$3.1 Million Route 110 Construction Project Underway In Stratford

STRATFORD, CT — Major changes are coming to Route 110 near Merritt Parkway after officials broke ground Monday on a more than $3 million construction project. The work is expected to streamline traffic at the south entrance to Sikorsky.

"We have become a real bottleneck," Sikorsky President Dan Schultz said during the groundbreaking ceremony at the aircraft manufacturer's facility in Stratford.

The work will include a complete reconstruction and relocation of the entrance to Sikorsky's property on Route 110, eliminating the dedicated traffic signal for the Sikorsky entrance and combining it with the signal at Oronoque Lane.

The project is being funded with a $1.5 million state urban action grant, according to Stratford Director of Economic and Community Development Mary Dean, and through a $1.6 million contribution from Sikorsky.

Monday's groundbreaking was attended by several state legislators, members of the town council, Sikorsky representatives and other officials. Mayor Laura Hoydick praised the project as an expeditious public-private partnership, while Schultz said the work was a necessity for Sikorsky.

"We've got to be able to get our employees in a shift change out of here," he said, noting Sikorsky must accommodate thousands of employees coming in and out of the Stratford facility.

Work on the improvements is scheduled to start this week and a significant portion of the construction will be complete by November, according to Dean. All lanes will remain open during the project, with the exception of some overnight construction.

The work will include lane additions and pedestrian improvements. The right turn entrance lane to Sikorsky from Route 110 will be rebuilt and a dedicated left turn lane from Route 110 to Oronoque will be added, according to Project Manager Eric Wagner of AI Engineers Inc. The south side of Oronoque will be widened to accommodate two new right turn lanes onto Route 110. Pedestrian signals will be added at Oronoque and Route 110. A new pedestrian crossing in the area of the Merritt Parkway exit and Route 110 will improve access to a nearby bus stop.