Construction of the historic New Haven Downtown Crossing Project will affect drivers beginning on Thursday when exit 3 along Route 34 will close.
Beginning tomorrow, the exit 3 off-ramp on Route 34 westbound in New Haven, between College Street and the Air Rights Garage, will be closed permanently to traffic as crews remove the highway and reconnect streets to help facilitate creation of 11 acres of developable land.
On Thursday morning, all westbound traffic will be diverted to exits 2 and 1.
A new traffic signal has been installed at the intersection of Exit 2 and MLK Boulevard to facilitate the change in traffic patterns.
Signs will be posted to help guide the public.
“Exit 2 is going to be widened from one lane to two lanes and, basically, what you're going to be doing is exiting the highway one block earlier,” Jim Travers, the director of transportation, traffic and parking, said.
Local business access will be maintained during all detours and lane closures and work will occur, weather permitting, and will be rescheduled as necessary.
Drivers are advised to avoid the area and use alternate routes to get into downtown.
The Downtown Crossing project is funded by the United States Department of Transportation, the City of New Haven and the State of Connecticut, according to a news release from New Haven officials.
Phase 1 is scheduled to be completed in Summer 2014.
Residents and commuters are urged to sign up to receive weekly traffic alerts that will keep them informed about detours and possible delays.
Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com