Shelton, CT
News
Tree Cutting Will Cause Merritt Parkway Daytime Lane Closures For Weeks Tree Cutting Will Cause Merritt Parkway Daytime Lane Closures For Weeks
Tree Cutting Will Cause Merritt Parkway Daytime Lane Closures For Weeks There will be daytime closures on the Merritt Parkway for several weeks as crews conduct a tree-cutting project in Fairfield County. The Connecticut State Department of Transportation announced that crews will be cutting down dead trees, high limbs, and clearing signs on a five-mile stretch of the parkway in Greenwich. The work will require closures on both north and southbound lanes and are expected to last through approximately Friday, Aug. 9. Northbound lanes will be closed between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.; while southbound lanes will be closed between 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. During the tree…

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by Zak Failla
Trumbull-Monroe, CT
Politics
CT Income Tax Cut Could Be Tied Into Tolls Deal, Widening I-95 CT Income Tax Cut Could Be Tied Into Tolls Deal, Widening I-95
CT Income Tax Cut Could Be Tied Into Tolls Deal, Widening I-95 Gov. Ned Lamont is considering a modest reduction in state income tax if electronic highway tolls are approved. The proposed compromise is part of a 52-page document on transportation funding released on Wednesday, June 19 as Lamont met with legislative leaders on tolls, which were removed from Connecticut highways in 1983. Lamont suggested specific projects to reduce congestion on Interstate 95 in Fairfield County. With an influx of $700 million in tolls, the state could afford to widen parts of I-95 south of New Haven, he said. But the governor said the state needs $2 billion-a-year to b…

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by Jon Craig
Greenwich, CT
News
Closure Of Bridge Over Merritt Parkway Will Last Four Months Closure Of Bridge Over Merritt Parkway Will Last Four Months
Closure Of Bridge Over Merritt Parkway Will Last Four Months A busy bridge that stretches over the Merritt Parkway in the area will be closed for several months as contractors continue efforts to rehabilitate the aging structure. Beginning on Friday, June 21, crews will kick off a project to replace the structural steel members and concrete deck of Lake Avenue Bridge over the Merritt Parkway in Greenwich, the Connecticut Department of Transportation announced. The decorative panels and ornamental railing will be preserved by cleaning and painting them off-site and returned to their original locations on the new structure.  The DOT said that a t…

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by Zak Failla
Fairfield, CT
Politics
New Poll: Here's How Many CT Residents Oppose Tolls New Poll: Here's How Many CT Residents Oppose Tolls
New Poll: Here's How Many CT Residents Oppose Tolls Electronic tolling is heading to Connecticut highways, and the majority of residents in the state are not in favor of them, though they hope the money is earmarked for good use. According to a newly released report from Sacred Heart University’s Institute for Public Policy, 58.8 percent of those polled generally oppose tolls, though 51.3 percent of residents “strongly” (28.9 percent) or “somewhat” (22.4 percent) support implementing tolls, provided that the money goes to a transportation lockbox that would only be spent on infrastructure improvements. Last year, Connecticut voters passed a …

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by Zak Failla
Greenwich, CT
Traffic
I-95 Gridlock Alert Warning Issued For Weekend I-95 Gridlock Alert Warning Issued For Weekend
I-95 Gridlock Alert Warning Issued For Weekend Police departments in the area have issued a gridlock warning as a result of a major project on I-95 in Stamford, which will result in delays stretching back into Westchester. Advising motorists to “plan for the worst,” police say road crews will be replacing a bridge in Stamford over I-95 at Exit 9, and the interstate will be closed in both directions. This is likely to impact local streets in town during the following two weekends: Friday, May 31 to Sunday, June 2 and Saturday, June 8 to Sunday, June 9. The bridge replacement will detour I-95 motorists toward on- and off-ramps, where the …

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by Valerie Musson
Bridgeport, CT
Politics
New Train Station In Bridgeport Is Part Of Lamont's Toll Proposal New Train Station In Bridgeport Is Part Of Lamont's Toll Proposal
New Train Station In Bridgeport Is Part Of Lamont's Toll Proposal Several new train stations may be coming to Connecticut - including one in Fairfield County - under Gov. Ned Lamont’s toll plan proposal. Earlier this month, the governor released a 24-page preliminary draft of his electronic highway tolling plan, which calls for no more than 50 gantries on Interstates 91, 95, 84, and along Route 15, which includes the Merritt and Wilbur Cross parkways. As part of the proposal, new train stations would be constructed in Bridgeport, Hartford and Newington, though that plan has reportedly come under fire. According to reports, Republicans in Connecticut are f…

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by Zak Failla
Darien, CT
Police & Fire
Mercedes Motorcycle Stolen In Darien Recovered On Merritt Parkway, Police Say Mercedes Motorcycle Stolen In Darien Recovered On Merritt Parkway, Police Say
Mercedes Motorcycle Stolen In Darien Recovered On Merritt Parkway, Police Say A Mercedes motorcycle that was stolen in Darien has been recovered on Merritt Parkway, according to police. Darien Police say they received a report that a 2018 Mercedes GLS450 had been stolen from the front of the owner’s residence on Country Club Road between 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 16 and 7:30 a.m. on Friday, May 17. The complainant allegedly told police that a set of keys had been left in the vehicle. Police say the vehicle was recovered overnight by the State Police on the Merritt Parkway Southbound near exit 28 after it had run out of gas.

