Connecticut News

[jp the roadgeek]

If CT 20 and US 6 stay as is, the exits will be:

CT 20:

31 A-B: I-91 N/S
30: Old County Rd
29: CT 75
28A: Hamilton Rd N
28: Bradley Airport (SSR 401)

And for US 6:

88: CT 66 W (WB ONLY left exit)
90: CT 32
92: CT 195
93: CT 66 W (EB ONLY)

[Mergingtraffic]

If CT 20 and US 6 stay as is, the exits will be:

CT 20:

31 A-B: I-91 N/S
30: Old County Rd
29: CT 75
28A: Hamilton Rd N
28: Bradley Airport (SSR 401)

And for US 6:

88: CT 66 W (WB ONLY left exit)
90: CT 32
92: CT 195
93: CT 66 W (EB ONLY)

CT-20 NOT getting exit numbers but the Milford Parkway, which is shorter, getting numbers is just the DOT thinking in terms of individual projects, (probably done by different people) rather than thinking as a whole and keeping continuity with similar roads throughout the state.  They aren't consistent either way.

Another example, CT-8 ramps in Derby have NO merge but they have YIELD signs, however, similar ramps on CT-15 in Greenwich (also have no merge) but have STOP signs.  You'd think it'll be all one way or the other.

[Duke87]

CT-20 NOT getting exit numbers but the Milford Parkway, which is shorter, getting numbers is just the DOT thinking in terms of individual projects, (probably done by different people) rather than thinking as a whole and keeping continuity with similar roads throughout the state.  They aren't consistent either way.

Definitely done by different people. CT 20 is district 1, Milford Pkwy is district 3.

Another example, CT-8 ramps in Derby have NO merge but they have YIELD signs, however, similar ramps on CT-15 in Greenwich (also have no merge) but have STOP signs.  You'd think it'll be all one way or the other.

The geometry on the Merritt Ramps with stop signs is considerably harsher than the geometry of the any of the CT 8 ramps with yield signs (tighter curves leading up to the merge point, inferior sight lines). I would argue that stop is warranted for the former but yield is sufficient for the latter.

[MikeTheActuary]

If CT 20 and US 6 stay as is, the exits will be:

CT 20:

31 A-B: I-91 N/S
30: Old County Rd
29: CT 75
28A: Hamilton Rd N
28: Bradley Airport (SSR 401)

Nitpick: The exit between route 75 and the CT 20 exit from the connector is Hamilton Road South.

That opens the door to wondering whether Hamilton Road North on CT401 would get its own number.

However, as ConnDOT just finished updating the signs along the connector, I think adding exit numbers would be far down the priority list.

[noelbotevera]

Here's my attempt at mile based numbering on freeways in CT.

I-91 - South to North - Both directions

0A-B-C
1A-B-C
2
3
4
6
7
8
11
13
16
19A
20A-B
20C
21
23
26
27 - 28
29
31
33
34
36A
36B
36C
38A
38B
38C
39
40
41
42
44A
44B
46
47
48
49A
49B
50
51
53
55
56
58

I-84 - West to East - Both directions
0
1
4
5
6A
6B
7
8
11
14
15
18
20
21
24
29A
29B
30
31A
31B
31C
31D
31E
34 - 35
36
37
39
41A
41B
43
45
48
50A
50B
51
52
54A
54B
55
56
57
59A
59B
60A
60B
61A
61B
62A
62B
62C
63A
63B
63C
63D
64
65A
65B
66
67
68
69
70
72
73
74
76
79
83
85
87
91
92
96

I-95 "North to South" - both directions (you get the gist, so I won't do this from now on for the rest of the post)
1
2
4
5
6A
6B
7A
7B
8
9
11A
11B
12
13
15A
15B
16
18
20
23A
23B
24A
24B
25A
25B
26
27A
27B
27C
28
29A
29B
29C
30A
30B
31A
31B
32A
32B
33
34
35
36A
36B
37A
37B
39A-B
40
42
44
45A
45B
46
47A
47B
48
49
50A
50B
52
53
56
59
60
61
63
64
66
68
71
73
74
76
78A
78B
79
83
84
86
87
88A
"88B"
88C
89
90
91
92
93A
93B-C-D
94
95
96
97
100
101
102
105
107

CT 8
0A
0B
1
2
3
4A
4B
5A
5B
7
9
11
12
13A
13B
13C
14
16A
16B
17
18
21
22
24
25
26A
26B
27
29
30A
30B
30C
30D
31
32
34
38
40A
40B
44
47
49
50
52
55

CT 15
0
3
5A
5B
9A
9B
10
13
14
16
17A-B
17C-D
20
21
27
28
29
30
32
33A
33B
34A-B
37
38A
38B
38C
41
43A
43B
47
50
51
52A
52B
53
58A
59
61
64A
64B
65A
65B
80A
80B
80C
81
83
84

CT 9
0
1
4
5
7
9
10
14
15
19
21
22
23A
23B
23C
24A
24B
"24C"
25
27
29
31
32A
32B
33
34
35A
35B
35C
36A
36B
38A
38B
39
41

Done.

