I-395 Will Run on Dunkin', Eat Fresh, and Go Green

Exciting changes are coming for Eastern Connecticut highway travelers. More food choices, new convenience stores, environmentally friendly amenities, and upgraded restrooms are coming to the three Interstate 395 service plazas in Montville and Plainfield.

Once serving as automotive service garages, these 1950's facilities became Mobil Marts in the 1980's but it’s time for another makeover.

These 3,500-square-foot buildings will be transformed into a round-the-clock mini food court and retail area with Dunkin’ Donuts, Subway, Fast Freddie’s convenience store, and Mobil gasoline.

This will mark the first time fresh food options, rather than pre-packaged sandwiches, will be available at these facilities.

It's part of a $178 million initiative by Project Service, LLC to renovate 23 service plazas along the Connecticut Turnpike (I-395 and I-95) and the Merritt and Wilbur Cross Parkways (Route 15). The company will manage the plazas for 35 years as part of a contract with Connecticut. All 23 plazas will feature a Subway, Dunkin' Donuts and a Mobil gas station.

"The buildings (I-395 plazas) will be gutted and it will be similar to the North Haven service area buildings,” said Michael Modine, Project Services Director of Operations, referring to the facilities on Route 15 that reopened earlier this year. 

The North Haven plazas meet top environmental “silver LEED” standards. Solar panels were installed along with state-of-the-art energy efficient heating and air conditioning units. Restrooms use less water and feature motion-activated lights.

This blogger visited the North Haven facilities after they first reopened and noticed the vast improvements. Also noticeable was the lack of indoor and outdoor seating perhaps due to lack of space. 

While the North Haven plazas feature reconfigured parking and gasoline fueling areas, Modine confirmed that the outside of the I-395 plazas will "largely remain unchanged."

The Eastern Connecticut facilities each have about six gas pumps, two picnic tables, 30 auto parking spaces, and 10 truck spaces.

A new potable water well system was recently installed at the Montville facility along with the replacement of the septic system.

The north and south Plainfield plazas, near the Route 6 interchange, will close for renovations this October and are scheduled to reopen in June 2012.

Immediately after this, the lone southbound Montville plaza, past exit 79A, is slated to close for renovations and reopen in April 2013.

The Montville and northbound Plainfield plazas receive about 1,300 vehicles each day while 1,800 daily visit the Plainfield southbound facility.