In October 1989, a study was initiated to evaluate I-95 between New Haven and Branford. A Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), released in January 1992, outlined and evaluated several improvement alternatives. When citizens, businesses, commuters and public officials were presented with the set of alternatives, many voiced dissatisfaction with the selections.

ConnDOT then initiated the Intermodal Concept Development Committee (ICDC), whose members represented 26 diverse community, environmental and business groups with interests in the socio-economic viability of the region. The ICDC developed alternatives that would address transportation issues while minimizing the impact of construction on the environment or property within the corridor.

The ICDC evaluated over one hundred alternates for the Corridor, and reached consensus on seven of those options, which were analyzed in detail as part of the April, 1997 Supplemental DEIS (SDEIS). The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) was released in March, 1999 and was followed in August 1999 by the FHWA Record of Decision (ROD), which detailed the recommended alternative. An inventory of the over-500 comment letters and the Public Hearing Transcript are included in ConnDOT's report: New Haven Harbor Crossing SDEIS Evaluation, Comments (April, 1997).