Connecticut News

[Alps]

Speaking of transportation projects, I notice that district 1  has started blanketing the beginning and end of limited access highways' guardrails with a red and green delineator, a la MAssachussetts. I first noticed these in district 2 a couple years back. Looks like their going to catch on statewide. And in conndot plow jockey fashion, several of them have already been twisted and bent around tolland from the last storm.

What's the point of those?

Snow plows to lift their blades and then reset. Because if blades down across a bridge, snow gets thrown over the side and dumped onto what may be passing traffic underneath. Could be fatal.

[roadman]

What is the answer to the ultimate question of life, Connecticut, and everything?

The program to find that out, including conversion to mile-based exit numbers, will take seven and a half million years to complete.

[jp the roadgeek]

What is the answer to the ultimate question of life, Connecticut, and everything?

The program to find that out, including conversion to mile-based exit numbers, will take seven and a half million years to complete.

And Route 11 still wouldn't be completed yet.

[KEVIN_224]

I don't know if it's a town issue or not, but streetlights were being replaced this morning on the Berlin Turnpike (US 5/CT 15) in Berlin. The assemblies are smaller with 2 sets of LED bulbs. They're all marked with "82 LED" or whatever that means.

[Marc_in_CT]

I don't know if it's a town issue or not, but streetlights were being replaced this morning on the Berlin Turnpike (US 5/CT 15) in Berlin. The assemblies are smaller with 2 sets of LED bulbs. They're all marked with "82 LED" or whatever that means.

That's the wattage.
On the older fixtures you had to do some math - a blue tag with a '25' meant mercury vapor, 250 watts. A yellow tag with a '15' would be high pressure sodium, 150 watts. With LED's they put the actual wattage I believe.

[jp the roadgeek]

Fascinating slideshow of the history of highways in Meriden.  Some great pics of I-691 and I-91 in their construction phases.

http://www.myrecordjournal.com/News/Meriden/Meriden-News/MerHighways-RJ-012618.html#gallery-16

[Rothman]

Wasn't I-691 a state route that was later designated I-691?

[KEVIN_224]

One road in that area was once called US Route 6A. The former CVS at the Westfield Shoppingtown (mall) in Meriden used to put that in their address on their receipts.

As for the new LED street lights I mentioned...the sticker on them reads "LED 92", not 82.

[RobbieL2415]

Wasn't I-691 a state route that was later designated I-691?

It was CT 66 until the mid-80s.

[Rothman]

Wasn't I-691 a state route that was later designated I-691?

It was CT 66 until the mid-80s.

Good.  Glad I wasn't suffering from some sort of dementia.

[jp the roadgeek]

One road in that area was once called US Route 6A. The former CVS at the Westfield Shoppingtown (mall) in Meriden used to put that in their address on their receipts.

As for the new LED street lights I mentioned...the sticker on them reads "LED 92", not 82.

I remember those receipts too.  US 6A was the number for CT 66 until 1968.  Funny thing is Meriden Square opened in 1971, so it was already inaccurate by the time it opened.  30 years later, most  locals still refer to the stretch of 322 through Southington and Cheshire as Route 66.  Still have a liquor store and a deli that reference it.   

[Mergingtraffic]

and I believe an original I-691 shield


So Exit 1-4 signage isn't button copy on I-691. Was that ever button copy?

[shadyjay]

I-691 Exits 1-4 was never button copy.

At first, the CT 66 expressway was extended from present Exit 4 west to Exit 3.  A pullthrough at Exit 4 said "To 10 SOUTH - CHESHIRE".  Signs for Exit 4 used to read " 66 / SOUTHINGTON".  I don't believe the initial Exit 4-to-3 extension was signed as CT 66, as that was still using today's CT 322 at the time.

