November 4, 2019

Scheduled Nightly Ramp Closures on I-84 Westbound in Newtown

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The Connecticut Department of Transportation is announcing nightly ramp closures on I-84 westbound in Newtown at Exits 9 and 10 that will finally bring us into winter with paved and striped ramps, bridge decks and travel lanes without exposed concrete foundation repairs.

What most folks do not see is the extensive work to upgrade drainage under and around our stretch of I-84 that will, ultimately, prevent future problems like the ones that undermined the roadway’s original concrete foundation in dozens of places. Years of poor drainage and freeze/thaw necessitated these repairs and turned this into an unanticipated, lengthy inconvenience.

Before I go further, I’d like to offer an apology to everyone who has been inconvenienced in this process and, especially, for the unreliability or lack of information about the extent and timing of the repairs. Communication issues with the contractor and DOT resulted in dissemination of updates that were, at best, inaccurate and, at worst, denied upon request. As taxpaying road users, we deserved better.

Last week, the contractor began paving I-84 eastbound. DOT assures us this will be complete by the “end of November, at the latest.” All bare bridge decks will be temporarily paved and striped, but will require additional work in 2020. The details of the 2020 work have not been provided, though requested repeatedly. The milled ramps will finally be paved and striped, also by the end of November, along with last-minute pre-winter prep and drainage work, ensuring water flow to catch basins, to prevent icing. Again, details of remaining 2020 work have not been provided.

Following are the details of work and detours coming the next couple weeks:

The Exit 9 ramps (on and off) will be closed nightly beginning on Monday, November 4, 2019, until Wednesday November 6, 2019.

The Exit 10 ramps (on and off) will be closed nightly beginning on Thursday, November 7, 2019, until Monday November 11, 2019.

The ramps will be closed each night beginning at 9:00 PM, and will reopen at 5:00 AM the following morning. The closures and detours are necessary to facilitate construction/safety improvement activities. All closures are weather-dependent.

Detour Information:

I-84 westbound Exit 9 detour:

Westbound Exit 9 off-ramp: Take exit 8 and follow signs to I-84 EB to detour.
Westbound Exit 9 on-ramp: Follow Route 25 to Route 6 to detour.

I-84 westbound Exit 10 detour:

Westbound Exit 10 off-ramp: Take exit 9 and follow signs to Route 25 to Route 6 to detour.
Westbound Exit 10 on-ramp: Follow detour Route 6 to Route 25 to I-84 WB.