[shadyjay]

I think the exits on 695 will be Exit 1A for Squaw Rock Rd (WB exit) and Exit 1B for Ross Road (EB exit).

Since they're in opposite directions, why not just give them both Exit 1 and leave off the letter?)

That's what the contract plans say is going to happen.

[jp the roadgeek]

Nitpicking a bit on the I-84 exits between Waterbury and Hartford (Wikipedia is slightly off, and I travel this stretch often):
31A&B: CT 8 N/S
31C: Meadow St
32: Union St
33: CT 69
34: Scott Rd/Reidville Dr (Both directions, since old Harper's Ferry Rd. Exit eliminated)
36: Austin Rd
38: CT 70
40A: I-691 E (40 MM is in between exit and entrance)
40B: CT 322
41: CT 10 (WB Exit/EB Entrance)
42: Marion Ave
44: CT 229
46: CT 10
49A: CT 72 W
49B: Crooked St (EB Exit Only)
50: CT 72 E
51: Slater Rd
53: Fienemann Rd
54A: US 6 W (WB Exit/EB Entrance)
54B: CT 4
55: CT 9 S
56: CT 71
57: S Main St
58A: Trout Brook Dr. (WB Exit/EB Entrance)
58B: Park Rd
59: Prospect Ave
60A: Flatbush Ave (WB Exit/EB Entrance)
60B: Sisson Ave
61A: Sigourney St (WB Exit/EB Entrance)
61B & C (EB), C (WB): Capitol/Asylum (EB) Asylum (WB)
62A: Ann Uccello St. (EB Only)
62B: Main St.
63A/B: I-91 N/S (A only WB)

[Duke87]

Wikipedia's milemarkers for I-95 are also definitely... off. No way exit 93 is 3.8 miles from the RI state line. It would turn to 111, not 107.

Also, if the plans for SR 695 are any indication, ConnDOT (alas) is not going to be posting any exit 0s.

[noelbotevera]

My list fudged up some exit numbers because I rounded to the next mile rather than the current mile at where the exit is.

[The Ghostbuster]

What is the likelihood of any highways other than I-395 and CT-2A getting milepost based exit numbers anytime soon, if ever?

[shadyjay]

Well, going into 2016, I see contracts coming up for I-84 signage from Southington to Hartford and for I-95 signage from Groton to the RI border.  One more contract I could see, Branford to Old Saybrook for I-95 (and some of that would be just spot work), and I-95 could get renumbered exits.  Back to I-84, signage in East Hartford-Manchester-Vernon is pretty old so a contract through there would update I-84 completely, then it could get converted.  Still no contracts on the horizon for I-91, CT 2, and CT 9.  By the time those signs get replaced, they'll be pushing 35. 

[PHLBOS]

The first 8 interchanges along I-84 in the Danbury area are in close enough proximity to their respective mile markers that such doesn't need to be changed IMHO.

[ctsignguy]

Here's my attempt at mile based numbering on freeways in CT.

I-91 - South to North - Both directions

0A-B-C
1A-B-C
2
3
4
6
7
8
11
13
16
19A
20A-B
20C
21
23
26
27 - 28
29
31
33
34
36A
36B
36C
38A
38B
38C
39
40
41
42
44A
44B
46
47
48
49A
49B
50
51
53
55
56
58

I-84 - West to East - Both directions
0
1
4
5
6A
6B
7
8
11
14
15
18
20
21
24
29A
29B
30
31A
31B
31C
31D
31E
34 - 35
36
37
39
41A
41B
43
45
48
50A
50B
51
52
54A
54B
55
56
57
59A
59B
60A
60B
61A
61B
62A
62B
62C
63A
63B
63C
63D
64
65A
65B
66
67
68
69
70
72
73
74
76
79
83
85
87
91
92
96

