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[SectorZ]

Possible bad news for those looking forward to exit renumbering along CT 15. The 3/3/23 version of the schedule of advertised projects no longer includes a project for that route. The sign replacement project for I-291 is to be advertised on December 20. Projects for sign replacements on I-84 and I-384/US 6 are still listed.
https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/DOT/documents/dfiscalprojects/advschedule11-2021.pdf

Interested to see if they add exit numbers to the Windham Bypass, and what those numbers would be.

I’d say that the Willimantic Bypass is so short that they probably wouldn’t even bother adding numbers to it, but if they did, I’d assume they’d be numbered 90, 92, and 93. Either way, looks like CT 15 is stuck with that goofy exit sequence for quite some time.

If I were to wager a guess, I would bet the Merritt Parkway Conservancy is fighting any sort of exit renumbering of the Merritt Parkway, for the same reasons they've fought against completing the interchange with Route 7 and other proposed improvements. "It's historic! We have to leave it the way it is!"

The Conservancy doesn't control the Wilbur Cross Highway portion of 5/15. Those exits could very well end up renumbered without their input.

That would be a totally New England way to handle it, jumping from exit 53 to 61 in one mile.

Would actually go back from 53 to 37 after the Sikorsky heading NB

Duh on me for that one, I was looking at KM on wikipedia, not miles.

[zzyzx]

The I-95 Exit 74 Project started this week in East Lyme. It will be a 4.5 year project beginning the week of March 13th. It will involve lane closures, detours, and impact traffic in the Town. CTDOT will focus on widening Route 161 first and relocating utilities first.

From looking at the plans, I-95 will still be 4 lanes with auxiliary lanes between Exits 74 and 75. The bridge over 161 looks wide enough to accommodate 6 lanes of traffic and the exit ramp for Exit 74 SB.

Info from town website

Project presentation

Full image plan

Project website (under construction)

[abqtraveler]

The I-95 Exit 74 Project started this week in East Lyme. It will be a 4.5 year project beginning the week of March 13th. It will involve lane closures, detours, and impact traffic in the Town. CTDOT will focus on widening Route 161 first and relocating utilities first.

From looking at the plans, I-95 will still be 4 lanes with auxiliary lanes between Exits 74 and 75. The bridge over 161 looks wide enough to accommodate 6 lanes of traffic and the exit ramp for Exit 74 SB.

Info from town website

Project presentation

Full image plan

Project website (under construction)

As CTDOT has been talking for at least 20 years about widening I-95 from Branford to Rhode Island, you would think they would incorporate that potential future highway expansion into the design of this project, but from the looks of it, it doesn't appear that wasn't taken into consideration.

I'm curious though, on their map with the project layout, they have stuff going on further west around Exit 73. Are they doing work at Exit 73 as well, or is that perhaps just resurfacing or something else?

[Ted$8roadFan]

The I-95 Exit 74 Project started this week in East Lyme. It will be a 4.5 year project beginning the week of March 13th. It will involve lane closures, detours, and impact traffic in the Town. CTDOT will focus on widening Route 161 first and relocating utilities first.

From looking at the plans, I-95 will still be 4 lanes with auxiliary lanes between Exits 74 and 75. The bridge over 161 looks wide enough to accommodate 6 lanes of traffic and the exit ramp for Exit 74 SB.

Info from town website

Project presentation

Full image plan

Project website (under construction)

As CTDOT has been talking for at least 20 years about widening I-95 from Branford to Rhode Island, you would think they would incorporate that potential future highway expansion into the design of this project, but from the looks of it, it doesn't appear that wasn't taken into consideration.

I'm curious though, on their map with the project layout, they have stuff going on further west around Exit 73. Are they doing work at Exit 73 as well, or is that perhaps just resurfacing or something else?

Not sure if anything is happening at Exit 73.

It would indeed be nice if CT had a more solid plan for widening I-95 from Branford to RI, or even from Old Saybrook to I-395, but given CT DOT’s glacial pace, it’s good to see that they will do what they’re proposing for now.

