Connecticut Route 11
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| Route 11 |
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| Length: | 7.42 mi (11.95 km) | ||||||||
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| Formed: | 1972 | ||||||||
| South end: |  Route 82 in Salem |
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| North end: |  Route 2 in Colchester |
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Route 11 is a state highway in east-central Connecticut, serving traffic between the Hartford and New London areas (via Route 2). It was originally planned to be a freeway from Colchester to Waterford. However, only about half of the freeway has been constructed and currently ends in Salem due to funding and environmental issues.
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[edit] Exit list
| Town | Number | Mile | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Lyme/Waterford | 1-2 |    I-95, I-395, US 1 |
Unbuilt | |
| East Lyme/Montville | 3 |  Route 161 - Chesterfield |
Unbuilt | |
| Salem | 4 | (10.1) | Route 82 - Salem, Hadlyme |
Currently southbound exit only All traffic must exit - Use Route 85 to New London. |
| Salem | 5 | (13.1) | Witch Meadow Road | |
| Colchester | 6 | (17.2) | Northbound: Route 2 EAST - Norwich, Colchester Business District |
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Southbound: Lake Hayward Road To   Route 85, Route 354 |
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Northbound  merges onto westbound |
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[edit] History
An expressway connecting Route 2 in Colchester and the Connecticut Turnpike in New London had been planned as far back as the 1950s. It was originally designated the Route 85 Expressway. Construction began in 1966 but was halted due to lack of funding. The half-finished expressway opened in 1972 as Route 11.
Plans to finish Route 11 were revived in the late 1990s due to increased traffic in the area (primarily due to Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun). Contrary to local opposition to new highways, most of the residents of the area are in favor of completing the highway. Subsequently, Route 11 was submitted to the U.S. Department of Transportation for inclusion on the federal government's "fast-track" streamlining process, designed for federal agencies to quickly complete necessary steps on stalled projects, and was approved in August 2004. Funding for Route 11 has also been included in the proposed 2006 Connecticut state transportation bill. Right of way acquisition for the highway is currently ongoing.
[edit] Recent progress
The Final Environmental Impact Statement for extending Route 11 is expected to be published by the end of 2006, at which point the Federal Highway Administration will issue a Record of Decision for the project. Land acquisiton and construction is expected to cost approximately $460 million. Officials expect to break ground on the Greenway in 2011, with construction expected to take 3 to 5 years.
[edit] Route 11 greenway design
The Route 11 extension is proposed to be built not to Interstate highway standards. While it will be built as a fully limited access expressway, it will not meet Interstate standards due to two key design features: First, opposing lanes of traffic will be separated by a concrete Jersey Barrier vice the wide median on the existing Route 11 section. Secondly, the greenway is planned to have curve radii that are tighter than what is allowed by Interstate standards, although it will still have a design speed of 70 MPH. With these two features, the Route 11 Greenway will be built using a footprint that is less than half the size required for an expressway built to Interstate standards, while providing motorists with a safe, high-speed route to ease travel between New London and Hartford.
Another unique feature is that recreation trails for hiking and bicycling will be integrated into the Greenway concept using excess land acquired when Route 11 was originally planned to be built to Interstate standards. The cross-section profile for the Route 11 Greenway will be similar to that of the Route 8 expressway through the Naugatuck State Forest between Beacon Falls and Naugatuck.
[edit] Unused bridges, roadbed, and ramps
The northernmost mile (1.6 km) of the Greenway will be built more to Interstate standards as it transitions between the Greenway profile and the profile of the existing segment at Exit 4 in Salem. When Route 11 opened to its present-day terminus at Route 82, crews had cleared and graded the roadbed for about a mile beyond Route 82 for the anticipated extension south. The "ghost ramps" built during the 1970s for a southward extension of Route 11 at Route 82 will be paved as the Greenway is built. The Greenway will use two rock cuts and a pair of unused bridges over Route 82, just south of the present Route 11 terminus. The bridges and rock cuts were left behind when work stopped on Route 11 in the 1970s
A full interchange with Interstate 95 and Interstate 395 will also be built as part of the highway extension.
[edit] Special designations
The existing length of Route 11 is also known as the ConnDOT Employees Memorial Highway.