I-95 "North to South" - both directions (you get the gist, so I won't do this from now on for the rest of the post)
1
2
4
5
6A
6B
7A
7B
8
9
11A
11B
12
13
15A
15B
16
18
20
23A
23B
24A
24B
25A
25B
26
27A
27B
27C
28
29A
29B
29C
30A
30B
31A
31B
32A
32B
33
34
35
36A
36B
37A
37B
39A-B
40
42
44
45A
45B
46
47A
47B
48
49
50A
50B
52
53
56
59
60
61
63
64
66
68
71
73
74
76
78A
78B
79
83
84
86
87
88A
"88B"
88C
89
90
91
92
93A
93B-C-D
94
95
96
97
100
101
102
105
107

CT 8
0A
0B
1
2
3
4A
4B
5A
5B
7
9
11
12
13A
13B
13C
14
16A
16B
17
18
21
22
24
25
26A
26B
27
29
30A
30B
30C
30D
31
32
34
38
40A
40B
44
47
49
50
52
55

CT 15
0
3
5A
5B
9A
9B
10
13
14
16
17A-B
17C-D
20
21
27
28
29
30
32
33A
33B
34A-B
37
38A
38B
38C
41
43A
43B
47
50
51
52A
52B
53
58A
59
61
64A
64B
65A
65B
80A
80B
80C
81
83
84

CT 9
0
1
4
5
7
9
10
14
15
19
21
22
23A
23B
23C
24A
24B
"24C"
25
27
29
31
32A
32B
33
34
35A
35B
35C
36A
36B
38A
38B
39
41

Done.

Nahhh....too confusing for those who have used the highway for decades.

[Mergingtraffic]

The CT DOT is looking for consultants to design the I-84 widening in Danbury and the I-91 redo with I-691/CT-15.

http://www.ct.gov/dot/lib/dot/Solicitation_Look_ahead.pdf

[Mergingtraffic]

Well, going into 2016, I see contracts coming up for I-84 signage from Southington to Hartford and for I-95 signage from Groton to the RI border.  One more contract I could see, Branford to Old Saybrook for I-95 (and some of that would be just spot work), and I-95 could get renumbered exits.  Back to I-84, signage in East Hartford-Manchester-Vernon is pretty old so a contract through there would update I-84 completely, then it could get converted.  Still no contracts on the horizon for I-91, CT 2, and CT 9.  By the time those signs get replaced, they'll be pushing 35. 

I did see a I-84 Cheshire resurfacing.   It's all been repaved twice already.  x25-28 has been done when it was widened and is fine. x28-31 was just redone this past year after it was done the last couple of years.  Meanwhile there are other state maintained roads that never get it and are in bad shape. 

[Alps]

The CT DOT is looking for consultants to design the I-84 widening in Danbury and the I-91 redo with I-691/CT-15.

http://www.ct.gov/dot/lib/dot/Solicitation_Look_ahead.pdf

Makes me want to move to CT.

[kurumi]

Hartford Courant op/ed: CT Put Highway Edge Lines On The Map

As drivers did generally in the early postwar years, when Dorr and his wife used these roads at night, they hugged the centerline for guidance. This minimized the chance of their drifting off the road but maximized the glare from the headlights of oncoming cars using the same strategy. To avert a collision when momentarily blinded by the lights, drivers tended to veer to the right – often ending up in the soft, grassy shoulder of the road, or worse.

Dorr conceived of a continuous line marking the right edge of the pavement as a new visual aid delineating the road's boundary. This gave drivers a reference other than the centerline for staying in their lane. He convinced the Connecticut highway department to paint an experimental right-edge line on a 4-mile stretch of the Merritt Parkway.

After a six-month testing period, the right-edge line – subsequently also sometimes called a "fog line" – proved effective in helping drivers stay on the straight and narrow. By the end of 1954, the line was painted along the entire length of the Merritt, as well as on many of the state's busiest roads.

The writer is a Dukie, but he is writing a new highway book, so good for him:

Henry Petroski is a professor of civil engineering and of history at Duke. This essay is adapted from his forthcoming book,"The Road Taken: The History and Future of America's Infrastructure," which will be published in February.

[KEVIN_224]

The solid line marking the change from the roadway/travel lanes to the shoulder, I assume? I think nothing of them today!

[KEVIN_224]

Also had a fun thought while riding to/from Westfield Shoppingtown (mall) in Meriden, CT today:

Why not re-route the north end of CT Route 71A? Presently, it has an unsigned end at Buell Street in New Britain's south end. In the past, it used to continue north, took a right and went up the entire length of Arch Street. Why not have it turn right onto the Willow Brook Connector (unsigned CT Route 571) in Berlin? The lone exit on that 1 mile straightaway is for New Britain Road (Berlin)/South Main Street (New Britain). That road happens to be CT Route 71.

Feel free to move this to Fictional Highways if need be!

