Public Invited To Hear State Plans For I-84

By Andrew Gorosko

The state Department of Transportation (DOT) will conduct a public information session Monday, June 19, to explain its proposals to widen Interstate-84 in the area and reconfigure its interchanges to improve traffic flow and travel safety.

The meeting is scheduled for 7 pm at the Newtown High School cafeteria, 12 Berkshire Road. For people unable to attend the June 19 session, the DOT will hold a similar meeting Tuesday, June 20, at 7 pm at the City Council Chambers in Danbury City Hall at 155 Deer Hill Avenue, Danbury.

DOT traffic planners will explain their ongoing study of I-84 traffic flow deficiencies and describe proposed improvements along I-84 between the Housatonic River and the New York State line.

DOT will present its overall highway improvement proposals from 7 to 7:30 pm. From 7:30 to 9 pm, DOT officials will discuss specific improvements. 

DOT is presenting short-term, mid-term, and long-term construction proposals.

Traffic planners have stressed that the project is in the planning stages and the various road improvements which they suggest are years away. The proposed work may be done sometime between 2005 and 2020.  Short-term improvements would be made between 2000 and 2005. Medium-term work would be done between 2005 and 2010. Long-term improvements are projected for 2010 and beyond. The highway widening work is a long-term improvement.

Exit 9

The DOT proposes various short-term improvements to the Exit 9 interchange in Hawleyville. These include: extending the acceleration and deceleration lanes for the eastbound and westbound on-ramps and off-ramps; installing a new traffic signal where Hawleyville Road intersects with the I-84 eastbound on-ramp and off-ramp; and adding a “left turn” lane on Mt Pleasant Road for left turns onto northbound Hawleyville Road.

Long-term improvements for the Exit 9 interchange include: a widened Hawleyville Road north and south of the interchange; a widened I-84 eastbound off-ramp and on-ramp; an improved I-84 westbound off-ramp; a redesigned I-84 westbound on-ramp which would have a much gentler curve than the existing ramp; an improved section of Barnabas Road near Hawleyville Road; and a new traffic signal at the intersection of Barnabas Road and Hawleyville Road.

Exit 10

Proposed short-term improvements at Exit 10 include: revised traffic signal timings at the intersection of Church Hill Road and the westbound on-ramp and off-ramp; an extended acceleration lane on the I-84 westbound on-ramp; and installing new low-clearance warnings for the Housatonic Railroad’s Church Hill Road overpass.

Proposed long-term improvements for the interchange include: building a new gently curved I-84 westbound off-ramp on the south side of Church Hill Road to replace the existing sharply hooked westbound off-ramp on the north side of Church Hill Road; constructing a new gently curved I-84 eastbound off-ramp on the north side of Church Hill Road to replace the existing sharply hooked eastbound off-ramp on the south side of Church Hill Road; improving Church Hill Road between its intersection with Walnut Tree Hill and Commerce Road; and improving a section of Commerce Road near Church Hill Road.

Exit 11

 The DOT proposes a more elaborate set of changes for Exit 11 in Sandy Hook, involving short-, medium-, and long-term improvements there.

Proposed short term improvements include: revising the traffic signal timings at the intersection of Wasserman Way with the Exit 11 on-ramp and off-ramp; installing rumble strips and/or variable speed warning signs on the eastbound and westbound Exit 11 off-ramps; and adding a left-turn lane at the intersection of Wasserman Way and Route 34 to facilitate left turns from Wasserman Way onto westbound Route 34.

Medium-term improvements include: improving and widening the intersection of Route 34 and Toddy Hill Road; and creating a new on-ramp that would extend directly from that intersection to I-84 eastbound and westbound on-ramps, thus eliminating much traffic flow on Wasserman Way and Route 34.

Long-term improvements at Exit 11 include building a simplified set of on-ramps and off-ramps for eastbound and westbound I-84 which would eliminate some of the sweeping curved on ramps in the interchange. The proposed set of ramps would meet Route 34 and Wasserman Way in a redesigned four-way intersection where Wasserman Way now meets Route 34.

The Exit 11 interchange was built almost 30 years ago as a link between I-84 and a then-planned Route 25 expressway. That Route 25 expressway was never built. Traffic planners propose simplifying the sweeping Exit 11 interchange to reduce traffic congestion on nearby roads.

DOT’s projected traffic volumes indicate that much of the I-84 corridor will reach or exceed its traffic handling capacity in the next five years.

According to a DOT traffic study, widening I-84 with one travel lane in each direction would address traffic volumes up to the year 2025. Such a road widening appears feasible primarily within the highway’s existing right of way, according to DOT.    

According to DOT’s study of I-84 in Newtown, the most pressing issue is the need for a third travel lane in each direction. Interchanges in Newtown have obsolete road geometry and face traffic demands that will soon outstrip their useful capacity, according to DOT.

Preliminary cost estimates for the I-84 improvement work between Exit 11 and the New York State line place costs at $258 million, excluding designs, permitting expenses, and right-of-way acquisition.

The $750,000 DOT highway planning study will conclude in July.