Connecticut Route 11

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This article contains information about a planned or expected future road.
It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change as the road's construction or completion approaches and more information becomes available.

Route 11

Length:

7.42 mi (11.95 km)

Formed:

1972

South end:

Route 82 in Salem

North end:

Route 2 in Colchester

Routes in Connecticut
< Route 10		Route 12 >
Special Service Roads – State Roads

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.

1 History
2 Route description
3 Special designations
4 Recent developments
5 Route 11 greenway design
6 Unused bridges, roadbed, and ramps
7 Exit list
8 References

[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.^[1]

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.^[1]

[edit] Route description

As currently constructed, Route 11 begins at the interchange with Route 82 (Exit 4) in the town of Salem. It proceeds northward, soon crossing the Eight Mile River. The road continues about 2.3 miles crossing over Witch Meadow Road (Exit 5) at a diamond interchange, which leads to Salem center. Route 11 soon crosses into the town of Colchester, then has an interchange with Lake Hayward Road (Exit 6) about 2.8 miles after crossing the town line. Lake Hayward Road, an unsigned state highway known as State Road 637, provides access to eastbound Route 2, Route 85, and Route 354. Northbound Route 11 merges onto westbound Route 2 0.6 miles later.^[2]

[edit] Special designations

The existing length of Route 11 is also known as the ConnDOT Employees Memorial Highway.^[2]

[edit] Recent developments

The Final Environmental Impact Statement for extending Route 11 was issued on October 26, 2007. The EIS was published three months behind schedule due to a dispute between CONNDOT and the consulting firm that prepared the EIS--the Macguire Group--over payment for services rendered. A Record of Decision from federal officials was expected by the end of 2007,^[3] but the Environmental Protection Agency has expressed concern over the environmental mitigation plan for Route 11, and expressed it still favors the Route 82/85 upgrade over extending Route 11. Because the EPA has veto power over Army Corps of Engineers permits, EPA opposition could force the delay or cancellation of the Route 11 extension. In December 2007 Federal Highway Administration extended the FEIS review period through the end of January 2008 to provide the EPA with a detailed environmental mitigation plan. Additionally state and federal elected officials requested the FHWA and CONNDOT present a detailed financial management plan for activities related to the extension. A federal Record of Decision is expected once the environmental mitigation and financial management plans are approved. Land acquisition and construction is expected to cost approximately $900 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 final section of Route 11 is proposed to be built not to Interstate highway standards. While it will be built as a fully controlled-access freeway, 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] 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	(10.12)	Route 82 - Salem, Hadlyme	Currently southbound exit only All traffic must exit - Use Route 85 to New London.
Salem	5	(13.09)	Witch Meadow Road
Colchester	6	(17.24)	Northbound: Route 2 east - Norwich, Colchester Business District
Colchester	6	(17.24)	Southbound: Lake Hayward Road To Route 85, Route 354
Northbound merges onto westbound