In 2022, the number of fatalities caused by wrong way drivers on Connecticut highways jumped by 500 percent. Yet with over 700 ramps on Connecticut’s interstate system, the Connecticut Department of Transportation faced significant challenges in identifying countermeasures, as well as targeting and prioritizing the deployment of such countermeasures. Costing $40 million, the agency deployed Wrong Way Detection and Notification Systems at 225 priority locations, using countermeasures such as directional arrows on secondary roads, straight-arrow signal heads at exit ramps, and public service announcements. The agency said those systems activated more than 300 times in the last year and helped cut fatal crashes from 13 in 2022 to six in 2024 – more than 50 percent – while reducing fatalities from 23 in 2022 to 13 in 2024. CTDOT is now increasing collaboration with other state agencies and municipal leaders, especially law enforcement, to target other high-risk locations. Increased police presence and community engagement has enhanced safety, especially through coordination of targeted DUI checkpoints and extra patrols.
America's Transportation Awards 