Malloy at Thursday morning’s news conference.
Gov. Dan Malloy said he’s drafting a plan for several transportation infrastructure improvements, including widening Interstate 84 in the Danbury area.
“It’s time to modernize that roadway,” he said. “It needs to be widened to three lanes in its entirety.”
In a news conference in Danbury Thursday morning, Malloy said the he will present the plan and how he hopes to fund it next month during his budget address.
“It’s not simply about highways and bridges,” he said. “It’s also about increased bus service in the Danbury region, and a more modern service. It’s about additional improvements to the Danbury (railroad) line and an extension of the Danbury line beyond where it currently terminates. It is, as well, about modenizing the roadway that’s behind me.”
The conference took place in the eastbound rest area by exit 2 of I-84.
“84 is an unusual road in one state in that it connects three cities with a population of 100,000 or more: Danbury to Waterbury to Hartford,” he said. “And yet in major portions of that roadway, it narrows to two lanes.”
Widening the road in both directions through Danbury, especially the five miles between exits 3 and 8, is “critical” for economic growth in western Connecticut and for easing rush-hour traffic along that heavily congested section.
The I-84 corridor through the western part of the state carries more than 125,000 vehicles on an average weekday.
James Redeker, commissioner of the state Department of Transportation, said the plan is still being shaped.
“This part of the state has needs identified for a long, long time and the plan that will be put together will identify how we are going to approach that,” he said.