Governor Rell Cuts Ribbon for Brookfield Bypass

Route Seven Expressway is Extended 2.3 Miles

            Governor M. Jodi Rell, who for more than two decades has fought for the extension of Route 7 to bypass the busy “Four Corners” area of Brookfield, today cut the ribbon to open the new 2.3-mile stretch of highway and took the first “ceremonial” drive across the new highway.

            “Route Seven is by far the busiest north-south corridor in western Connecticut and this new roadway will make a huge difference for commuters, businesses and their customers,” said Governor Rell, a long-time resident of Brookfield who began pushing the project as a state representative in the 1980s. “Having raised a family here, I know first-hand the headaches of getting through the Four Corners on a daily basis.”

            The $105 million construction project was completed by O&G Industries of Torrington, under a contract with the Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT).

            The new roadway extends the existing Route 7 expressway from I-84 to just south of the New Milford border, making the expressway portion 6.7 miles long. The previous expressway carried traffic only as far as Route 202, sending northbound travelers into the Four Corners area, a heavily congested commercial section of Brookfield at the intersection of Route 202 and Route 25. The new roadway bypasses the Four Corners and includes a full north-south interchange at Route 202.

“These projects will allow everyone traveling through western Connecticut to have a safer and more expedient trip,” Governor Rell said. “Cutting the ribbon today in Brookfield is another example of the progress we are making in rebuilding Connecticut’s entire transportation system. A wider, safer, less-congested Route Seven is good for everyone and the regional economy.”

DOT Commissioner Joseph F. Marie said the agency worked closely with the state Department of Environmental Protection to avoid disrupting wildlife in the area.

The project also includes improvements to Quarry Pond that create areas for the spawning and development of largemouth bass and sunfish, and the restoration of two wildlife marshes at Wyantenock State Park to create a pike marsh.