Be ready for lane changes on I-95 this weekend

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) -- Traveling south on I-95 in from East Haven into New Haven is going to be a bit congested this weekend as lanes get shifted for the new Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge construction project.

This weekend, traffic on the Southbound side -- which is still on the old "Q" bridge -- moves to what used to be the Northbound lanes. The shift is scheduled to overnight Friday into Saturday, if the weather cooperates. It may seem like a pretty subtle change but Brian Mercure from the Connecticut Department of Transportation still expects it to cause some delays.

LINK: I95NewHaven.com

"It's something new," he said. "Until they get used to it, they put on the brakes. And that's all you need is a couple of people putting the brakes on and traffic backs up."

You can kind of get a sense of where the traffic is going to go just by looking at the old Northbound side of the "Q"Bridge. They have already painted some dotted lines. That's where the traffic is going starting this weekend.

They've been preparing for this for awhile, setting up the temporary barriers and lighting. This traffic shift allows crews to continue demolition on the old bridge, working from the outside in. You've probably noticed, some non-essential parts of the old bridge have already been taken down.
 
The DOT says we tend notice the big things, but little things, crucial things, are happening every day.

"It's been going very smoothly," Mercure said. And he admits nice days with good weather also help. "Absolutely - hopefully the whole winter is like this."

The lane change will be in place for about a year. The massive project is still on track for a 2016 finish date.