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Residents urge Middletown to push back on DOT Route 9 changes; council seeks public access to forthcoming DOT meeting
Summary
Scores of residents and downtown business owners told the council they oppose Connecticut DOT plans to remove traffic signals and reroute traffic that could send up to 7,000 vehicles a day onto downtown streets; councilors demanded DOT publicly present plans and raised FOIA and quorum concerns about a June 3 convening.
At the Common Council’s May 4 meeting, dozens of residents and business owners urged the council to oppose Connecticut Department of Transportation plans affecting Route 9 and downtown access. Speakers warned DOT proposals — including moving an exit, removing traffic signals and converting Rapallo Avenue and DeCovin Drive to one‑way streets — would divert thousands of vehicles through neighborhood streets and harm Main Street businesses.
"They estimate 7,000 vehicles a day" on local streets, said Ed McKeown, calling the proposal "a bad idea" that would degrade neighborhood safety and downtown vitality. Several shop owners said one‑way conversions reduce business access and increase speeding; Jennifer Alexander and Diane Gervais said past highway projects elsewhere had permanently damaged local commerce.
Councilmembers pressed the mayor and staff to insist DOT make presentations with public access. Councilwoman Blackwell read an email exchange with DOT and the Freedom of Information Commission advising that if a quorum of councilors attends the June 3 DOT meeting in Newington, the assembly would constitute a public meeting under FOIA and must be posted and open to public attendance. DOT’s written reply (read at the meeting) said it did not want the public at the scheduled convening and would present to the public at a later date; the Freedom of Information Commission response urged public attendance if a council quorum participates.
Mayor Eugene Nocera said the city invited DOT and that an informational meeting is scheduled June 3 (Newington) and a hybrid public meeting combining railroad bridge and Route 9 questions is set for Aug. 4 at Middletown High School; he encouraged council participation and said the city will press DOT for broader public presentation. Several council members said they would bring a formal resolution to the June council meeting to state the council’s position and asked staff to coordinate with neighboring towns and RiverCOG for a collective response.
No formal action was taken at the May 4 meeting beyond scheduling and direction to staff. Council members said they want DOT to answer specific questions in public, and several asked the mayor to make clear the city will not be presumed to support DOT’s design simply because councilors attend an informational meeting.
