Westbound I-84 Closure Prompts Concerns About Traffic
DANBURY, Conn. (CBSNewYork) -- Interstate 84 has been shut down this weekend, as New York State crews slide prefab bridge decks into place.
And as WCBS 880's Paul Murnane reported Saturday, the closure of the westbound lanes at the Connecticut-New York line has stirred traffic concerns.
Westbound I-84 Closure Prompts Concerns About Traffic
According to the New York State Department of Transportation, I-84 westbound will be closed at Exit 1 Saw Mill Road in Danbury, Conn. for 3.5 miles along Route 6. Traffic will then be directed back onto I-84 at Exit 20 in the Southeast, N.Y. at the 84/684 interchange.
The detour begins at 5 p.m. on Saturday and will last through Sunday.
Crews working on the expedited, 18-hour construction project will slide massive pre-fabricated bridge decks into place on the bridge over Dingle Ridge Road.
Danbury police said westbound backups on I-84 are "likely to Southbury or beyond." Drivers bailing from bumper-to-bumper delays could seek alternate routes through city streets.
But Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton said an 18- to 24-hour westbound closure represents what he called a "unique and creative solution" from the New York State Department of Transportation.
"We've been meeting with them for over a year," Boughton said. "I have to give them credit, they've done a great job at planning and notifying us and working with us here on the Connecticut side and we'll get through it."
Some compare the project to a quick yank on a Band-Aid. New York State DOT Commissioner Joan McDonald told WCBS 880 the approach shaves a year from the timetable, and saves $2 million on a project that will cost more than $10 million.
The eastbound lanes will detour over the weekend of Oct. 19. The expedited work is similar to a recently completed project on the Hutchinson River Parkway.
More information about the project can be found at www.dot.ny.gov/NYI84CT.
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