CONNECTICUT, USA — Connecticut is in the process of renumbering state highways' exits. You may have noticed while driving around recently.
The renumbering comes as a part of a federal guideline that stems back to 2009, in which states are required to conform to mile marker numbering instead of the consecutive numbering system Connecticut residents are used to.
“So if you enter Connecticut down in Greenwich on [Interstate] 95, the first exit you’ll see will be an 'exit 1,' and then the next exit will not be 'exit 2,' it will be maybe 4 or maybe 7 depending on how far [and] how many miles are between the start of the highway and how far you’ve traveled,” explained Josh Morgan, spokesperson for the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CT DOT).
Lawford McKenzie, a Newington native, frequents the Roure 9 corridor in Middletown daily.
“If you’re just driving along, which a lot of people do, and you go 'Oh, that was the exit,' so – it’ll take a little time to get used to," McKenzie said.
Others are not sharing the same grace for the changes, saying they think it is a waste of time, money, and state resources.
Morgan said that the CT DOT has been able to fold these projects in with other projects, and the guidelines don’t lay out a timeline so that these renumbering projects will happen through 2030.
“We’re tying it into other work because there’s economies of scale there – there’s some cost savings for us, so we’re not doing work just for the numbers; we’re doing this in conjunction with other projects,” said Morgan.
Many commuters and travelers rely on GPS systems to get them to where they need to go, and CT DOT confirmed that they regularly update the companies so the new exit numbers are reflected in the GPS systems like Google Maps, Waze, and Apple Maps.
“We do communicate with these tech providers, letting them know we have a project in this area; here’s the old number and the new numbers. Please push an update out to your customers,” explained Morgan.
If you’re wondering when exits near you will be upgrading, CT DOT has a detailed timeline map on their website showing the old numbers, new numbers, and expected timeline as to when the project will start and finish. You can see that timeline map here.
Lauren Zenzie is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at Lzenzie@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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