The Exit 11 reconfiguration adjacent to Newtown High School and a short distance down Wasserman Way from Reed Intermediate is not going to be finished before the beginning of the 2023-24 school year, it was learned recently.

There is good news, however. Speaking to The Newtown Bee recently, Anthony Cioffi said “the official end of the project is sometime in October.”

An employee of M&J Engineering PC, Cioffi is the resident engineer for the Exit 11 project. The realignment falls under the State of Connecticut Department of Transportation (CT DOT).

“We’re well ahead of the original completion schedule,” Cioffi said July 28. The project was initially expected to continue until May 2024. Its mission has been to alleviate chronic congestion in the area.

“Basically we’re into landscaping and final paving,” Cioffi added. He also confirmed the project is “within budget.”

Since October 2021, the realignment work in Sandy Hook has created 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 Exit 11 off-ramp from I-84 is being reconfigured to accommodate an additional turning lane and realigned to normalize the intersection with Wasserman Way, according to CT DOT documents.

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 new on-ramp extending from Berkshire Road joins the on-ramp that was already in place from Wasserman Road. The new ramp eliminates the need for drivers traveling west on Berkshire to continue through the signalized intersections of Berkshire at Toddy Hill and then Berkshire at Wasserman Way to enter I-84.

Four private Berkshire Road properties — the former lots of 31, 33, 35 and 37, along the northern side of that road and extending east from the new on-ramp — are now owned by the State of Connecticut DOT/Division of Rights of Way. The homes and outbuildings on the lots were demolished in order to build the new ramp.

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 also extend now along the south side of Berkshire to the intersection with Toddy Hill Road, and are being installed along the north side of Berkshire, extending to Pole Bridge Road.

The three remaining antique homes between the new on-ramp and Pole Bridge Road, along the north side of Berkshire, lost part of their front yards through right of way acquisition during the road widening and sidewalk installation.

A new retaining wall has been built in front of 41 Berkshire Road. As of August 2, the mailbox for that home is situated in the middle of the brand-new sidewalk.

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 latest update from the DOT indicates upcoming work will focus on a new raised island west of Toddy Hill Road, continued construction of new retaining walls along Berkshire Road, and project wide topsoil placement and cleanup.

The $25.1 million project was awarded in September 2021 to A.M. Rizzo. Work began the following month and was expected to take roughly two-and-a-half years to complete.

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

=====

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