Interstate 384

Interstate 384 follows a 8.53 mile long freeway spur east from I-84/U.S. 6 at East Hartford to U.S. 6 and U.S. 44 at Bolton. The freeway was planned in the 1960s as part of an expressway along U.S. 6 crossing the state east to Providence, Rhode Island. An addition of 1,500 miles to the Interstate system in October 1968 included an allocation for an Interstate route between I-84 in East Hartford and I-95 at Providence. The route would supplant U.S. 6 along this corridor and was designated as a relocation of Interstate 84, with existing I-84 northeast to Sturbridge, Massachusetts reassigned as Interstate 86.¹

Construction of the new Interstate 84 alignment commenced in 1968 on the two portions that exist today. The Manchester bypass (what is now I-384) was completed in 1971 and the 5.8 mile long Willimantic bypass (the eventual mainline of U.S. 6) opened in 1973. Subsequent sections of freeway remained in the planning stages, with resistance mounting due to concerns about impacts to both Nathan Hale State Forest in Connecticut and Scituate Reservoir in Rhode Island. This resulted in the cancellation of I-84 in Rhode Island and a September 1983 exchange of Interstate mileage by the Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) for the freeway along Route 52, which became a part of Interstate 395.¹

As approved by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) on May 23, 1984, Interstate 84 officially shifted back onto its prior alignment northeast from East Hartford to Massachusetts. The Manchester bypass portion of freeway was designated as Interstate 384 and the Willimantic bypass was downgraded from I-84 to a realignment of U.S. 6. The westernmost portion of I-384 was not directly connected to I-84 until 1986.¹

Interstate 384 Connecticut Guides

• East
• West

Connect with:
Interstate 84
Interstate 291

Page Updated 03-10-2023.