Two concepts have advanced to the environmental review stage, but only one will emerge as the best option for reconstructing the nearly 60-year-old interchange where Interstate 84 and Route 8 intersect in Waterbury. The state Department of Transportation recently issued an email update about the “New Mix,” a long-term program to modernize the collection of stacked highway bridges known as the Mixmaster. The agency said a federal and state process has begun to assess how an overhaul of the interchange could affect the environment. Through a years-long study completed in 2025, DOT has already narrowed down the many ways the Mixmaster could be replaced to two options. One alternative, the “Modern Crossover Interchange,” calls for part of Route 8 to be reconstructed on the east side of the Naugatuck River. The other alternative, the “Naugatuck River Shift,” would move the river eastward, allowing Route 8 to be unstacked on the west riverbank. Now, the two options “will be studied in greater detail,” DOT said in its email update. “This work will help identify a preferred alternative that best meets transportation needs while considering environmental, community, and economic impacts.”
Two designs remain for Connecticut’s future Mixmaster. Here’s what happens next
