Proposed Exit 33 in Stratford equals ‘ghost town’ for Milford’s Devon residents

MILFORD >> A conceptual plan by the state Department of Transportation to relocate Exit 33 off Interstate 95 to alleviate congestion in Stratford has prompted small-business owners in the Devon section of Milford, and others, to launch a fight against the plan.

The exit relocation concept was considered in 2006, but was stopped by protests from business owners and legislators on the Milford side of the Moses Wheeler Bridge, largely because the Devon section of the city depends on business of customers who drive through after coming off Exit 33.

At a press conference Tuesday, environmental officials, business owners and politicians said they are calling upon the Board of Aldermen and state legislators to introduce legislation that would keep the project from happening.

Former Speaker of the House Jim Amann, also the former chairman of the Devon Revitalization Committee, said the exit relocation doesn’t make sense to Devon after 10 years of work to revitalize the area. He noted that when the Moses Wheeler Bridge was closed for construction years back, many great Devon businesses closed because the area became a ghost town.

“Neither Devon, nor Milford — nor even Stratford — can afford the economic impact to our tax bases and the loss of revenue our businesses will face as a result of this redesign,” Amann said. Amann added that he hates to see one city “pitted against another.”

DOT spokesman Kevin Nursick said the redesign plan is just a little beyond the conceptual phase and will require an environmental impact study, as well as public input, before becoming a reality. Nursick said that according to Stratford officials and its legislative delegation, who want the project, that town is suffering extreme traffic congestion because of the exit configuration, something bad for their business.

Nursick said part of the DOT’s job is to reduce traffic congestion.

Charles Perez, who represents Stratford Action For The Environment, also spoke against the plan, claiming the new interchange has the potential to disrupt and cause further contamination of groundwater surrounding the nearby former Raymark manufacturing site, now an EPA Superfund site.

Devon merchants claim the proposal would turn Devon into a ghost town, after merchants have invested millions into its revitalization; the change would reduce traffic flow through Devon by 50 percent; the project will cost the state $34 million in unnecessary expense; the money would be better used by giving the municipalities each $17 million to invest in their economies.