A big change in the Exit 11 Realignment Project is less than 24 hours away.

The Resident Engineer for the project has notified The Newtown Bee that the new westbound Berkshire Road/Route 34 entrance ramp will be opened on Friday morning, May 12.

Westbound Berkshire Road/Route 34 traffic will be shifted overnight.

Messageboard signs in the area will be updated.

Underway since October 2021, the work is creating intersection improvements along Wasserman Way (State Route 490) at the interstate ramps, Berkshire Road (State Route 34) at Wasserman, and Berkshire at Toddy Hill Road. The off-ramp from I-84 is also being reconfigured to accommodate an additional turn lane and realigned to normalize the intersection with Wasserman Way, according to Connecticut Department of Transportation (CT DOT) documents.

The project’s mission is to alleviate chronic congestion in the area.

The length of the work area is approximately 2,600 feet along Berkshire Road, about 3,700 feet along the Exit 11 ramps, approximately 1,500 feet along Wasserman Way, and about 100 feet along Toddy Hill Road. The planned improvements include providing auxiliary turning lanes and improving the geometry at the affected intersections.

The eastbound onramp has been moved slightly to the north to accommodate a minimum weave length for the planned new on-ramp at Berkshire Road.

Illumination on the ramps will be upgraded.

Westbound Berkshire Road has been widened to provide a left-turn lane for the Newtown High School driveway.

The existing commuter lot on Wasserman Way is being partially reconstructed.

Improvements to bicycle, pedestrian, and commuter accommodations are being incorporated where possible, according to DOT. Five-foot-wide shoulders will be included along Berkshire Road in the project area.

Sidewalks have been added along the south side of Berkshire Road from Newtown High School to Wasserman Way. They will eventually extend to the intersection with Toddy Hill Road. They will also be installed along the north side of Berkshire Road from Toddy Hill Road to Pole Bridge Road.

Sidewalks will also be included along Wasserman Way from the Wasserman Way/Berkshire Road intersection to Oakview Road, and along Wasserman Way from the Wasserman Way/Berkshire Road intersection to the commuter parking lot.

The $25.1 million project was awarded in September 2021 to A.M. Rizzo. Work began in mid-October 2021 and is expected to take roughly 2½ years, until May 2024, to complete.

The project is administered by the Bureau of Engineering and Construction, Office of Construction, District 4 in Thomaston.

Managing Editor Shannon Hicks can be reached at shannon@thebee.com.