Connecticut Department of Transportation officials and Gov. Dannel Malloy announced Friday the major construction project on I-84 in Waterbury should be finished sooner than originally planned because of the mild winter and a dedicated construction team.
Construction crews Friday morning continued the rock excavation clearing the way for I-84’s new alignment through Waterbury.
“You could fill the Yale bowl to the height of 55 feet with the rock that we’ve already moved,” Malloy said of the project’s progress.
A year and a half after breaking ground, DOT officials said the project covering the 2.7 mile stretch of highway is 10 months ahead of schedule.
“I guess they are ahead of schedule which is good news,” said David Shea of Waterbury, “but when is it going to end?”
“What are the commutes like during all this construction?” NBC Connecticut asked Lauren Lombardo, who drives from Meriden to Waterbury for work.
“In the morning it’s slow,” she said. “But in the afternoon it’s just dead-stopped and takes me a little while to get here so I have to give myself some extra time.”
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The project is getting rid of the interstate’s S-curve shape and widening the road to add shoulders and a third travel lane in each direction.
“Once the three lanes come it’s going to be a nice smooth ride,” Lombardo said.
The improvements to the highway are paving the way for economic development, Waterbury Mayor Neil O’Leary said.
“The interest in the property and the undeveloped property on the east side of Waterbury has gone up tremendously since this project actually got the shovels in the ground,” he said.
By summer 2019, a year earlier than expected, Gov. Malloy said the work should be finished and there will be three flowing lanes of traffic in both directions.
"This is a blueprint project for how we are going to be doing things in the future using new construction methods, new monitoring methods," Malloy said.
For weekly updates on the construction project, visit the website.