When the extension to I-84 was completed, CT 66 from Meriden westward to Exit 4 was designated I-691.  I remember the sign posted just before Exit 11 WB that read "NOTICE / 66 IS NOW 691".   Signage on that stretch from Exit 4 to I-84 is essentially unaltered since its installation in the 1980s.  Exceptions:  the Exit 4 1/2 mile WB sign was originally an overhead gantry.  In the 2000s, it was moved to the ground, and a "service bar" added.  It was one of the first green service bars installed, which are now (unfortunately) the standard.  Blue looks better.  Also, some shields on the I-84 advance signage have been replaced, as they've faded.  Even the road surface between Exits 3 and 4 is original...concrete, and has held up quite well!

There's a pic in that Record Journal photo log that shows the I-84/I-691 interchange under construction.  I remember passing through there during its construction, heading to the Naugatuck Valley Mall and thought the "Y" bridge supports were cool. 

[jp the roadgeek]

I remember when the extension of the 66 expressway opened somewhere around 1986.  The BGS for the 691 West entrance at Exit 4 also used to say TO 10 South CHESHIRE.  I also remember a NOTICE sign near the 1/2 mile westbound advance sign that was put up when 691 was completed that said 66 is now 322.  I also seem to remember Exit 4 was unsigned until the extension opened (haven't figured out if it received temporary SR status like the section of CT 9 between 72 and 175 did).   For a short period just before the 3-4 stretch opened, traffic entering eastbound at Exit 4 was actually diverted down the exit ramp, then had to make a sharp right turn to enter the highway.  Historical photos show that a supermarket (Sal's Market) used to sit on the land on the 691 ROW just west of the 322 overpass.  It moved down the hill near the CT 120 junction once the feds bought the land, and closed maybe 10-15 years ago after the owner passed away.   

[Mergingtraffic]

I remember when the extension of the 66 expressway opened somewhere around 1986.  The BGS for the 691 West entrance at Exit 4 also used to say TO 10 South CHESHIRE.  I also remember a NOTICE sign near the 1/2 mile westbound advance sign that was put up when 691 was completed that said 66 is now 322.  I also seem to remember Exit 4 was unsigned until the extension opened (haven't figured out if it received temporary SR status like the section of CT 9 between 72 and 175 did).   For a short period just before the 3-4 stretch opened, traffic entering eastbound at Exit 4 was actually diverted down the exit ramp, then had to make a sharp right turn to enter the highway.  Historical photos show that a supermarket (Sal's Market) used to sit on the land on the 691 ROW just west of the 322 overpass.  It moved down the hill near the CT 120 junction once the feds bought the land, and closed maybe 10-15 years ago after the owner passed away.   

Were the "TO 10 Cheshire" signs extruded panels?  I was 10 then and didn't pay much attention to it.  I find it unique the Exit 1-4 signage was never button copy since that was the middle of the button copy craze, unless the plans were developed in the early 80s when CT used demountable copy.

Btw, the I-691/I-84 interchange is what I call a "grammatically correct" interchange.  lol It's high speed, non looping, right hand entrances/exits.  CT doesn't have many of those.

[Beeper1]

There used to be 66 is now 322 signs on I-84 as well, approaching Exit 28.

[RobbieL2415]

There used to be 66 is now 322 signs on I-84 as well, approaching Exit 28.

Does this mean that there used to be "US 6 is now CT 66" signs in Windham?

[Alps]

There used to be 66 is now 322 signs on I-84 as well, approaching Exit 28.

Does this mean that there used to be "US 6 is now CT 66" signs in Windham?

Does this mean there used to be "74 was then 44 but is now 74" signs...

[KEVIN_224]

New Britain never had a "Route 71A used to meet Route 71 downtown...now ends at Buell Street" sign.

It starts at CT Route 71 in Berlin. A portion of it is the Chamberlain Highway. Buell Street is actually closer to the Berlin town line than downtown. There is no END sign. Years ago, it ran up the length of Arch Street, which made sense. Go one block east on Chestnut Street and you come to the corner with the Harry Truman Overpass. That carries CT Route 71. Made perfect sense that it would connect.



