Ridgefield Gets Week Delay From I-84 Closure Traffic

Danbury Traffic Engineer Abdul Mohammed attended a meeting Sept. 4 in which New York officials revised their plan for closing I-84 on Sept. 21 and 22.

Mohammed said the I-84 bridge work will start on I-84 when New York closes westbound traffic at about 4 p.m. on Sept. 21, which is good news for Ridgefield. The original schedule, which has changed several times this summer, called for the eastbound bridge to be detoured first.

Mohammed said the eastbound closure will cause traffic delays in Ridgefield. The new schedule favors Ridgefield.

The bridge replacement work on I-84 consists of first building two replacement bridges next to I-84's existing bridges over Dingle Ridge Road. On Sept. 21 and 22, workers will shut the highway, and demolish the existing bridge westbound. Then they will slide the new bridge in place. They will repeat this process either a week or two weeks later on the eastbound side.

The traffic in Ridgefield is unlikely to be impacted on Sept. 21 and 22, Mohammed said, if the work causes delays on I-84. Mohammed said cars driving west on I-84 westbound could expect to hit traffic delays at Exits 10,9,8,7 or 5. Those cars will get off the highway and that will hurt Danbury traffic, but not Ridgefield traffic.

"For Danbury, that's bad news," Mohammed said. 

Ridgefield Police Capt. Thomas Comstock said Ridgefield wasn't expecting much impact from the I-84 bridgework, which takes place in the town of Southeast. He said the department is considering putting more officers on duty those weekends, if necessary.

Mohammed said Ridgefield's traffic is likely to be worse when I-84 eastbound is closed. He said drivers heading north on I-684 are used to delays at Exit 9 heading eastbound on I-84, but they will likely encounter delays earlier on 684 than usual. He said they may exit in Katonah and take Route 35 through Ridgefield to pick up I-84 after the construction area.

Here is the New York state Department of Transportation's revised construction schedule after the Sept. 21-22 weekend.

"On one of the following weekends, either Sept. 28 and 29 or Oct. 5 and 6, 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.
Closures will begin 5 PM Saturday and last through Sunday," NYS DOT said at its website.