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by Valerie Musson
Fairfield, CT
Politics
New Lamont Plan Calls For 'No More Than 50' Toll Locations New Lamont Plan Calls For 'No More Than 50' Toll Locations
New Lamont Plan Calls For 'No More Than 50' Toll Locations Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont’s plans for tolls on state highways is coming together, though they’ve been deferred to a special session over the summer. The governor released a 24-page preliminary draft of his electronic highway tolling plan, which calls for no more than 50 gantries on Interstates 91, 95, 84, and along Route 15, which includes the Merritt and Wilbur Cross parkways. Motorists who use a Connecticut EZ-Pass and a frequent user discount could expect to pay roughly 25 to 30 cents per gantry, or 4.4 cents per mile during peak hours and 3.5 cents during off-peak hours. Out of state…

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by Zak Failla
Shelton, CT
Politics
Petition Against Tolls On CT State Highways Collects 100,000 Signatures Petition Against Tolls On CT State Highways Collects 100,000 Signatures
Petition Against Tolls On CT State Highways Collects 100,000 Signatures A grassroots coalition opposed to Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont’s plan to implement tolls on state highways submitted a petition with 100,000 signatures to the Capitol building on Thursday, May 9. In March, the Transportation Committee passed Lamont’s proposal and two separate committee plans by a vote of 23-13, which includes installing tolls on Interstates 91, 95, 84 and along parts of the Merritt and Wilbur Cross parkways. The tolls are expected to generate an estimated $800 million in revenue annually. In total, no more than 50 potential toll-collecting gantries are expected to be erecte…

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by Zak Failla
Shelton, CT
Police & Fire
Three Injured In Multi-Vehicle Crash That Causes Hours-Long Merritt Parkway Closure Three Injured In Multi-Vehicle Crash That Causes Hours-Long Merritt Parkway Closure
Three Injured In Multi-Vehicle Crash That Causes Hours-Long Merritt Parkway Closure Three people were injured during a three-vehicle crash on the Merritt Parkway. The crash took place just before 9:30 a.m., Thursday, May 2, northbound on the Merritt Parkway in Westport, reported the Westport Fire Department. When firefighters arrived on the scene they found multiple vehicles involved and people walking around the roadway, so a second engine was added to the assignment for manpower, the department said. Westport EMS, Westport Police and CT State Police also responded to the scene. Three people were injured during a crash on the Merritt Parkway.Town of Westport Fire De…

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by Kathy Reakes
Fairfield, CT
Police & Fire
Suspect In Knifepoint Fairfield Home Invasion Nabbed After Chase, Police Say Suspect In Knifepoint Fairfield Home Invasion Nabbed After Chase, Police Say
Suspect In Knifepoint Fairfield Home Invasion Nabbed After Chase, Police Say Fairfield Police arrested a Bridgeport man in connection with an alleged home invasion in which he reportedly threatened the occupant with a knife and fled, leading to a police chase and area schools to be placed on lockdown Tuesday afternoon, April 30. Police said that on April 30 at 2:01 p.m. they received a 911 call from a concerned relative who reported that she had received a telephone call from her sister reporting a suspicious person on the property on Coventry Lane. Moments later she reportedly heard her sister yell, “No, No” and the line was disconnected, according to…

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by Donna Christopher
Fairfield, CT
Lifestyle
Here's What CT Tolls Could Cost You Each Week, Year: Check Out These Newly Released Numbers Here's What CT Tolls Could Cost You Each Week, Year: Check Out These Newly Released Numbers
Here's What CT Tolls Could Cost You Each Week, Year: Check Out These Newly Released Numbers Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont’s electronic toll proposal could cost some commuters hundreds of dollars a year when it is put into effect. Last month, the Transportation Committee passed Lamont’s proposal and two separate committee plans by a vote of 23-13, which includes installing tolls on Interstates 91, 95, 84 and along parts of the Merritt and Wilbur Cross parkways. The tolls are expected to generate an estimated $800 million in revenue annually. In total, no more than 50 potential toll-collecting gantries are expected to be erected every few miles, down from the originally proposed 82 ga…

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by Zak Failla