Connecticut News

[The Ghostbuster]

Will any of these projects be implemented? That is the question.

[KEVIN_224]

http://www.courant.com/community/hartford/hc-hartford-i-84-viaduct-0730-20150729-story.html

An article from The Hartford Courant about the mess that is The I-84 Viaduct project in Hartford. Yippee!

[Rothman]

Pfft.  I remember the I-84/I-91 interchange replacement the last big time around (i.e., the one that finally got rid of you having to get onto surface streets between the two...probably between I-84E and I-91N...IIRC...which is questionable).  That was also around the time the separated HOV lane was added to a widened I-91 north of Hartford.

Hartford finally got sick of not being a constant construction site, I suppose.

[Pete from Boston]

Pfft.  I remember the I-84/I-91 interchange replacement the last big time around (i.e., the one that finally got rid of you having to get onto surface streets between the two...probably between I-84E and I-91N...IIRC...which is questionable).  That was also around the time the separated HOV lane was added to a widened I-91 north of Hartford.

Hartford finally got sick of not being a constant construction site, I suppose.

Early 90s, I estimate.  All of this was just after the 84/86 upgrade from East Hartford to Vernon, a long and massive project.

[Rothman]

Pfft.  I remember the I-84/I-91 interchange replacement the last big time around (i.e., the one that finally got rid of you having to get onto surface streets between the two...probably between I-84E and I-91N...IIRC...which is questionable).  That was also around the time the separated HOV lane was added to a widened I-91 north of Hartford.

Hartford finally got sick of not being a constant construction site, I suppose.

Early 90s, I estimate.  All of this was just after the 84/86 upgrade from East Hartford to Vernon, a long and massive project.

Yep, must have been very early '90s.  By the time I graduated from high school, I believe it was done.

[KEVIN_224]

The flyover from I-84/US 6 East (Exit 51) to I-91 North opened in October of 1990. To this day, there's no direct exit from I-91 North to I-84/US 6 East or I-84/US 6 West to I-91 South. The state wants you to use the Charter Oak Bridge/CT Route 15 to make the connection.

[kurumi]

Pfft.  I remember the I-84/I-91 interchange replacement the last big time around (i.e., the one that finally got rid of you having to get onto surface streets between the two...probably between I-84E and I-91N...IIRC...which is questionable).  That was also around the time the separated HOV lane was added to a widened I-91 north of Hartford.

Hartford finally got sick of not being a constant construction site, I suppose.

Early 90s, I estimate.  All of this was just after the 84/86 upgrade from East Hartford to Vernon, a long and massive project.

The 4th-level flyover ramp from I-84 EB to I-91 NB opened on Oct. 11, 1990.

1986 to 1994 was sort of a second golden age of highway construction in CT (the first was the 1960s). In those 8 or 9 years, Connecticut built:
* CT 3 freeway and interchange with CT 2
* CT 3/I-91 interchange
* new Charter Oak Bridge and interchange fixups, both sides
* upgraded I-81/I-91 interchange to free-flowing
* I-84/I-384 interchange
* I-84 widening from Vernon to East Hartford with HOV lanes
* I-91 widening from Mass SL to Hartford
* HOV lanes on I-91 from vic. CT 20 to Hartford
* I-291
* I-691
* CT 9 extension from I-91 to I-84
* US 7 extension
* I-84 widening, Danbury
* New Baldwin Bridge, I-95

For comparison, let's look at freeway work from 1996 through 2004:
* CT 2A widening and new casino interchange

[KEVIN_224]

Yes indeed on that flyover ramp date! I was first on it back on Saturday, October 13, 1990. That was with an escourted day trip up to Bennington and then over to Brattleboro, VT.

[noelbotevera]

It's because Connecticut is broke. CT 11 would be CT's savior, but there's just no money left.

[Rothman]

It's because Connecticut is broke. CT 11 would be CT's savior, but there's just no money left.

Heh.  I don't think me, my kids, their kids, their kids' kids or their kids' kids' kids will ever see CT 11 completed to I-95.

