[Methuselah]

I will have to commute from Killingworth to Danbury, so I need to take 691 and 84. I heard that traffic on I-84 around Waterbury can be a problem. Would appreciate your advice on the best time to pass Waterbury, both in the morning (I-84W) as well as in the evening (I-84E). Thanks in advance.

[CTlibrarian]

I drive on I-84 from New Britain (Exit 35) to Newtown (Exit 11) each day. I leave New Britain at about 8:00 a.m., hit Waterbury around 8:25, and it usually takes me about 45-50 minutes if there are no backups. Most days it isn't too horrible. If there is a "normal" slowdown in Waterbury, figure on adding about 10 minutes or so. Be aware that there can be considerable backups in the stretch from Newtown (Exit 11) all the way into Danbury. Depending on what exit you need to get to, you could be looking at another 30-40 minutes if traffic is log-jammed.

On the way home, I leave Newtown at 4:30 and miss the worst of the Waterbury traffic. It is often slow from the mixmaster out to about exit 25, but again usually not awful. If I stay at work till 5:00 or later, the traffic on the way home (east bound) is significantly worse. So, I would advise to get through Waterbury before 5:00 if at all possible, or wait till after 6:00.