The Naugatuck Valley portion of Route 8 is set to receive nearly $80 million in upgrades. Federal funding will cover $60 million, and the state will pay the rest.
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) announced the project alongside Don Shubert, President of the Connecticut Construction Industries Association.
“Due to the senator's years and years and years of hard work, now I'm looking forward to upscaling our apprenticeship training programs,” Shubert said. “We're upscaling our production capacity, we're upscaling our operations. And we're trying to put everything we need to do for the first time in over a decade together to make sure these jobs get done on time and on budget.”
The project is expected to begin this spring and finish in 2024. Upgrades will include paving, LED lighting, guide rails, bridge reinforcements, and safe, convenient exit ramps.
“Route 8 is a vital artery that connects key points in our state,” Blumenthal said. “I travel it routinely. And I know it needs some renovation. It is an aging highway. Its access points, its lighting, its paving all need some work, and the people in the valley deserve it. And our economy needs it.”
Blumenthal said he expects disruption to commuters to be minimal.