[JakeFromNewEngland]

The state right now is focusing more on highway reconstruction projects than building new freeways. It's a shame because there are a lot of uncompleted freeways that could use an extension such as CT 11 or maybe even I-291 but we will probably never see them completed.

[TravelingBethelite]

While we're on the topic of highway reconstruction projects in CT, does I-84 in Danbury (exits 3-8) really need FOUR lanes in each direction? The state is mulling it over now, and I hope I doesn't go any farther. It just doesn't need it. inb4 I-84 is major truck route to New England

[PHLBOS]

While we're on the topic of highway reconstruction projects in CT, does I-84 in Danbury (exits 3-8) really need FOUR lanes in each direction? The state is mulling it over now, and I hope I doesn't go any farther. It just doesn't need it. inb4 I-84 is major truck route to New England

 
I'm not sure what you're trying to convey here or if you're quoting from an article/web-site; but this stretch of I-84 also carries US 7 on it (which exits south at Exit 3 and north at Exit 7) and is only 6 lanes (3 in both directions) wide throughout except at the interchange ramps (where it does increase to 8 (4 per direction) for a short distance at both ends).

If one travels that stretch at the wrong time of day; it does indeed become a congested bottleneck.  I have personal experience with that one.

[JakeFromNewEngland]

I definitely agree that I-84 badly needs that widening. Danbury is always a choke point in the summer for people heading west into NY or north to Candlewood Lake. Not to mention, Danbury is essentially one the regional hubs of SW CT. While we're talking about Danbury, the last time I went through there it looked like they were revamping the flyovers at the US 7/US 202 interchange. Does anyone know the progress on this?

[TravelingBethelite]

  Oops, I didn't consider the traffic, or the fact that it carries 6, 7, AND 202 as well as the 84 designation in that section. Once, heading west, it took us 45 minutes to get from Exit 8 (our entrance point) to the NYS border. In that case, I wholehearedly agree. Kurumi mentioned it on his website.

P.S. Danbury is in SW CT. Torrington's the one for NW CT.

[JakeFromNewEngland]

Oops, I didn't consider the traffic, or the fact that it carries 6, 7, AND 202 as well as the 84 designation in that section. Once, heading west, it took us 45 minutes to get from Exit 8 (our entrance point) to the NYS border. In that case, I wholehearedly agree. Kurumi mentioned it on his website.

P.S. Danbury is in SW CT. Torrington's the one for NW CT.

Yes I know that. I was trying to make a point on how it's kind of the "last resort" before heading north into the mountains.

[TravelingBethelite]

Ah right, as once you go north beyond NM, there's no major (or even, no) cities along 7. Next comes Kent, and then nothing really until the Mass Pike.

[iBallasticwolf2]

Ah right, as once you go north beyond NM, there's no major (or even, no) cities along 7. Next comes Kent, and then nothing really until the Mass Pike.

I'd say that New Milford, North Canaan and Great Barrington are cities along US 7 with a good amount of services.

[Rothman]

Calling Great Barrington a city makes me think of:

[Pete from Boston]

While we're on the topic of highway reconstruction projects in CT, does I-84 in Danbury (exits 3-8) really need FOUR lanes in each direction? The state is mulling it over now, and I hope I doesn't go any farther. It just doesn't need it. inb4 I-84 is major truck route to New England

 
I'm not sure what you're trying to convey here or if you're quoting from an article/web-site; but this stretch of I-84 also carries US 7 on it (which exits south at Exit 3 and north at Exit 7) and is only 6 lanes (3 in both directions) wide throughout except at the interchange ramps (where it does increase to 8 (4 per direction) for a short distance at both ends).

If one travels that stretch at the wrong time of day; it does indeed become a congested bottleneck.  I have personal experience with that one.

84 is also a major "relief route" for traffic between New York and Boston.  Quotation marks because it's a primary route for a lot of folks.  Any major travel weekend (summer, holidays, college in/out) 84 is too close for comfort at best.

