Wasserman Way (Route 490) will be fully closed between its intersections with Berkshire Road/Route 34 and Oakview Road for overnight work beginning Sunday, July 23, as part of the Exit 11 reconfigurement.

According to project notes, the closures will run from 9 pm until 5 am Sunday through Tuesday, July 23-25.

Traffic will be detoured to Church Hill Road and the I-84 Exit 10 ramps. As an alternate, I-84 East and West can now be accessed from the new on-ramp on Berkshire Road opposite Toddy Hill Road.

Underway since October 2021, the work is creating intersection improvements along Wasserman Way 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.