[Mergingtraffic]

CT DOT is like a child that takes the easy way out or puts off the hard work for later.  The Exit 74-75 project seems to fit that category.  They don't even touch the I-395 ramps, or widen the bridges for future expansion.

A good example, is the signing contract between Bridgeport and Shelton on CT-8.  They replace the signs but leave the harder gantries to replace that are on the overpasses for a separate project.  Why weren't the included in the original signing contract?

or they do studies so the public think they're doing something but in reality nothing gets done.  Anybody can study something.

Are all states this slow or is it a CT thing?  Do other states study things several times?

[Ted$8roadFan]

Even a local transit advocate is tired of the endless highway planning in the Nutmeg State:

https://ctmirror.org/2023/03/12/yet-another-i-95-study-fixing-nothing/

[SectorZ]

Even a local transit advocate is tired of the endless highway planning in the Nutmeg State:

https://ctmirror.org/2023/03/12/yet-another-i-95-study-fixing-nothing/

I'm curious if there were genuine calls for pedestrian crossings and bike trails for 95 in the public session. If so, that is some epic-level trolling or people who maybe should beta-test their thoughts with friends and relatives before saying them in public.

Along with the guy that wants to turn Stamford into North Haverbrook with the monorail idea.

[Plutonic Panda]

Meh, the end of that article alludes to same crap “replace it with a boulevard or a train” “get more people out of cars and onto trains.” Cool ideas. Been around for decades and those don’t happen either. So this is just another anti car puff piece.

[Mergingtraffic]

Even a local transit advocate is tired of the endless highway planning in the Nutmeg State:

https://ctmirror.org/2023/03/12/yet-another-i-95-study-fixing-nothing/

I'm curious if there were genuine calls for pedestrian crossings and bike trails for 95 in the public session. If so, that is some epic-level trolling or people who maybe should beta-test their thoughts with friends and relatives before saying them in public.

Along with the guy that wants to turn Stamford into North Haverbrook with the monorail idea.

This guy has been around for years and is pro-train.  Which is fine. As he doesn't hate cars, he seems to prefer trains.  I hate to admit it, but Iagree with him on this article.  Why does the DOT study things over and over again??  What do other states do??
It seems political.  They don't want to do anything, so they do a study to say they're doing something without actually doing anything. 
I-84 in Waterbury and Danbury is being studied AGAIN, there's at least 3 studies going on right now in the state.

I-84 in Danbury was first proposed to be widened in 2000.  It's now 2023.  Barely anything has happened except for some ramp upgrades. The state can't handle a project that size it seems.

[shadyjay]

Took a little circle trip drive today around CT to check on progress of CT 9 & 2 sign replacement contracts.

CT 9 has enhanced mile markers installed NB up to (almost) I-84.  Southbound there are none north of Middletown as of yet.  Most sheet signs are up, with the old extruded town line and exit service signs yet to be removed.  A couple new overheads are up, including the Exit 39 1 mile advance...
CT9NB-Exit39-1 by Jay Hogan, on Flickr

In the northbound direction there are two assemblies in New Britain still to be installed, and southbound there are 3 left to go.  So they're getting there, slowly be surely.

Looks like they made short work of the intersection redesign of the I-84 East onramp in Farmington (from US 6).  The new park & ride is huge.  They changed the ramp to a more "T" intersection for traffic from US 6 East onto I-84 East.
84onramp-Exit38 by Jay Hogan, on Flickr

Over to Route 2 to check out progress there... looks like there's supports going in the ground/already in the ground from Colchester to Norwich.  My last trip a few weeks ago northwest of Colchester to Hartford didn't reveal much progress there.  Rt 11 also has new supports in.  As far as actual new signs, it looks like some of the onramp signage is in, as seen here at Exit 18 in Colchester...

CT2EBonramp-Exit18 by Jay Hogan, on Flickr

We may luck out and have thick black border shields on this entire contract, unlike the Rt 9 contract which saw thick shields from Middletown, south only. 

