Inconvenient Mixmaster Detour is Temporarily Back in Waterbury

One of the major detours that has been happening on and off during the massive Mixmaster/I-84/Rt.8 interchange rehabilitation project is rearing its ugly head again, get ready to do the temporary loop once again Rt. 8 North to 84 East commuters.

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You really have to give the State of Connecticut and all of the thousands of hard workers credit, the massive Mixmaster rehabilitation project that's been underway in Waterbury for years is of a scale that most of us have no idea. They've kept the big inconveniences away from public view, on the overnight hours and they've always kept at least one lane of traffic open at all times. Complete shutdowns of Rt.8 and I-84 at any time of day can cause miles of interstate traffic to spill onto the streets in Waterbury, Naugatuck, Middlebury, and Cheshire.

If you live in Naugatuck, Beacon Falls, or any of the towns along Rt 8 in the Naugatuck Valley and commute using the Exit 31 ramp to 84 East in Waterbury, kiss it goodbye for the next 6 weeks.

Starting July 31, 2023, the Exit 31 off-ramp from Route 8 Northbound to get onto 84 Eastbound will be completely closed down until after all the kids go back to school - six weeks, mid-September. The Connecticut Department of Transportation announced the closure via mixmaster-rehab.com. Northbound Route 8 motorists trying to get onto 84 Eastbound will have to utilize the temporary Exit 35 U-turn which takes you to Rt. 8 Southbound and then the merge onto 84 starting next Monday. The one good thing about this is that you will be able to grab a dog and cheese cubes from the Watertown Ave Frankie's if you miss the ramp.