Rehab and rebuild
BY ANDREW LARSON
REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
WATERBURY — When the state Department of Transportation began planning a large-scale rehabilitation of the intersection of Interstate 84 and Route 8, plans to replace the network of ramps and bridges known as the Mixmaster weren’t on anyone’s radar.
In 2010, a consultant, Wilbur Smith & Associates, produced a needs and deficiencies study that recommended moving Route 8 east of the Naugatuck River and I84 south of its current location. The city threw its support behind the idea.
But the project, with an estimated cost of $1.9 billion in 2009, was deemed so expensive and complex that the DOT devised an alternative: rehabilitate eight bridges to extend the Mixmaster’s life span.
In February 2015, a year before the rehabilitation project was expected to go out to bid, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced that he was “expediting” reconstruction of the Mixmaster as part of his 30-year, $100 billion transportation initiative.
The DOT says short-term repairs to the junction of I-84 and Route 8 remain necessary to keep the 50-year-old bridges safe. But with longerterm plans to replace the structure on the table, the agency is trying to consolidate some of the work.
See ROAD , Page 7A >> Map shows the details of the Mixmaster redesign proposal, Page 7A.
A consultant proposed this reconfiguration of the junction of Interstate 84 and Route 8 in 2010. The design would remove left-hand exits and entrance ramps, and increase the spacing between ramps, improving safety and reducing bottlenecks.
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“Maybe there are opportunities to kill two birds with one stone,” said Thomas A. Harley, chief engineer with the DOT.
The replacement project, with an estimated cost of $10 billion, is at least seven to 10 years from breaking ground, Harley said. Rehabilitation, which is expected to cost about $150 million, could begin in 2018.
Using $1 million the State Bond Commission approved last week for a design study, the DOT will hire a consultant to revisit the 2010 study and propose plans to rehabilitate the Mixmaster that are compatible with full reconstruction.
The goal is to minimize costs and proceed as efficiently as possible, Harley said.
For example, extensive repairs to a bridge carrying Route 8 northbound over Riverside Street will require a temporary bridge to be built, moving a portion of the highway east of the Naugatuck River. “If I’m going to build a new bridge, maybe it could be permanent,” Harley said.
The 2010 study will be used as “reference point,” Harley said. The consultant also will evaluate whether the proposed reconfiguration remains viable.
ONE PROBLEM WITH MOVING Route 8 east of the Naugatuck River is that it’s also where the city plans to build a greenway. Harley said the DOT is working with the city to ensure the highway project doesn’t interfere with the greenway.
Originally, the idea was to open up the area where Route 8 now resides for a mixed-use development. But some have questioned whether that’s the best use for the site.
“This has the potential to add valuable real estate to the tax rolls, but it also has the possibility of gentrifying the community by raising property values and rents,” said Phil Birge-Liberman, assistant professor of Urban and Community studies at the University of Connecticut’s Waterbury campus. “Redevelopment has always benefited some while marginalizing others.”
He said redevelopment tends to benefit real estate developers more than it does working-class residents.
“Is it a viable option, yes; but we need to be sure that the local residents benefit as well,” Birge-Liberman said.
Also, the 2010 study proposed eliminating the Meadow Street exit, which many people use to access downtown Waterbury.
On I-84 eastbound, Exit 20 would become a round-about with new roads leading to South Main Street, Bank Street and South Leonard Street.
On I-84 westbound, motorists would get to downtown by taking Exit 22 to an access road leading to Baldwin Street, South Main Street, Field Street, Meadow Street and Sunnyside Avenue.
Harley said it’s generally a good idea to consolidate and eliminate exits whenever possible, but the effects on local businesses also has to be taken into consideration.
These and other issues with the Mixmaster reconstruction will be evaluated by the consultant and brought to the public, Harley said.
Public meetings on the rehabilitation project will be held this fall. The full replacement won’t begin until at least 2022, he said.
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This photo shows the current configuration of the Interstate 84 and Route 8 interchange in Waterbury. The state Department of Transportation is hiring a consultant to evaluate whether a 2010 proposal to rebuild the Mixmaster remains viable.
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