[naviga:img class="aligncenter wp-image-262529" src="https://newtownbee.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/CT-DOT-logo-HD.jpg" alt="CT DOT logo HD" width="300" height="302" /]

Residents attending an April 4 state Department of Transportation (DOT) public hearing on $17.7 million worth of planned improvements to the Exit 11 interchange of Interstate 84, and nearby sections of Berkshire Road and Wasserman Way, told DOT officials what they like and do not like about the plans.

About 50 people attended the meeting to learn about the planned improvements that are scheduled to start in the spring of 2020, provided that funding is available. The DOT estimates it would take two construction seasons to accomplish all the planned work. Those seasons typically run from April 1 through November 30.

The roadway improvement project has been in the planning stages since 1996. Planning for the current version of the project started in 2015, after it became clear that the state would not be widening the main line of I-84 between Waterbury and the New York State border, as had been earlier proposed.

In the Exit 11 project, major improvements are planned for three intersections - Wasserman Way/Exit 11 ramps, Berkshire Road/Wasserman Way, and Berkshire Road/Toddy Hill Road. The purpose of the project is to improve traffic capacity, reduce travel delays, and improve traffic flow at those three major intersections. The improvements also are intended to provide safe pedestrian and bicycle access in the vicinity of Newtown High School. The three intersections experience severe congestion during morning and evening rush periods.

The length of the work area is approximately 2,600 feet along Berkshire Road, about 3,700 feet along the Exit 11 ramps, approximately 1,500 feet along Wasserman Way, and about 100 feet along Toddy Hill Road. The current town bridge replacement project on Toddy Hill Road in that area is not part of the DOT improvements.

Public Comment

Jennifer Hensel and Jeremy Richman own a residential property at 41 Berkshire Road that would be affected by the project. Ms Hensel told DOT officials that although the DOT may consider the amount of their property that the DOT would need to acquire for the project to be relatively small, it actually represents "a major acquisition." The DOT wants to acquire a section of the front yard to install a concrete sidewalk on the northern side of Berkshire Road between its intersections with Toddy Hill Road and Pole Bridge Road.

An existing hill there functions as a sonic and visual buffer, lying between the couple's house and the nearby busy Berkshire Road, Ms Hensel said.

"We already have a very modest front yard," she said. "We need to have that front yard as a modest barrier," she added. Also, the state's acquisition of land in that area would damage property values, she said.

Ms Hensel asked DOT officials to either reduce the amount of land it is seeking to acquire or not acquire it.

"It's a cute neighborhood. We want to keep it that way," she said. The picturesque Hensel/Richman house was built in 1878. Other houses nearby also are antique structures.

Charles Zukowski of Cornfield Ridge Road offered DOT officials some suggestions on measures the state could take to expedite traffic flow through the area proposed for road improvements.

Similarly, Richard Simoneau of Crabapple Lane offered the DOT some road design suggestions.

Lois Barber of Zoar Road suggested some roadway changes to improve congestion problems in the area.

Former town traffic agent Kathleen Holick recommended certain design changes that would be safer for the traffic agents who stand on Berkshire Road to direct the traffic entering and leaving Newtown High School during the mornings and afternoons.

Vincent Palmiotto of Misty Vale Road made DOT officials aware that some high school students park in the Exit 11 commuter parking lot on Wasserman Way and then cross Wasserman Way to get to the high school, endangering their safety.

Also, Daniel Mallozzi, who owns commercial property at 25 Berkshire Road, suggested that as temporary measure, the DOT paint a "gridlock box" on the pavement at the Berkshire Road/Wasserman Way intersection to indicate to motorists that they should not stop on the gridlock box while they are waiting in traffic, in order to keep that intersection open.

Design Specifics

The proposed improvements to address traffic congestion and improve traffic operations include providing auxiliary turning lanes, improving the geometry at the affected intersections, and constructing a new Exit 11 on-ramp from westbound Berkshire Road. That ramp would feed traffic to both eastbound and westbound I-84.

Improvements also include widening Berkshire Road and Wasserman Way, adding turning lanes at the intersections, improving the sight lines at the Berkshire Road and Toddy Hill Road intersection by lowering the roadway profile, upgrading existing stormwater drainage, and constructing retaining walls below the I-84 overpasses to accommodate the road widening, according to DOT.

The off-ramp from I-84 at Exit 11 will be reconfigured to accommodate an additional turning lane and realigned to normalize its intersection with Wasserman Way. The eastbound I-84 on-ramp will be moved slightly to the north to accommodate a minimum weave length for the proposed new on-ramp at Berkshire Road.

Westbound Berkshire Road would be widened to provide a left-turn lane for the Newtown High School driveway. The existing commuter lot located on Wasserman Way will be partially reconstructed. Illumination will be upgraded on the I-84 ramps.

New traffic signals will replace the existing signals at the Berkshire Road-Wasserman Way intersection, and at the Wasserman Way-Exit 11 intersection. A major upgrade to the traffic signal at the Berkshire Road-Toddy Hill Road Toddy Hill Road intersection also is planned.

Improvements to bicycle, pedestrian, and commuter accommodations will be incorporated where possible, according to DOT. Five-foot-wide shoulders will be included along Berkshire Road throughout the project limits.

Sidewalks are planned along the south side of Berkshire Road from Newtown High School to Toddy Hill Road, and also along the north side of Berkshire Road from Toddy Hill Road to Pole Bridge Road. Sidewalks will also be included along Wasserman Way from the Wasserman Way/Berkshire Road intersection to Oakview Road, and along Wasserman Way from the Wasserman Way/Berkshire Road intersection to the commuter parking lot.

Plans for the roadway improvement project are available for review at the town clerk's office, Newtown Municipal Center, 3 Primrose Street.

[naviga:img class="aligncenter wp-image-313222" src="https://newtownbee.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/AG_DOT-Session-on-Exit-11_Barber.jpg" alt="AG_DOT Session on Exit 11_Barber" width="500" height="580" /]

Lois Barber of Zoar Road spoke at an April 4 state Department of Transportation public hearing on a $17.7 million project to improve the Exit 11 interchange of Interstate 84, plus nearby roadways.

-Bee Photo, Gorosko