Connecticut News

[Alps]

CT 2 westbound in East Hartford through the Mixmaster is going to close for about 10 months: http://www.ct.gov/dot/cwp/view.asp?A=2135&Q=575602

This ramp is 50 years old, in poor condition, and will be replaced. Probably no changes in overall geometry or capacity; could have wider shoulders, box girder structure, other innovations from post-1965. For detour, use Pitkin Street. It won't be pretty.

No, it won't. I'm assuming Pitkin St will be restriped to allow 2 WB lanes, else restriping the ramp would only make things worse. Main St exit on I-84 will likely be a mess as well.

Good thing the existing ramp is only one lane, so two lanes has a chance of working (along with some traffic detouring onto I-84 WB). Here's what I'd do.
* Restripe offramp to two lanes (LT only, LT/RT)
* Restripe Pitkin to two WB lanes, one EB.
* No left turns from Pitkin WB between CT 2 and Darlin. Use East River Dr. to Hartland St. or down to the 2 EB onramp.
* At Darlin, right lane on Pitkin turns right, free-flow. Left lane is shared thru/left.
* Darlin is not restriped, but it's closed at East River Dr. All NB traffic will turn onto CT 2 WB. This avoids any need to rebuild the ramp for two lanes. (Detour goes around the block.)

That's roughly what I would do. Difference is that I would keep Darlin NB open for the one building that has no other access so they have a shot at exiting without crossing the bridge.

They could turn left and head south to Pitkin.

[mroad860]

So the other day I was driving along route 44 in Storrs and there's a new signal (black painted with retroreflective backplates) near the Village Spirits package store plaza along with a brand new entrance road for the Uconn campus.. Amazing on how quickly this new entrance road was built.. Me, being the road geek, I had to check it out! Nicely done! I've read recent CTDOT information about new signals, and yellow painted signals is the new general standard. Maybe some certain exemptions have been made for these new black painted signals?

[mroad860]

http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-tbt-connecticut-highways-20160125-photogallery.html

Hartford Courant old highway photo gallery

[Pete from Boston]

http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-tbt-connecticut-highways-20160125-photogallery.html

Hartford Courant old highway photo gallery

Thank you, there are some really spectacular shots in there.  I particularly love seeing the Merritt toll booths again, and the photo of how much land was cleared for 84 in Hartford is jaw-dropping.

[KEVIN_224]

The pictures which intrigued me the most involved the I-84/I-91 interchange from 1990. If I'm not mistaken, the flyover ramp from I-84 East to I-91 North opened in early October of 1990. I was first on it Saturday, October 13, 1990. (Don't ask me how I remember that!)

[Pete from Boston]

The pictures which intrigued me the most involved the I-84/I-91 interchange from 1990. If I'm not mistaken, the flyover ramp from I-84 East to I-91 North opened in early October of 1990. I was first on it Saturday, October 13, 1990. (Don't ask me how I remember that!)

The closest I ever came to drawing a fanciful image of a highway was while staying at the Holiday Inn (now Raddison) overlooking this interchange in 1987 and thinking, "With five minutes and a paper and pencil I could make this work better."  I did not, but someone read my mind and construction started soon thereafter.

[shadyjay]

Once upon a time, I had an information packet about the I-84/I-91 interchange, and the new Charter Oak Bridge.  It was a ConnDOT pamflet that was probably handed out at a public information meeting.  Had one on the Commodore Hull Bridge too, and one when they started work on the Baldwin Bridge.  Wished I kept them. 

Interesting group of photos.  The ones that peaked my interest were the Route 9 ones.  And of course the 84/91 interchange, especially the aerial looking on I-91 South, with that interesting left-side mounted BGS before the ramp to I-84 East.  Plus the one on I-84 East with the old signs.  I don't remember the lane markings in the pavement (such as approaching an at grade traffic signal intersection) - must've been paying too much attention to the signs back then.

[KEVIN_224]

Would there be historical aerials of the I-84/I-91 intersection from the 1980s, before anything that's there now got built?

[Pete from Boston]

I wish there were at least one 86 in there somewhere...

[jp the roadgeek]

New single sign gantry BGS is up on I-84 west at Exit 38 (US 6 West)

[shadyjay]

And that in turn moved the Exit 37 1 mile advance to the ground, and eliminated the I-84 WB pullthrough.  All part of a random statewide overhead sign support replacement project. 

