After a years-long study, the state Department of Transportation has narrowed down the possible design options for a long-term overhaul of the congested, crash-prone interchange of Interstate 84 and Route 8 in Waterbury known as the Mixmaster. A key difference between the two options, which will now go through the environmental review process, is that one calls for the Naugatuck River to be moved eastward to create space for Route 8 to be unstacked and reconstructed on the river’s west bank. How do you move a river, brook or stream? It involves building a new channel and redirecting the existing watercourse to the new one, officials said. Kevin Carifa, the director of DOT’s Office of Environmental Planning, said it is more common than some may think. Either the Naugatuck River Shift or Modern Crossover Interchange would cost an estimated $3 billion to $5 billion, in 2022 dollars. Dean said the river shift would be the “slightly more expensive” option. Actual construction work to rebuild the interchange’s core isn’t expected to begin for at least a decade.
How do you move a river? Waterbury Mixmaster overhaul could do just that
