CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NEWS RELEASE 2800 BERLIN TURNPIKE P.O. BOX 317546 NEWINGTON CONNECTICUT, 06131-7546

FOR RELEASE: April 18, 2018

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS TELEPHONE: (860) 594-3062 FAX: (860) 594-3065 WEB SITE: www.ct.gov/dot

CTDOT Awards Contract for I-84 Waterbury ‘Mixmaster’ Rehab

                The Connecticut Department of Transportation has selected Walsh Construction to perform $152.9 million in repairs and rehabilitation for the Route 8 / I-84 interchange in Waterbury, popularly known as the “Mixmaster.” There are 10 separate bridges involved in this project.

                The complexities of the 50-year-old elevated, double-decked high-speed interchange, with left- and right-hand entrance and exit ramps over city streets and the Naugatuck River, make it unique in Connecticut. An estimated 150,000 vehicles travel through the interchange on an average day – triple the amount of traffic it first carried when it was constructed.

                Work on the rehabilitation will begin in late May, with an expected completion date in mid-2022. The project consists of deck repair, steel repair, substructure repair, joint repair, parapet modifications and general repair to bridge drainage, and new signage.  The project cost will be shared – approximately 80 percent federal and 20 percent state funding.

It is anticipated that the work on this bridge will require the construction of a temporary bypass. This northbound bypass will be about a mile long, circumventing Route 8 so that repairs can take place.

                During this rehab project, work will continue on the design and full replacement of the Mixmaster.

                Construction on the I-84 Mixmaster began in 1965 and was completed in 1967. Under Governor Dannel P. Malloy’s 30-year, $100 billion “Let-s Go CT” transportation initiative, preliminary replacement cost estimates for the Mixmaster range from approximately $3 billion for a partial replacement to $7 billion for a full replacement. 

                CTDOT has retained the design and engineering firm HNTB to develop plans for a full replacement of the Mixmaster, and updates to the total cost will be included in those plans as will Waterbury and state economic development plans. This is expected to be a multi-year effort with public participation throughout the study.  Final design and construction would begin after that.

                  A new interchange will take several years to build and would support an estimated 5,000 to 11,000 construction jobs. The long-term impact of the Mixmaster replacement on jobs will be substantial.  For every year following the opening of the new interchange, the improved transportation efficiency and lower travel and shipping costs will save households time and money, and create a competitive advantage for the region’s businesses.  These transportation cost savings will support the creation of 2,000 – 3,000 jobs over the life of the new structure.