Public Information Meeting Concerning Proposed Plans for the Reconstruction of I84 from Washington S

CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

NEWS RELEASE

2800 BERLIN TURNPIKE P.O. BOX 317546

NEWINGTON CONNECTICUT, 06131-7546

FOR RELEASE: April 29, 2014

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS

TELEPHONE: (860) 594-3062

FAX: (860) 594-3065

WEB SITE: www.ct.gov/dot

Public Information Meeting Concerning Proposed Plans for the Reconstruction of I-84 from Washington Street to Pierpont Road in Waterbury

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) will conduct a Public Information Meeting concerning the proposed Reconstruction of Interstate 84 to provide a third lane in each direction from Washington Street (west of Interchange 23) to Pierpont Road (west of Interchange 25A) in Waterbury on Wednesday, May 14, 2014 at Crosby High School Auditorium, 300 Pierpont Road, Waterbury, Connecticut.

The public information meeting is being held to afford a full opportunity for public participation and to allow open discussion of any views and comments the community may have concerning this project. Representatives from the Department of Transportation will be available at 5:00 p.m. to answer any questions, followed by a formal presentation beginning at 6:00 p.m. Residents, commuters, business owners, and other interested individuals are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to learn about and discuss the proposed work.

The meeting facility is ADA accessible. Language assistance may be requested by contacting the Department of Transportation’s Office of Communications (voice only) at (860) 594-3062 at least five working days prior to the meeting. Language assistance is provided at no cost to the public, and efforts will be made to respond to requests for assistance.

Plans will be available for public review. Department personnel will be available during the meeting to discuss this project. More detailed information is available at the Department’s Office of Engineering, 2800 Berlin Turnpike, Newington, Connecticut, during office hours, Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., excluding holidays. Anyone wishing to review the plans may contact Mr. Greg Soja at telephone number (860) 594-3200 or by e-mail at greg.soja@ct.gov to make an appointment.

Project Description:

This project involves the reconstruction of Interstate 84 to provide a third lane in each direction from Washington Street (west of Interchange 23) to Pierpont Road (west of Interchange 25A) in Waterbury. The total length of the project is approximately 2.7 miles.

The reconstruction of Interstate 84 will provide a 12 foot wide right shoulder, three 12 foot wide travel lanes and a 12 foot wide left shoulder in each direction of travel separated by a 10 foot wide capped concrete barrier section for the length of the project. Additionally, a 12 foot operational lane will be provided on I-84 westbound between the on-ramp from Harpers Ferry Road and the off-ramp to Hamilton Avenue. The proposed improvements will provide adequate roadway geometry, pavement structure and drainage facilities required to safely accommodate growing traffic volumes on Interstate 84.

The proposed reconstruction includes realigning a 0.5 mile section of I-84 south of its current location to eliminate the existing “S-curve” alignment in the vicinity of Harpers Ferry Road. Approximately 0.3 miles of Reidville Drive will be relocated to accommodate this realignment. On the north side of I-84, a new frontage road, referred to as Plank Road East, will be constructed parallel to I-84 between Scott Road and Harpers Ferry Road.

Within the project limits, the following ramp revisions are proposed:

· The diverge for the I-84 eastbound off-ramp to Harpers Ferry Road will be relocated to the west of Hamilton Avenue to eliminate the existing weave section between the Hamilton Avenue eastbound on-ramp and the I-84 eastbound off-ramp to Harpers Ferry Road. The Hamilton Avenue eastbound on-ramp will bridge over the I-84 eastbound off-ramp to Harpers Ferry Road. The eastbound on-ramp from Scott Road will be maintained.

· The I-84 westbound on-ramp from Plank Road (near Nardelli’s) and the I-84 westbound off-ramp to Harpers Ferry Road will be removed to eliminate the weave section between these two ramps. The I-84 westbound off-ramp to Scott Road will be maintained and will also function as the I-84 westbound off-ramp to Harpers Ferry Road via Plank Road East. A new westbound on-ramp will be constructed from Harpers Ferry Road. The westbound off-ramp to Hamilton Avenue will be maintained. An operational lane will be provided between the westbound on-ramp from Harpers Ferry Road and the westbound off-ramp to Hamilton Avenue.

Roadway improvements are proposed for Hamilton Avenue, Harpers Ferry Road, Scott Road, Reidville Drive, Plank Road, Plank Road East and East Main Street. All existing traffic signals will be replaced with new equipment.

Proposed structure work includes the construction of eight (8) highway bridges, one (1) pedestrian bridge, twenty (20) retaining walls and seven (7) box culverts.

The existing pedestrian underpass providing access to Hamilton Park from Hamilton Avenue and the south side of I-84 will be eliminated. Pedestrian access will be maintained along the east bank of the Mad River under the new bridge carrying I-84 over the Mad River. Also, the existing pedestrian bridge over the Mad River is being replaced by a new pedestrian bridge located approximately 95 feet upstream of the existing one. The pedestrian trail will be realigned to match the new bridge location.

Additional improvements related to highway construction include sanitary sewer and water line reconstruction, new pavement markings and highway signing, general drainage improvements, noise abatement, new expressway lighting and the incorporation of an ITS system.

Watercourse improvements include the realignment, stabilization and fish habitat enhancement of approximately 1,700 feet of the Mad River and approximately 2,250 feet of Beaver Pond Brook.

This project impacts approximately 1.09 acres of inland wetlands. Mitigation to compensate for wetland impacts will be provided through the Audubon Connecticut In-Lieu-Fee program.

This project also includes the lining of two culverts that are located outside the project construction limits. The first culvert is a 30 inch metal culvert that crosses under I-84 approximately 0.5 miles east of Austin Road. The second culvert is a 60 inch metal culvert that crosses I-84 approximately 0.3 miles east of Waterbury Road (Route 70).

It is anticipated that the necessary environmental permits for this project will be issued in late Spring or early Summer of 2014 and that Construction will begin in the Spring of 2015 and will take approximately 5 years to complete.