The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) will hold a conceptual public information meeting concerning the removal of the Exit 21 Off-Ramp on Interstate 84 Eastbound in Waterbury, under State Project Number 151-340. The meeting will also serve as a scoping meeting required under the Connecticut Environmental Protection Act (CEPA).

This goals of this meeting meeting are to provide an overview of what the project intends to accomplish, including the need, benefits, environmental impacts, and timeline, to obtain public input and answer questions from the public that will help shape the project.

The meeting will occur in person on Thursday, March 23, 2023, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Maloney Magnet School, 233 South Elm Street in Waterbury. An informal open house will be held from 6-6:30 p.m., followed by a presentation covering the details of the project and the CEPA purpose and process. The meeting will then open to the members of the public for comments and questions.

The project is an Early Action Project identified under the New Mix Planning and Environmental Linkages Study, which is CTDOT’s program for the planning and implementation of a series of projects aimed at addressing the long-term needs of the Interstate 84 and Route 8 Mixmaster Interchange in Waterbury.

The project aims to improve safety, traffic flow, and air quality by reducing congestion on I-84 Eastbound in the vicinity of Exits 19 through 22, as well as enhance the local roadway network by improving traffic operations and providing urban design improvements for pedestrians and bicyclists. 

The project proposes to remove the Exit 21 Off-Ramp from I-84 Eastbound and extend the auxiliary lane to allow additional merge and diverge distance for drivers entering and exiting I-84 Eastbound near Exit 22. Additional information about the project can be found at bit.ly/Exit21Factsheet.

A scoping notice for the project has been published in the latest issue of the Connecticut State Council on Environmental Quality’s Environmental Monitor, which can be found at https://portal.ct.gov/CEQ/Environmental-Monitor/Environmental-Monitor/Environmental-Monitor---Current-Issue.

In addition to the public meeting, there is also an open public comment period that will close on Monday, April 10, 2023. Throughout the comment period, the public can provide comments using any of the following methods: