Norwich considers pursuing $15 million federal grant for I-395 exit improvements
Feb. 19—NORWICH — The City Council will be asked Tuesday to support a $15.6 million federal grant request for improvements to the Interstate 395 Exit 18 ramp and to create dedicated lanes for traffic entering and leaving the planned Occum Industrial Center.
The Norwich Community Development Corp. is seeking authorization to apply for the grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity, RAISE, program.
The requested $15.6 million would fund the majority of the proposed $20 million project to upgrade the Exit 18 northbound and southbound ramps with wider lanes, including acceleration and deceleration lanes on the steep ramps, a traffic light at the Route 97 intersection, sidewalks along Route 97 and dedicated lanes to enter and exit the industrial center.
The City Council will vote on the proposed resolution to authorize the grant application at its meeting at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall. NCDC President Kevin Brown said the federal application is due Feb. 28. He also is pursuing letters of support from the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments, Southeastern Connecticut Enterprise Region, the region's congressional delegation and key city and state leaders.
Mayor Peter Nystrom said if the RAISE grant is awarded, the remaining $5 million in local matching funds for the project could come from a combination of state and local funds, possibly including a portion of the $6 million road construction and improvements bond voters approved in November.
"It's about working as a team at the federal state and local level," Nystrom said. "The important thing now is to secure that grant."
Nystrom thanked the state for awarding the initial $11.3 million in Community Investment Fund grant money to construct the access road and thanked state Sen. Cathy Osten for obtaining another $500,000 in state funding for design work.
Neighbors in the Occum area have opposed the planned industrial center on former farmland and commercial land purchased by NCDC for $3.55 million. The property is zoned for planned development or general commercial development.
The Occum Industrial Center received local planning commission approval in January for a 12-lot commercial lot subdivision and to build the 7,700-foot-long access road from Route 97 into the property.
The council resolution describes the new access road and exit improvements as "a first step in establishing an industrial sector, to be known as the Occum Industrial Center, for environmentally beneficial technologies and help to revitalize core impoverished neighborhoods through economic growth and job opportunities."
Brown said the RAISE grant application will emphasize the traffic safety improvements to the Exit 18 ramps and Route 97, along with the economic development and jobs benefits the new industrial center would provide. The 184 acres of developable land will be marketed for environmentally beneficial technologies.
Brown said the exit ramp plans and highlights of the project will be posted on the city's Envision Norwich 360 interactive community website, https://envisionnorwich360.com/en/.
