Interstate 84 between Waterbury and Cheshire is set to get a major facelift. Connecticut Department of Transportation crews will begin work very soon on adding lanes to the congestion-plagued highway known for bottlenecks.
Waterbury Mayor Neil O'Leary says the construction is going to mean headaches but there's no denying it has to be done.
“It’s a very bad thing in the sense that it’s going to cause further congestion during certain hours of the day on certain days of the week. It’s a good thing because it’s been a long time coming.”
One business along I-84 is wary of the construction.
Ernie Fanton is the General Manager of the staple grinder maker Nardelli's along I-84. “Yeah it’s great that we’ll have more people coming through but how can we let them park?"
Nardelli's has a small parking lot and many customers park along Plank Rd in both directions adjacent to the westbound lanes of I-84. While Plank Rd would become two lanes in both directions and extend farther, Fanton worries that customers could have decreased access to the store.
"With parking on both sides of the road, then that could restrict our parking" Fanton said.
Mayor O'Leary says there's no doubt the construction is going to be an inconvenience. He counters that by saying improving traffic patterns through Waterbury and the nearby towns will do wonders for economic development.
“I think the majority of Waterburians recognize the importance of this project for the future of the city recognizing that economic development is our number one driver.”
The project will cost $300 million and utilize both state and federal funds. It will take five years to complete the widening from Waterbury to Cheshire.
The second major phase of improving I-84 is replacing the Mix Master which is where I-84 and Route 8 merge. That would begin once the widening is complete and take five years to complete on its own.
O'Leary said, “The Mix Master is 50 years old and it needs to be replaced. There’s no emergency. There’s no urgency, but the new mix master will add capacity and that means more traffic, more opportunity for people to come into Waterbury. More economic development, more tax revenue.”
