Resident tells Middletown council DOT presentation on Route 9 raised safety and permitting concerns

Ed McKeown, a Middletown resident, used the council’s public‑comment period to press elected officials for more direct oversight of the state’s Route 9 project and to question how project information was being conveyed to the public.

"There were 35 crashes in that time," McKeown said after reviewing crash data he contrasted with a published headline saying crashes occurred "every other day." He told the council he had repeatedly requested a public hearing with DOT and that scheduled presentations had been delayed multiple times because of permitting obstacles. McKeown raised concerns about the project being sited near a Superfund area, in a watershed that feeds the Connecticut River, and in a flood plain that could have Native American significance.

Council members said DOT had presented in a separate meeting attended by some councilors and a reporter. Interim Mayor (presiding officer) and other councilors said the city has not signed off on any Route 9 plan and that state sign‑off would require concurrence by city officials such as the chief traffic officer and the chief of police. The mayor said he would request DOT return with an updated briefing and explore whether the DOT PowerPoint used at the earlier meeting can be shared with the full council.

Councilors also raised a planning concern that the new interchange could carry as many as 6,600 vehicles a day through the area, a figure some members said suggested significant downstream traffic impacts on River Road and nearby neighborhoods.

No formal action on the Route 9 project was taken at the meeting; council members directed the mayor to seek further information from DOT and to report back.