Governor Calls for New I-84 Viaduct in Hartford

With rust visible on the girders and joints of the busy roadway above his head, Gov. Dannel Malloy pointed to the I-84 viaduct in Hartford and vowed to start designing a replacement before the end of his current term.

The project would cost between $4 billion and $10 billion, according to the governor.

"You could wait until it falls down, but I don't think that's the best way to deal with it," Malloy told reporters during a tour on Monday.

"Let me say this: We've been walking on water," the goveror said before breaking into laughter.

He explained there's an underground conduit beneath the viaduct, a conduit containing a buried river. That would have to be moved if the replacement was a tunnel.

"Tunneling - very expensive," he said.

But it is an option for experts to consider, along with rebuilding the elevated roadway or running the highway slightly below ground.

"I think a sunken roadway is probably the more likely option and I think it's highly unlikely anybody would build this thing now," Malloy said, looking up at the viaduct.

He also said the Hartford-New Haven railway would have to be involved and perhaps straightened as part of any realignment of the highway.

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