The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said the new study presents more detail on how to fix safety and other problems on Route 6's current alignment than any previous analysis. Freeway opponents hope the study causes the Corps to revisit its finding that an upgrade of Route 6 will not meet transportation and safety needs.

EPA and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials said the new study was valuable, and pointed to big gaps in the ConnDOT study that dismissed upgrading Route 6 in favor of constructing a freeway on a new alignment. "Connecticut never considered the upgrade seriously" USFWS's Bill Niedermeyer told the Hartford Courant. ConnDOT's plan would entail one of the largest destruction of wetlands in New England in a decade. The proposal has spurred a protracted battle.

CFE hired Resource Systems Group, a transportation planning firm, and DeWolf Engineering to undertake the study. The upgrade plan would widen several segments of Route 6 to four lanes, but would avoid the need for separate freeway construction altogether.

ConnDOT said the CFE report contained nothing "startling" but nonetheless is said to be preparing a detailed rebuttal.