Still waiting for the project to get around to I-91 NB at Exit 42 and I-91 SB at Exit 41 (to be a single gantry combined with NB/42) and I-91 SB at Exit 40 (damaged and gone for a couple years now). 

[The Ghostbuster]

Have all of Interstate 395's exits been changed to mileage-based yet?

[Beeper1]

Yeah.  All the exits have been changed over.

[noelbotevera]

Yeah.  All the exits have been changed over.

What about the old exit 100 sign north of the Massachusetts line? Is that still there?

[abqtraveler]

Yeah.  All the exits have been changed over.

What about the old exit 100 sign north of the Massachusetts line? Is that still there?

Not sure if MA changed the Exit 100 sign on 395, but from the sign replacement contracts ConnDOT awarded last fall, it looks like Routes 8 and 25 are next in line for new signage and new exit numbers.

[yakra]

Not sure if MA changed the Exit 100 sign on 395, but from the sign replacement contracts ConnDOT awarded last fall, it looks like Routes 8 and 25 are next in line for new signage and new exit numbers.

Do you have a link?

[bob7374]

Yeah.  All the exits have been changed over.

What about the old exit 100 sign north of the Massachusetts line? Is that still there?

Not sure if MA changed the Exit 100 sign on 395, but from the sign replacement contracts ConnDOT awarded last fall, it looks like Routes 8 and 25 are next in line for new signage and new exit numbers.

And according to the ConnDOT 2016 project advertising schedule, contracts to replace the signs on I-84 between Exits 30 and 52 (to be advertised July 13) and on I-95 between Exits 85 to 93 (to be advertised July 27) are upcoming.
http://www.ct.gov/dot/lib/dot/documents/dfiscalprojects/advschedule.pdf

[The Ghostbuster]

Will these new signs have mileage-based exit numbers? Or will they have the existing sequencial numbers?

[shadyjay]

I'd imagine both contracts would retain existing sequential numbers for now.  Given the plan to renumber exits to the mile-based system will be based on when the signs are replaced, I'd guess they'll hold off on renumbering until they replace signs on I-95 from Branford to New London and on I-84 from East Hartford to Manchester, if not all the way to the Mass state line.  Signs on I-95 west of Branford to NY have been replaced in the past 3-5 years or so and I really can't see the numbers on that section changing much, if they even bother.  It's only east of Branford where the exits become more than 1 mile apart. 

[dgolub]

Signs on I-95 west of Branford to NY have been replaced in the past 3-5 years or so and I really can't see the numbers on that section changing much, if they even bother.

It's more than 3-5 years.  They started replacing button-copy signs en masse in late 2007.

[KEVIN_224]

http://connecticuthistory.org/overland-travel-in-connecticut-from-footpaths-to-interstates/

Is the first picture an oldie of CT Route 15?

[Pete from Boston]

http://connecticuthistory.org/overland-travel-in-connecticut-from-footpaths-to-interstates/

Is the first picture an oldie of CT Route 15?

Yes, it's right here:

https://goo.gl/maps/kxdYZrxKU1C2

However, it's in Fairfield, not Greenwich.

The building on the left in the foreground is the Merritt Parkway Hi-Ho Motel, which sadly no longer lights its enormous, iconic neon sign.

[jp the roadgeek]

Most, if not all of the signs on I-84 east of Exit 64-65 to the MA line have already been replaced and are Phase IV. So once the Southington-Hartford stretch is done, the only signage replacement on I-84 through CT would be in greater Waterbury (which will be replaced with the widening project), and East Hartford/Manchester.  Best time to go mileage based would be with this project, or when Waterbury is done

[Beeper1]

Yeah.  All the exits have been changed over.

What about the old exit 100 sign north of the Massachusetts line? Is that still there?

I was through that way today and yes, the southbound sign in MA has been changed to the new exit number 53.  Looks like it was done with an overlay on the existing exit tab.

[bob7374]

Yeah.  All the exits have been changed over.

What about the old exit 100 sign north of the Massachusetts line? Is that still there?

I was through that way today and yes, the southbound sign in MA has been changed to the new exit number 53.  Looks like it was done with an overlay on the existing exit tab.

That's how MassDOT will be revising exit numbers on other signs when their project starts. So, for trivia buffs, the first mile-based exit number to appear in MA is for a CT exit on I-395.