I-95 in Stamford reopens nearly a day early

Using accelerated bridge construction technology a section of a prefabricated bridge, shown at right in a photograph taken on May 1, 2019, is near completion and Connecticut DOT officials are preparing to roll it into place, replacing the 60-year-old Route 1 bridge, at left, deemed structurally deficient. The project at Exit 9 on I-95 in Stamford, will take place over two weekends, closing Interstate 95 with traffic diverting onto existing on and off ramps and creating a traffic mess for travelers. less Using accelerated bridge construction technology a section of a prefabricated bridge, shown at right in a photograph taken on May 1, 2019, is near completion and Connecticut DOT officials are preparing to roll ... more Photo: Matthew Brown / Hearst Connecticut Media Buy photo Photo: Matthew Brown / Hearst Connecticut Media Image 1 of / 24 Caption Close I-95 in Stamford reopens nearly a day early 1 / 24 Back to Gallery

STAMFORD — A section of Interstate-95 reopened nearly a day earlier than expected after what was supposed to be a weekend-long closure to repair a bridge.

The highway near Exit 9 opened in both directions around 6:15 a.m. Sunday, but Route 1 is still closed, Stamford Police Capt. Tom Lombardo said.

The stretch of highway was originally expected to reopen as late as 5 a.m. Monday, but work to strip away a dilapidated Route 1 bridge that spans I-95 is moving along faster than anticipated. The project costs $15 million.

“They are running many hours ahead of schedule,” Lombardo said.

Route 1 is still closed over the bridge and is not expected to open until Sunday evening or past midnight, he said. Detours are set up.

Officials had expected a traffic nightmare through Stamford over the weekend as drivers took local roads to bypass the highway, but officials said congestion was not bad, although some businesses said they were negatively affected.

Local and state police are still monitoring traffic, Lombardo said.

“The local roads still have a few issues, nothing like (Saturday), and (Saturday) was manageable,” he said.

The area of Exit 9 is expected to close again next weekend.