The New York state Department of Transportation is warning drivers on I-84 that when it replaces a bridge on I-84 on the night of Sept. 21 into the morning of Sept. 22, traffic will be bad.
"Use alternative routes near Conn/NY Border beginning Sept. 21 and 22," the DOT said at its bridge replacement website.
Danbury Emergency Management Director Paul Estefan said "alternative routes," means roads in Danbury, Ridgefield and New Fairfield. He said Bethel will suffer as well. According to the New York Department of Transportation, between 75,000 and 100,000 cars travel I-84 on the Dingle Ridge Road bridges on an average day.
The New York State DOT has a detour plan. "The weekend of Sept. 21 and 22, I-84 eastbound will be closed at Exit 20 in the Town of Southeast in NY. Traffic will be detoured onto Route 6 in NY and returned to I-84 at Exit 1 in the Town of Danbury, CT. "
"If you live anywhere near Danbury, you will be impacted," Estefan said.
He said drivers coming up I-684 will avoid the bridge detour traffic by taking Route 35, "right through downtown Ridgefield."
He said drivers heading farther north will take Joes Hill Road into Danbury or Mill Town Road into New Fairfield. He said that traffic will spread out from there onto secondary roads.
The dates are subject to change due to the weather and construction delays. So either the following weekend or two weeks later, westbound I-84 traffic will be the problem, the NY DOT said.
"On one of the following weekends, either Sept. 28 and 29 or Oct. 5 and 6. I-84 westbound will be closed at Exit 1 in CT., and directed back onto I-84 at Exit 20 in the Town of Southeast, NY."
When I-84 westbound is closed, Estefan said drivers heading west on I-84, who hit a traffic jam in Newtown or Bethel will take exits onto Route 6, and when it slows down, they'll take local roads to West Street in downtown Danbury.
"That's when it gets interesting," Estefan said.
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