Day and school starts to minimize impact. We encourage members of the public to plan ahead, review the temporary bus schedule, and follow all posted detour routes.”
Substitute buses will be provided for riders along the route, which stretches from South Norwalk up to Danbury.
While riders at each of those stations, which include Merritt 7 and Wilton, will be the most impacted, main line riders should double check their schedules. Many riders hop on the express trains which stop at South Norwalk and Stamford before heading to Grand Central.
Merritt Parkway Renumbering
Drivers should also keep their eyes out for ongoing work along the Merritt Parkway as Connecticut’s Department of Transportation is renumbering exits throughout our region and the state. The renumbering is part of the state’s efforts to “conform to federal standards,” and to make them follow the “same exit numbering system as almost every other state,” according to statements from the Connecticut Department of Transportation.
The department said that “exit numbers will be determined based on the mileage contained in the CTDOT Linear Referencing System, and mileage typically runs from south to north and west to east.” This means, for example, that Round Hill Road in Greenwich—the first exit on the Merritt in Connecticut—will now be Exit 3 instead of Exit 28.
You can check out the full map of new exits on the Department of Transportation’s website.
Future Projects
Longer-term projects continue to impact local roads throughout the region including the Walk Bridge project in Norwalk, which has included road closures and alternate routes through East Norwalk.
In addition, the state has many future transportation plans for the region, such as the Route 7-15 Project in Norwalk and the I-95 Planning and Environment Linkages (PEL) Study, which is examining “ways to improve safety and mobility on I-95 between Interchanges 7–9 as well as concepts to replace the I-95 bridge over Metro-North Railroad and Myrtle Avenue.”