[jp the roadgeek]

There was absolutely nothing new on CT 2 between I-84 and CT 17 when I drove it last week.  The South Glastonbury portion of CT 17 is untouched, but the Middletown portion had the exit number (21) for Main St Extension and even a couple of mile markers with CT 17 mileage. 

[abqtraveler]

Has anyone been down Route 40 recently to see how progress with the sign replacement/exit renumbering has been going?

[jp the roadgeek]

Interesting that Google Maps has updated the exit numbers on CT 72, but not on CT 9; even though CT 72 was changed a month later.  Also, they didn't put 1A and 1B for the CT 9 ramps, though there is a new Exit Now assembly that has exit tabs (still none on the 1 and 1/2 mile advance APL's, and the gore sign is a yellow split arrow sign rather than an exit sign). 

[DrSmith]

It seems with new mile posts being used, the old "M" markers through the 384 interchange are now gone. At least they were gone from I-291 the other week with new standard mile posts put up instead.

[BamaZeus]

Someone posted on Reddit what appears to be original footage of the Merritt Parkway from the 1930s. OP’s great uncle shot the footage just after it was opened, but isn’t sure of the exact location (could possibly be Fairfield, Westport, Norwalk areas). Anyone have guesses of the exact location?

I was going through my grandmother's photo albums several weeks ago to scan family pictures, and she actually took a couple of pictures of the Parkway in the early 40s.  She's not here for me to ask why she took the pictures, but I guess the highway being almost brand new was probably enough reason.

The 1st one is the Parkway at Grumman Ave in Norwalk in 1944.  My grandmother lived near that bridge at that time.  The 2nd one is likely on top of that same bridge, looking southwest toward the bridge at East Rocks Rd.

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.1491173,-73.4112256,3a,75y,238.08h,94.27t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1shrmMEJY62NzHTP-ww-bw5g!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

Hopefully these links work properly. 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/79c8ipa6kruw9hm/MerrittPkwyAtGrummanAve1944.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ju4kclb4y00dt02/scan3717.jpg?dl=0

[kurumi]

Someone posted on Reddit what appears to be original footage of the Merritt Parkway from the 1930s. OP’s great uncle shot the footage just after it was opened, but isn’t sure of the exact location (could possibly be Fairfield, Westport, Norwalk areas). Anyone have guesses of the exact location?

I was going through my grandmother's photo albums several weeks ago to scan family pictures, and she actually took a couple of pictures of the Parkway in the early 40s.  She's not here for me to ask why she took the pictures, but I guess the highway being almost brand new was probably enough reason.

...

Hopefully these links work properly. 

They work fine for me; thanks for uploading!

[Alps]

Someone posted on Reddit what appears to be original footage of the Merritt Parkway from the 1930s. OP’s great uncle shot the footage just after it was opened, but isn’t sure of the exact location (could possibly be Fairfield, Westport, Norwalk areas). Anyone have guesses of the exact location?

I was going through my grandmother's photo albums several weeks ago to scan family pictures, and she actually took a couple of pictures of the Parkway in the early 40s.  She's not here for me to ask why she took the pictures, but I guess the highway being almost brand new was probably enough reason.

The 1st one is the Parkway at Grumman Ave in Norwalk in 1944.  My grandmother lived near that bridge at that time.  The 2nd one is likely on top of that same bridge, looking southwest toward the bridge at East Rocks Rd.

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.1491173,-73.4112256,3a,75y,238.08h,94.27t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1shrmMEJY62NzHTP-ww-bw5g!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

Hopefully these links work properly. 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/79c8ipa6kruw9hm/MerrittPkwyAtGrummanAve1944.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ju4kclb4y00dt02/scan3717.jpg?dl=0

The more things change. Thank you(r grandma)

[The Ghostbuster]

Has the Merritt Parkway changed much since its construction? It seems like the preservationists want to keep it in the 1930s. I know Exit 30 was for an intersection with Butternut Hollow Road, which according to Wikipedia, was closed in 1955. Also, the service areas just had gas stations until recently, and the parkway had tolls until 1988 (originally to finance the construction of the Wilbur Cross Parkway, which wasn't tolled). Also, does anyone know why the Merritt Parkway is missing Exit 32 and Exit 43?

