DOT Describes Plans To Reconfigure

Exit 11 Interchange Of Interstate 84

By Andrew Gorosko

State Department of Transportation (DOT) officials have presented their long-awaited plans for reconstructing the Exit 11 interchange of Interstate 84, intended to improve travel safety and enhance traffic flow in an area that is prone to traffic congestion during the morning and evening rush periods.

The elaborate high-speed Exit 11 interchange was constructed in the early 1970s in preparation for a linkage between I-84 and a planned limited-access version of Route 25. But a limited-access Route 25 was never built, and the Exit 11 interchange remained in place as an overbuilt set of ramps linking I-84 to Route 34 (Berkshire Road) via Wasserman Way (Mile Hill Road). The interchange has a high accident rate.

At a June 21 informational session at Newtown High School, DOT officials solicited public comments on plans for major improvements to Exit 11. Approximately 40 people attended the session, about half of whom were state, regional, or town officials.

The project, which is estimated to cost $12.5 million to $15 million, is slated to start construction in the spring of 2009 and be completed by late 2010. Interstate 84, the on-ramps and off-ramps, Route 34, and Wasserman Way will all remain open to traffic during construction, according to DOT.

When completed, the interchange reconfiguration will contain a broad four-way intersection of Route 34, Wasserman Way, and the on-ramps and off-ramps for I-84. The large intersection will be controlled by an array of traffic signals and will contain dedicated turning lanes. The two overpasses that carry the existing Exit 11 ramps over Route 34 will be removed, as will be the two existing sharply-curved sections of on-ramp and off-ramp nearest Wasserman Way. 

The Exit 11 interchange improvements are part of a long-term state project to widen I-84 between the New York State line and Waterbury, and also to improve the many interchanges along the highway.

Engineer Nicholas Giardina of DMJM Harris, Inc, which is designing the project for the DOT, said that in the three-year period from January 2001 and December 2003, there were 83 motor vehicle accidents on the Exit 11 ramps, which is considered a high accident rate.

The existing interchange requires motorists who are traveling westward on Route 34 to make too many left turns to enter I-84, he said. Also, the area poses some sight line problems.

To make way for the broadened four-way intersection, the Exit 11 commuter parking lot would be shifted somewhat eastward. The two Exit 11 bridges that pass above Route 34 would be removed in the nighttime to minimize traffic disruptions, Mr Giardina said.

Steven Degen of DOT said the state would need to make three land acquisitions along Route 34 to accomplish its project. No buildings would need to be demolished. Most of the project would occur on existing state-owned land.

First Selectman Herbert Rosenthal urged that the DOT consider the broader picture of how traffic flows through the general area when redesigning and reconstructing the Exit 11 interchange.

School officials propose an expansion of Newtown High School, which presumably would result in increased traffic through the area due to an increased high school student enrollment.

Also, the intersection of Route 34 and Toddy Hill Road, which lies southeast of the planned new four-way intersection, is a traffic bottleneck. Traffic on westbound Route 34 and northbound Toddy Hill Road often backs up considerable distances during weekday morning rush periods.

Town Public Works Director Fred Hurley recommended that the DOT increase the number of parking spaces at the Exit 11 commuter parking lot to encourage more motorists to use the facility.

Mr Rosenthal recommended that the DOT include sidewalks in its plans for the Exit 11 project to provide a safe place for students to walk to and from the high school.

DOT Project Manager Robert Rakowski said the town would be expected to contribute 20 percent of the cost of sidewalks, if sidewalks were to be built.

Town Conservation Official Rob Sibley urged that the stormwater channeled by the reconstructed Exit 11 interchange meet applicable state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) water quality standards. Mr Sibley urged that the DOT not allow invasive plant species to infest the Exit 11 area. He also urged that the DOT adopt a “Dark Sky” policy for the area to minimize nighttime light scatter from street lighting that would accompany the project.

Legislative Council member Joseph Borst recommended that the DOT post more signs along I-84 informing motorists that they should use Exit 11 for access to Route 25.

One resident urged that the traffic bottleneck at Route 34 and Toddy Hill Road be widened in order to improve general traffic flow through the area. He also suggested that designated bike paths be created in the area for bicyclists.

The DOT’s plans, however, do not call for a widened intersection of Route 34 and Toddy Hill Road.

Mr Rakowski said the state does not plan to create a truck stop/rest area in the Exit 11 area. The state has been conducting a study intended to determine the best location for a truck stop/rest area along I-84. The Exit 11 area has been one of the candidates for that facility. Such truck stops now exist on I-84 in Danbury and Southington.

Mr Rosenthal said he has made it clear to DOT officials that placing a truck stop in the area would be unacceptable. He said he has received verbal assurances from DOT that such a facility would not be constructed there.

 Such a truck stop would pose hazards to the water quality of the underlying Pootatuck Aquifer, Mr Rosenthal said on June 22. Also, there would be practical problems in terms of the geometry of such a facility, he said.

Mr Rosenthal said town officials have sought to have the state improve the intersection of Route 34 and Toddy Hill Road to alleviate the traffic bottleneck there, but he added that such work is not part of the Exit 11 interchange reconstruction project.