[shadyjay]

Also had a fun thought while riding to/from Westfield Shoppingtown (mall) in Meriden, CT today

Arghh.... I hate that name (Westfield Shoppingtown)... it'll always be the Meriden Square to me.  Heck, I remember it when it was a simple straight line mall, with JCPenney at one end and G. Fox at the other.  Westfield tried "rebranding" their malls under a common name.  The Connecticut Post Mall in Milford got the same treatment.

One interesting sign I remember from way back in the day in Meriden was a "TO CT 9 NORTH" sign on CT 71 North right near the onramp to 691WB at Exit 5.  What's interesting is that, back then (pre-1989) CT 9 ended at I-91 and this sign was pointing north on CT 71 towards New Britain.  On CT 66 East in Middletown, there were various "To CT 9 NORTH" signs as well, pointing towards then-CT 72 West (Newfield St, which is now CT 3 North).  Why were these signs pointing the way to CT 9 North, when, at the time, CT 9 ended 1 mile north of where (then) CT 72 met CT 9? 

Ironically, all these signs were removed shortly after CT 9 was extended beyond I-91 to the Berlin Tpke, New Britain, and later I-84.

[KEVIN_224]

And with that...the old JC Penney space is now occupied by a Boscov's store which opened like two weeks ago.

Anyways, any ideas if CT Route 71A could be changed?

[jp the roadgeek]

How about a renumber to Route 371?  Extend it through New Britain on Arch St, Main St, Beaver St, and Farmington Ave/Fieneman Rd. to end at US 6 in Farmington.

And yes, I still call it Meriden Square too, just as I remember I-691 and CT 322 east of I-84 as CT 66 and the highway ending at Exit 4.

[shadyjay]

I hate "dangling routes" which end at an arbitruary point when they could connect to something... anything.  CT 4 is another, which ends on Farmington Avenue in West Hartford.  It should continue all the way into downtown Hartford, ending at I-84.  Or, even better, get US 6 off I-84 and route it via this way, and have CT 4 take the I-84 Exit 38 ramps.  But I digress...

As for 71A, at the very least, extend it up Arch St to Chestnut St where it could end at the CT 9 NB onramp/SB offramp. 

I'm kind of surprised 71A hasn't been resigned.  CT doesn't like "A" routes that much.  I grew up with CT 9A, then in the mid 1980s, it became CT 154.  Now all that's left of the "A"s is 2A, 71A, 182A, and US 1A.  (I think that's it).  I'd like to see all "coastal loops" along the LI Sound become US 1A. (CT 136, 130, 162, 337/142/146, 154-loop in Old Saybrook, 213-combined with a US1 reroute onto 156).  They wouldn't all be connected, per se, but would connect to US 1 at either end.  Maybe a cool trailblazer "LI SOUND COASTAL BYWAY" or something. 

Yeah, I'm dreaming.

Back to I-691 for a minute...
I remember a time when I made my parents get off at Exit 4, instead of Exit 6 when we were visiting my grandmother.  They said, look, the road's going to end at Exit 4.  I think they were a bit surprised when the road didn't end, but there was a pullthrough added which said "TO CT 10 SOUTH - Cheshire".  The first extension of CT 66 past Exit 4 was to CT 10/today's Exit 3.  A few years later, it was extended to I-84, and then renumbered I-691.  I'm not sure if the initial extension from Exit 4 to 3 was signed officially as CT 66.  I want to say it wasn't.

Also when the time for I-691 exit numbers to go to a mileage-based system, two things are going to have to happen:
(1)  The state mileage log for the route will have to be altered.  Presently, mileage is in reverse, with mile 0 being in Meriden and the numbers increase as you head west towards I-84.  But it's all internal since...
(2)  Mile markers will have to be added.  I-691 at present has NO mile markers.  Come to think of it, I don't think I-291 or I-384 do either.

[Beeper1]

I hate "dangling routes" which end at an arbitruary point when they could connect to something... anything.  CT 4 is another, which ends on Farmington Avenue in West Hartford.  It should continue all the way into downtown Hartford, ending at I-84.  Or, even better, get US 6 off I-84 and route it via this way, and have CT 4 take the I-84 Exit 38 ramps.  But I digress...

As for 71A, at the very least, extend it up Arch St to Chestnut St where it could end at the CT 9 NB onramp/SB offramp. 

I'm kind of surprised 71A hasn't been resigned.  CT doesn't like "A" routes that much.  I grew up with CT 9A, then in the mid 1980s, it became CT 154.  Now all that's left of the "A"s is 2A, 71A, 182A, and US 1A.  (I think that's it). 

Almost.  You forgot 14A in Plainfield/Sterling.

[DrSmith]

Also 17-A in Portland