[BamaZeus]

43 was meant to be an extension of the Sherwood Island Connector from I-95, but it got rejected by the Westport NIMBYs.   It just became "No man's land" instead between 42-44

[Ted$8roadFan]

Has the Merritt Parkway changed much since its construction? It seems like the preservationists want to keep it in the 1930s. I know Exit 30 was for an intersection with Butternut Hollow Road, which according to Wikipedia, was closed in 1955. Also, the service areas just had gas stations until recently, and the parkway had tolls until 1988 (originally to finance the construction of the Wilbur Cross Parkway, which wasn't tolled). Also, does anyone know why the Merritt Parkway is missing Exit 32 and Exit 43?

I think some interchanges were (must have been) improved, like CT-8 and US-7 and others. I also think accel/decel lanes were added.

[shadyjay]

People were apparently up in arms when the CT 8 and CT 25 expressway interchanges were constructed.  It built sweeping modern interchanges over the parkway in the 1980s and some of it probably could have been done with loop ramps.  Several original bridges in the area were lost, but for some reason they kept the narrow barely-used Housatonic RR overpass vic. Route 25. 

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.2361319,-73.1872471,3a,47.7y,79.97h,84.2t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sxQQFsWKtVDGkqzFM5SJaLw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

That rail line was abandoned not too long after the Merritt opened. 

[Beeper1]

Has the Merritt Parkway changed much since its construction? It seems like the preservationists want to keep it in the 1930s. I know Exit 30 was for an intersection with Butternut Hollow Road, which according to Wikipedia, was closed in 1955. Also, the service areas just had gas stations until recently, and the parkway had tolls until 1988 (originally to finance the construction of the Wilbur Cross Parkway, which wasn't tolled). Also, does anyone know why the Merritt Parkway is missing Exit 32 and Exit 43?

The Wilbur Cross had tolls once it opened.   There was a toll booth in Wallingford, a mile or so north of the East Haven Service Areas.    The tolls were removed at the same time as the Merritt tolls.

[Alps]

Has the Merritt Parkway changed much since its construction? It seems like the preservationists want to keep it in the 1930s. I know Exit 30 was for an intersection with Butternut Hollow Road, which according to Wikipedia, was closed in 1955. Also, the service areas just had gas stations until recently, and the parkway had tolls until 1988 (originally to finance the construction of the Wilbur Cross Parkway, which wasn't tolled). Also, does anyone know why the Merritt Parkway is missing Exit 32 and Exit 43?

I had to go back to 1949 in Historic Aerials to see Exit 30 open. It was gone by 1960!

[jp the roadgeek]

Drove 9 and 72 from Cromwell to Plainville tonight.  Looks like US 6 was rerouted through Berlin and demoted, as there was an enhanced CT 6 marker at MP 33 northbound.  And they’re starting mileposts on CT 72, as the first mile westbound had them.  Also, the final old gantry WB (1/4 mile Exit 3/72 + 84 pull thru) was being removed and a new gantry already up.

[abqtraveler]

Has the Merritt Parkway changed much since its construction? It seems like the preservationists want to keep it in the 1930s. I know Exit 30 was for an intersection with Butternut Hollow Road, which according to Wikipedia, was closed in 1955. Also, the service areas just had gas stations until recently, and the parkway had tolls until 1988 (originally to finance the construction of the Wilbur Cross Parkway, which wasn't tolled). Also, does anyone know why the Merritt Parkway is missing Exit 32 and Exit 43?

The Wilbur Cross had tolls once it opened.   There was a toll booth in Wallingford, a mile or so north of the East Haven Service Areas.    The tolls were removed at the same time as the Merritt tolls.

IIRC, there was a toll plaza at the West Rock Tunnel. I don't remember if it was at the east or west end of the tunnel.