Two Accidents Tie Up Traffic at Opposite Ends of Old Saybrook

OLD SAYBROOK - Two accidents in Old Saybrook caused delays for motorists on the morning of Saturday, Dec. 1.

According to a report from the Connecticut State Police Troop F Barracks in Westbrook, a one car rollover crash occurred on Interstate 95 Southbound near exit 67 at about 4:58 a.m.

In the southbound direction, exit 67 provides access to Elm Street.

The name of the driver was not identified in the department's press release but did identify James L. Travis, 19, of New Haven, as a passenger in the vehicle.
Travis was arrested for possession of weapons in a motor vehicle and interfering with police and held on a $2,500 bond.

Police seized four Ruger 22 calibers belonging to Travis.

The crash reportedly shut down a portion of the highway for about two hours while the accident was being cleared.

It was reported that an unidentified person was pulled from the vehicle but no information was available on the extent of that person's injuries or what caused the crash.

About four hours later, another one vehicle rollover occurred a few miles away close to where two major highways in the Connecticut River Valley intersect.

At about 9:15 a.m., a tandem tractor truck struck a guardrail and rolled over on the ramp connecting Route 9 Southbound to Interstate 95 Northbound.

The truck is owned by Con-Way Freight, Inc. of Fort Wayne, Ind., and the driver was identified as 28-year-old Robert A. Gagnon, of Southbridge, Mass.

According to Troop F records, Gagnon told police that his rear trailer started shaking as he was driving on the ramp, the truck and trailers struck a guardrail causing the vehicle and its trailers to flip over.

No injuries were reported in the incident.

Police issued Gagnon with an infraction for traveling too fast for conditions and failure to drive in the proper lane.

The accident forced the ramp to be closed causing traffic backups on Route 9.

Route 9 Southbound motorists were detoured by police onto Interstate 95 Southbound.

From there, they had to use exit 68 onto Springbrook Road, and turn onto Route 1 North to enter Interstate 95 North.

The ramp reopened at about 6:30 p.m.

This is not the first time an accident occurred on this ramp.

On Dec. 28, 2006, William R. Whitney, Jr., 46, of Ashvelot, N.H., was charged by police for traveling too fast after his tractor trailer struck a guardrail causing it to rollover on its side.

In that incident, the ramp was closed for two and a half hours.

Large signs on Route 9 Southbound warn drivers to slow down before approaching the ramps for Interstate 95 Northbound and Southbound.

The Interstate 95 Northbound ramp has several chevron signs.

These signs are yellow with black arrows warning drivers of the ramp's sharp curve.

To help drivers negotiate the ramp in the fog and at night, reflectors have been installed on concrete barriers and guardrails on the ramp.