RED - CT Route 71A now. Ends at Buell Street in south end with black marker. No END sign.
BLUE - North up Kensington Road to Arch Street and then east on Chestnut Street one block. There used to be one last reassurance shield on Arch Street just before Winthrop.
GREEN - CT Route 71. Not signed at this map level.

[kurumi]

ConnDOT is proposing additional lanes for a short stretch of I-84 in West Hartford: http://www.ct.gov/dot/ical/eventDetail_page.asp?date_ID=C8CFCFC7CE83CDCAC9

Summary:
* additional westbound thru lane from Exit 43 (SR 501, Park Road) to Exit 39A (CT 9). The plan is to expand into the median and not use additional ROW
* additional eastbound auxiliary lane from Exit 40 (CT 71) to Exit 41 (semi-unsigned CT 173)

I-84 is mainly 6 lanes in the area. The eastbound work looks "easy" -- the one EB bridge is already wide enough, accommodating the merge lane from the Exit 40 onramp. The westbound work looks like a few I-84 overpasses will need widening.

[roadman]

Speaking of transportation projects, I notice that district 1  has started blanketing the beginning and end of limited access highways' guardrails with a red and green delineator, a la MAssachussetts. I first noticed these in district 2 a couple years back. Looks like their going to catch on statewide. And in conndot plow jockey fashion, several of them have already been twisted and bent around tolland from the last storm.

What's the point of those?

Snow plows to lift their blades and then reset. Because if blades down across a bridge, snow gets thrown over the side and dumped onto what may be passing traffic underneath. Could be fatal.

You appear to be confusing the 'PLOWS USE CAUTION' signs they now provide in MA at the beginning of bridges with the smaller guardrail 'beginning(red)/end(green)' delineation markers MA (and now CT) use to denote the start and end of all guardrail runs.

[RobbieL2415]

ConnDOT is proposing additional lanes for a short stretch of I-84 in West Hartford: http://www.ct.gov/dot/ical/eventDetail_page.asp?date_ID=C8CFCFC7CE83CDCAC9

Summary:
* additional westbound thru lane from Exit 43 (SR 501, Park Road) to Exit 39A (CT 9). The plan is to expand into the median and not use additional ROW
* additional eastbound auxiliary lane from Exit 40 (CT 71) to Exit 41 (semi-unsigned CT 173)

I-84 is mainly 6 lanes in the area. The eastbound work looks "easy" -- the one EB bridge is already wide enough, accommodating the merge lane from the Exit 40 onramp. The westbound work looks like a few I-84 overpasses will need widening.

Can they PLEASE do the same thing between Exits 62 and 63 in both directions?  Those merges are always congested by mall traffic cheaters.

[KEVIN_224]

http://www.yankeeinstitute.org/2018/02/no-connecticut-cant-install-border-tolls-heres-why/

Saw this little write-up about why tolls can't just come back here. A proposal map shows where AET gantries could be on CT Route 15 (Merritt and Wilbur Cross Parkways).

http://www.courant.com/politics/hc-pol-toll-congestion-pricing-20180202-story.html

This story from The Hartford Courant also shows the same proposed toll map that the first link does.

[shadyjay]

http://www.yankeeinstitute.org/2018/02/no-connecticut-cant-install-border-tolls-heres-why/

Saw this little write-up about why tolls can't just come back here. A proposal map shows where AET gantries could be on CT Route 15 (Merritt and Wilbur Cross Parkways).

http://www.courant.com/politics/hc-pol-toll-congestion-pricing-20180202-story.html

This story from The Hartford Courant also shows the same proposed toll map that the first link does.

Just wait until the Merritt Parkway Conservancy sees plans for AET gantries.  Think the US 7 interchange is taking forever to be built out?  Just wait!

[KEVIN_224]

(Snooty voice:) "Ahem! Biff and Muffy do not want unsightly metal toll readers on our scenic and beautiful motorway! Besides, our ascots could get caught in one of those contraptions! Time to take the Beemer to the golf course!"