WATERBURY, CT — The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) announces the Route 8/I-84 Mixmaster Rehabilitation Project in Waterbury is complete. The $223 million, 2.77-mile project restored the structural integrity and extended the service life of multiple bridges within the complex interchange. The project ensures that the interchange can safely handle traffic volumes for the next 25 years.
The Mixmaster Project comprised of full deck replacements of 21 spans on Route 8 southbound and 36 spans northbound, which also included a temporary bypass and U-turn. Major structural repairs consisted of strengthening the girders, columns, and beams to address fatigue and corrosion. Work on I-84 eastbound and westbound included deck patching, paving and joint installation, steel repairs and strengthening, painting and substructure repairs, and the installation of sign support structures. Additionally, an auxiliary lane between the Exit 22 on-ramp and the Exit 21 off-ramp on I-84 westbound was added to help alleviate congestion and improve safety.
“The Mixmaster is a complex interchange, and throughout the project, several challenges were presented to CTDOT and our contractor, Walsh Construction. The collaboration and strong partnership between the CTDOT crews, contractors, and local officials were key in successfully navigating unforeseen issues and ultimately completing this project,” said Garrett Eucalitto, Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner. “Now that the Mixmaster Rehabilitation Project has been successfully completed, we look forward to continuing engaging the community and stakeholders with our New Mix Program, as we plan for the long-term future of the interchange.”
While the rehabilitation project extends the Mixmaster’s lifespan by approximately 25 years, CTDOT initiated a Planning and Environmental Linkage (PEL) process in 2020 to plan for the long-term future of the interchange. Through the New Mix Program, CTDOT will analyze and weigh various rehabilitation and replacement options in order to develop an actionable plan to modernize and improve the safety and functionality of the interchange. Through this PEL process, the New Mix Program will identify breakout projects, which are intended to advance the overall program and be manageable in terms of funding and traffic impacts during construction.
The New Mix team has held dozens of events and stakeholder meetings where that feedback was used to develop a range of scenarios and options currently under consideration. The project alternatives are a collection of potential concepts for the Mixmaster interchange’s long‑term future reconstruction and are broken out into early action, near-term, and long-term projects. For example, removing the Exit 21 off-ramp from I-84 eastbound has been selected as the first early action project as part of the New Mix Program. That project will improve safety and reduce congestion on I-84, as well as include local roadway improvements to create a safer environment for bicyclists and pedestrians. The design is expected to be completed by the end of 2025, with construction starting in 2026.
