Community Corner

NY State Warns of Impending I-84 Closure

New York State will close I-84 eastbound on the night and morning of Oct. 19 and Oct. 20 to replace a bridge on the highway over Dingle Ridge Road. This will be the second time a lane of I-84 was closed in a month. 

"All eastbound I-84 traffic will be detoured onto Route 6 at Exit 20 in the Town of Southeast in NY and directed back onto I-84 at Exit 1 in the City of Danbury, CT," the New York State Department of Transportation wrote on a card to local residents warning of delays.

New York previously closed I-84 westbound in the same spot to replace the westbound bridge on the weekend of Sept. 21 and 22. It lasted about 24 hours. Danbury Police put extra officers on expecting traffic delays on local roads, but no delays on local streets were reported. In its eastbound announcement, the NY DOT wrote, "Additional roads will be impacted during the I-84 eastbound closure."

Danbury Officials, including Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton and Traffic Engineer Abdul Mohammed warned this eastbound I-84 closure could cause traffic delays on I-684 northbound as traffic backs up at exit 9E, which leads to I-84.

Traffic delays on I-684 could cause people to take Route 35 from Katonah into Ridgefield to avoid the closed section of I-84 entirely. That extra traffic in downtown Ridgefield would be expected on the evening and night of Oct. 19, and into the morning of Oct. 20. 

Emergency Management Director Paul Estefan said the detours eastbound will be marked on local roads (Route 6,) but drivers who ignore the detour routes and make their own way could lead to traffic jams on local roads. This is true for Ridgefield on Route 35 or New Fairfield on Mill Town Road. 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.


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