Re-post: 2 years ago today 'Turnback Tuesday' featured Derby Turnpike

Turnback Tuesday features the Derby Turnpike. The Derby Turnpike Co. was chartered to build a toll road from New Haven to Derby in 1798. 

The Derby Turnpike was the longest-lived of the state’s early toll roads and only stopped collecting tolls in 1895. This picture showed the Turnpike's clover leaf junction with the Wilbur Cross Parkway (Exits 57-58) which opened at the end of 1941. The Turnpike's modern name is Route 34.

Thanks as always to the Derby Public Library staff for sharing local history with the community each week!

Tunnel light repair to close lanes in Woodbridge, New Haven, Hamden

The Connecticut Department of Transportation is announcing that an illumination repair project will be performed on Route 15 (Wilbur Cross Parkway) in Woodbridge and New Haven Saturday, Oct. 5.

The project consists of replacing the lighting in the West Rock Tunnel on Route 15 in Woodbridge and New Haven.

LANE CLOSURE INFO
Motorists can expect lane closures to occur on Route 15 in Woodbridge, New Haven, and Hamden between Exit 58 (Route 34, Derby Turnpike) and Exit 60 (Route 10, Dixwell Avenue). Traffic control personnel and signing patterns will be utilized to guide motorists through the work zone.

The southbound side of the tunnel will have alternating traffic proceeding through while the northbound side of the tunnel will be closed to traffic.
The regular work schedule for this project is from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Motorists should be aware that modifications or extensions to this schedule might become necessary due to weather delays or other unforeseen conditions.
Motorists are advised to maintain a safe speed when driving in this vicinity.

Logan offers info about weekend tree removal, lane closures on parkway

In Orange, Woodbridge, New Haven

Sharing email message from state Sen. George S. Logan, R-Ansonia:

The Connecticut Department of Transportation is announcing a tree removal operation will be performed on Route 15 (Wilbur Cross Parkway) northbound and southbound in Orange, Woodbridge, and New Haven on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 9-10.

The project consists of cutting dead trees, high limbing and clearing signs.

LANE CLOSURE INFO

Motorists can expect lane closures on Route 15 Northbound and Southbound between Exit 58 (Route 34, Derby Turnpike) and Exit 59 (Route 69, Whalley Avenue) in Orange, Woodbridge, and New Haven. 
A moveable sign pattern will be utilized to guide motorists through the work zone. 
The regular work schedule for this project is from 6 a.m.-noon.

Motorists should be aware that modifications or extensions to this schedule may become necessary due to weather delays or other unforeseen conditions. 
Motorists are advised to maintain a safe speed when driving in this vicinity.

Crisco welcomes funding for upgrades to tunnel, Route 15 Exit 59

WOODBRIDGE - State Sen. Joseph J. Crisco, Jr., D-Woodbridge, announced today the State Bond Commission has approved funds that will pay for preliminary plans to rehabilitate the aging Route 15 West Rock Tunnel and the nearby, accident-prone Exit 59.

 Joseph Crisco

The State Bond Commission Friday approved releasing $2 million in bonding for the preliminary design phase for new and rehabilitated tunnels carrying Route 15 (the Wilbur Cross Parkway) under the West Rock Ridge in Woodbridge and New Haven.

Built in 1949, this quarter-mile twin tunnel requires constant maintenance due to its poor condition and hazards created by falling concrete, ice, and poor illumination. 

The planned rehabilitation of the tunnel will use innovative means to maintain traffic flow during construction and to shorten the duration of construction; the work may include creation of a third tunnel.

The work will also reconstruct the Exit 59 interchange in New Haven and Woodbridge. A study of the interchange was initiated several years ago due to high accident rates and traffic congestion in the area. 
The goals of a reconfigured exit are to improve safety, reduce congestion, improve pedestrian accommodations, and improve commuter connectivity to and from Route 15.

“We hear a lot from commuters and businesses that Connecticut needs a modern, safe, and reliable transportation infrastructure in order to be efficient and productive, and that’s what this state investment will do: modernize and improve the West Rock Tunnel that is used by thousands of commuters every day, and improve the safety and functionality of Exit 59,” Crisco said. 
“I want to thank Governor Malloy and the State Bond Commission for recognizing the importance of these improvements to the residents and businesses of Woodbridge and the area, and for having the courage and the commitment to moving this state forward on an everyday transportation issue."


This is a press release from Crisco's office.