The specific issue in Danbury, as noted above, is the cross-traffic from many overlapping travel corridors.  But in the context of 84 west-of-Hartford as a whole, even minor disruptions can choke the current setup.

[Mergingtraffic]

While we're on the topic of highway reconstruction projects in CT, does I-84 in Danbury (exits 3-8) really need FOUR lanes in each direction? The state is mulling it over now, and I hope I doesn't go any farther. It just doesn't need it. inb4 I-84 is major truck route to New England

 
I'm not sure what you're trying to convey here or if you're quoting from an article/web-site; but this stretch of I-84 also carries US 7 on it (which exits south at Exit 3 and north at Exit 7) and is only 6 lanes (3 in both directions) wide throughout except at the interchange ramps (where it does increase to 8 (4 per direction) for a short distance at both ends).

If one travels that stretch at the wrong time of day; it does indeed become a congested bottleneck.  I have personal experience with that one.

What causes the backups EB anyway are the lane drops at Exit 3 and 7.  If the add in a 4th lane and it still drops to 3 at those locations traffic will still back up.  If they keep the same amount of lanes between the interchanges and move Exit 7 to a right hand exit it will be fine.  That's what I see just by driving through weekly. (although Exit 7 now has an option lane)

But does the DOT have the brains to do it?  And if they do will they actually do it or will they shrink the project down because of costs and land and then we will be paying for the bad decisions for years to come.

WB in theory the backups shouldn't happen at US-7 merges onto I-84 at Exit 7 from the right with their own lane and never have to merge.  However, it's the lane changers that cause the backups and slow things down.

Pfft.  I remember the I-84/I-91 interchange replacement the last big time around (i.e., the one that finally got rid of you having to get onto surface streets between the two...probably between I-84E and I-91N...IIRC...which is questionable).  That was also around the time the separated HOV lane was added to a widened I-91 north of Hartford.

Hartford finally got sick of not being a constant construction site, I suppose.

Early 90s, I estimate.  All of this was just after the 84/86 upgrade from East Hartford to Vernon, a long and massive project.

The 4th-level flyover ramp from I-84 EB to I-91 NB opened on Oct. 11, 1990.

1986 to 1994 was sort of a second golden age of highway construction in CT (the first was the 1960s). In those 8 or 9 years, Connecticut built:
* CT 3 freeway and interchange with CT 2
* CT 3/I-91 interchange
* new Charter Oak Bridge and interchange fixups, both sides
* upgraded I-81/I-91 interchange to free-flowing
* I-84/I-384 interchange
* I-84 widening from Vernon to East Hartford with HOV lanes
* I-91 widening from Mass SL to Hartford
* HOV lanes on I-91 from vic. CT 20 to Hartford
* I-291
* I-691
* CT 9 extension from I-91 to I-84
* US 7 extension
* I-84 widening, Danbury
* New Baldwin Bridge, I-95

For comparison, let's look at freeway work from 1996 through 2004:
* CT 2A widening and new casino interchange

And yes I-291 was replaced as a SINGLE lane ramp between two interstates.  It couldn't even be 2 lanes.  Typical small scale thinking.

For comparison, let's look at freeway work from 1996 through 2004:
* CT 2A widening and new casino interchange

If you want to extend that to 2009, you can add in the Brookfield US-7 Extension and CT-72, US-7 Boulevard upgrade. 

[Pete from Boston]

Or to now, the Q and Wheeler Bridges, along with the overall 91/95/34 rebuilding around New Haven.

[TravelingBethelite]

And the work on US 6 around Willimantic.....? On that topic has there been any more work on US 6 in that area?   

[JakeFromNewEngland]

Or to now, the Q and Wheeler Bridges, along with the overall 91/95/34 rebuilding around New Haven.

You can also add in the I-95 Norwalk reconstruction project which should be completed this fall.

[Duke87]

For that matter, wasn't the widening of I-95 in Bridgeport completed prior to 2004?