Projects
Corridor Improvement
Upgrade & Management
CT DOT's nine-phase comprehensive corridor-length upgrade project was completed in 2025. The work followed guidelines developed in the 1990s for safety improvements and bridge and landscape restoration. The upgrade included:
• Replacing the 1960s metal “W-section’ guide rail with a new steel backed timber “Merritt Parkway” railing
• Widening the right shoulders in both directions by 8 feet (4 feet paved and 4 feet reinforced grass shoulder), which in many areas involved regrading the adjacent shoulders with new swales to receive rainwater runoff and plowed snow
• Installing a concrete curb and gutter system along the median for drainage
• Installing a new subsurface drainage system (rainwater was frequently conveyed back and forth below the travel lanes and median!)
• Resurfacing the roadway
• Landscape restoration, including removal of invasives and unsafe trees, and re-planting of native shrubs and trees
• Bridge rehabilitation and restoration (cleaning, patching, painting, and repair)
The Conservancy works closely with CT DOT on evaluating trees for retention and removal, the work on bridges, and other project specific issues. CT DOT is committed to restoring the architectural features of the bridges that have been compromised due to age and insensitive repairs.
Some of the Bridges still require Repairs and Restoration.
Please help us achieve our goals!
Merritt Parkway Scenic Byway Corridor Management Plan (SBCMP)
At MPC’s urging, CT DOT submitted a grant application to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for the SBCMP. MPC was the principal author of the proposed scope, which includes reviewing off-corridor land use regulations and incentives to encourage respectful development.
Wrong-Way Signalization
CT DOT will install wrong-way signage equipped with flashing light signals at the parkway exit ramps. The project will increase the number of wrong-way signs along selected exit ramps. MPC is reviewing the location and appearance of the signage, which will face away from the parkway with backs painted a neutral color.