East Hartford residents will lose a bit more ease of access to Route 2. But the closure of two ramps serving the Milbrook Drive location of the newly-opened $10 million senior center has been postponed by the state until mid-January. The new ramp closing date was decided by DOT engineers on November 29 and just posted to the town website Dec. 2, the date the ramps were supposed to shut down.
The state Department of Transportation has been widening the shoulders of Route 2, part of a $63 million state contract, installing new guard rails from Maple Street to Willow Street, clearing the trees and reworking the drains under the highway near Goodwin University at Ensign Street. While millions in improvements are being made to accommodate the college and commuters from the Pratt & Whitney campus – including widening Brewer Street between Contractor’s Way and Main Street – the ramps which have long served East Hartford neighborhoods and residents will be removed. And there is nothing residents can do or say about it.
The state DOT states it is necessary due to “safety and operational improvements” on Route 2. The Sutton Avenue eastbound exit (5B) and the Cambridge Drive on-ramp westbound (5B) will be shut down after serving drivers since the highway was first constructed in the late 1950s. The state will lengthen the acceleration and deceleration lanes of the Route 2 westbound Main Street exit (5A) and improve the eastbound exit at Maple Street (5D).
The High Street entrance to Route 2, which is the most heavily used eastbound entrance for Pratt & Whitney and Goodwin University, is by far a more treacherous traffic danger and Route 2 daily afternoon bottleneck. With little to no room for merging traffic, that corner highway entrance is frequently the scene of highway accidents and slowdowns. Plus it sits atop a steep embankment overlooking Porter Brook.
DOT Project No. 0042-0317 was awarded to Empire Paving a cost of $61,786,112.84 on April 5, 2021.
