I-84 Signs Should Help Divert Traffic From Main Street

By Steve Bigham

The state’s Department of Transportation (DOT) has finally told the rest of the world that the $4 million bypass road known as “Wasserman Way” is open to traffic. Last week, DOT erected signs along Interstate 84 informing motorists that exit 11 provides easy access to Route 25 south to Bridgeport.

A large sign between exits 8 and 9 along I-84 eastbound reads “Alternate Route 25 South, Bridgeport, Exit 11.” It is hoped that this sign will keep trucks from using exit 9 and then rumbling their way down Route 25 and Main Street as they head to points south. Until now, drivers had no way of knowing about the bypass road and they continued to stream through the center of town.

A second sign before exit 11 westbound reading “To South Route 25 – Bridgeport” will also be installed.

The signs are considered to be the final phase in this project to re-route traffic around the center of town. It has been more than two years since the state opened Wasserman Way (also known as Route 490). However, the bypass road’s effectiveness could never be fully measured until all the proper signs were installed.

Two years ago, the DOT did erect signs along Route 25 northbound (before Mile Hill Road), Route 302 (at the intersection with Main Street), and along 34, alerting motorists that they can use the bypass to access Interstate 84.

The DOT also plans to remove the word “Bridgeport” from the current exit 9 eastbound sign. However, First Selectman Herb Rosenthal’s request to replace the legend with “Newtown” will not be accommodated since exit 11 is currently signed for this destination.

“It is felt that the signing at two I-84 eastbound exits for Newtown would prove confusing to motorists,” said DOT Commissioner James F. Sullivan in an October 27 letter to Mr Rosenthal.

The bypass road through Fairfield Hills was expected to be the cure for at least some of Newtown’s traffic blues by diverting the large volume of traffic away from the center of town – mainly Route 25 and Church Hill Road. By all accounts, it has succeeded in doing so, although Main Street continues to be jammed during commuting hours.

The construction of the bypass road came at a time when traffic in Newtown was at an all-time high. In a way, Newtown has become a crossroads town – a junction for travelers on their way to western Connecticut’s larger cities. As Newtown Police point out, people get off Interstate 84 in Newtown because the highway doesn’t go to New Haven. You have to take Route 34.

“Part of it is the growth of Newtown. You simply have more people moving into this town at a quick rate. It has a direct impact on local traffic,” noted Public Works Director Fred Hurley.

The bypass road was built as a result of a 1991 agreement between the town and the state over the construction of the Garner Correctional Facility on Nunnawauk Road.