Connecticut News

[jp the roadgeek]

Think the CT Welcome sign revision might be at more than one crossing.  Thought I saw a picture of the one on 84 in Danbury tarped over on a roadgeek  FB site. 

UPDATE: Now we know what they're going to say

[TheCatalyst31]

Apparently there are going to be a few new slogans, some of which are meant to troll their neighbors. I wonder how long it will take for New Yorkers to vandalize the Pizza Capital sign.
https://www.fox61.com/article/news/local/connecticut-pizza-basketball-submarine-foodie-state-border-signs/520-592e26d7-8dc7-4da1-b802-99ac78792112

[Ted$8roadFan]

Only two of the four signs are accurate......

[vdeane]

Only two of the four signs are accurate......

Do we dare ask which two?

[shadyjay]

I think the "HOME OF THE" line is a little hokey.  Just having it say "SUBMARINE CAPITAL OF THE WORLD / PIZZA CAPITAL OF THE WORLD / ETC" would look/sound better.
 
And the basketball one... it should be "COLLEGE BASKETBALL CAPITAL".  Its not like CT has a pro b-ball team (or any team for that matter). 

I liked the "Welcome to Connecticut" sign with the large outline of the state on it.  Simple and to the point. 

[SectorZ]

I think the "HOME OF THE" line is a little hokey.  Just having it say "SUBMARINE CAPITAL OF THE WORLD / PIZZA CAPITAL OF THE WORLD / ETC" would look/sound better.
 
And the basketball one... it should be "COLLEGE BASKETBALL CAPITAL".  Its not like CT has a pro b-ball team (or any team for that matter). 

I liked the "Welcome to Connecticut" sign with the large outline of the state on it.  Simple and to the point. 

They have a WNBA team, which means more now than even a year ago.

[Duke87]

While I get a chuckle out of the trollishness of a couple of the chosen slogans, the signs themselves are blaaaand.

Like seriously, it's plain white FHWA text on a plain blue background. That's it, that's the state welcome sign. Nothing to distinguish it from any other ordinary road sign, really.

[Henry]

Apparently there are going to be a few new slogans, some of which are meant to troll their neighbors. I wonder how long it will take for New Yorkers to vandalize the Pizza Capital sign.
https://www.fox61.com/article/news/local/connecticut-pizza-basketball-submarine-foodie-state-border-signs/520-592e26d7-8dc7-4da1-b802-99ac78792112

Being the birthplace of Chicago deep-dish pizza, IL may also want to challenge that claim.

[jp the roadgeek]

Should've used Birthplace of the Hamburger, seeing that Louis Lunch in New Haven was the first to serve one, plus the Steamed Cheeseburger places (Ted's and K Lamay's) in Meriden

[storm2k]

Apparently there are going to be a few new slogans, some of which are meant to troll their neighbors. I wonder how long it will take for New Yorkers to vandalize the Pizza Capital sign.
https://www.fox61.com/article/news/local/connecticut-pizza-basketball-submarine-foodie-state-border-signs/520-592e26d7-8dc7-4da1-b802-99ac78792112

https://x.com/GovMurphy/status/1831830861286650310

[MikeTheActuary]

Apparently there are going to be a few new slogans, some of which are meant to troll their neighbors. I wonder how long it will take for New Yorkers to vandalize the Pizza Capital sign.
https://www.fox61.com/article/news/local/connecticut-pizza-basketball-submarine-foodie-state-border-signs/520-592e26d7-8dc7-4da1-b802-99ac78792112

Being the birthplace of Chicago deep-dish pizza, IL may also want to challenge that claim.

Illinois might want to...but whether they're actually able to is quite a different matter. 

[kurumi]

I just noticed in the latest highway log (dated 31 Dec 2023): Route 34 now officially ends at Route 10. (The Oak Street Connector from I-95 and I-91 had been posted as only "MLK Blvd" for some time now.)

The section of the Richard C. Lee highway from South Orange St to I-91/I-95 is now SR 724. The remainder of former 34 westerly to Route 10 is now city-maintained.

Here the DOT map of New Haven with details: https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/dot/documents/dpolicy/policymaps/tru/pdf/092_tru.pdf

[SectorZ]

Here the DOT map of New Haven with details: https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/dot/documents/dpolicy/policymaps/tru/pdf/092_tru.pdf

Do they have those maps for each town and city, and if so do you have the link for them? That New Haven map is so good.

[JJBers]

Here the DOT map of New Haven with details: https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/dot/documents/dpolicy/policymaps/tru/pdf/092_tru.pdf

Do they have those maps for each town and city, and if so do you have the link for them? That New Haven map is so good.

The pdf links are ordered by town number listed here.

[SectorZ]

Here the DOT map of New Haven with details: https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/dot/documents/dpolicy/policymaps/tru/pdf/092_tru.pdf

Do they have those maps for each town and city, and if so do you have the link for them? That New Haven map is so good.

The pdf links are ordered by town number listed here.

Thank you so much!

[dantheman]

Here the DOT map of New Haven with details: https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/dot/documents/dpolicy/policymaps/tru/pdf/092_tru.pdf

Do they have those maps for each town and city, and if so do you have the link for them? That New Haven map is so good.

The pdf links are ordered by town number listed here.

Thank you so much!

Agreed! This is a really good reference. Side note: it is funny to me that Deep River appears alphabetically out-of-order, because it's ordered under its previous name of "Saybrook," despite the name change occurring 77 years ago. Always amusing when legacy things like this carry on waaaayyyy further than anyone would expect.

[jp the roadgeek]

Here the DOT map of New Haven with details: https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/dot/documents/dpolicy/policymaps/tru/pdf/092_tru.pdf

Do they have those maps for each town and city, and if so do you have the link for them? That New Haven map is so good.

The pdf links are ordered by town number listed here.

Thank you so much!

Agreed! This is a really good reference. Side note: it is funny to me that Deep River appears alphabetically out-of-order, because it's ordered under its previous name of "Saybrook," despite the name change occurring 77 years ago. Always amusing when legacy things like this carry on waaaayyyy further than anyone would expect.

Well, Southington is still in the correct spot if they're using South Farmington 

[Mergingtraffic]

Does CT DOT have something against replacing sign gantries on bridges?

It's like it's too complex for them so they kick the can down the road and do it in a separate project.

On CT-8, sign gantries on bridges and the signs themselves were skipped on the last project and are part of the current exit renumbering project.

On I-84, they replaced the signs but not the gantries on bridges.

Is it that big a deal?


Also on I-84 WB in East Hartford, the skipped a whole button copy gantry and one on the Buckley Bridge, they put overlays on the whole signs themselves. Why is that?

[kurumi]

Does CT DOT have something against replacing sign gantries on bridges?

I remember reading (but can't find a good citation) that, yes, they are discouraging bridge-mounted in favor of separate gantries. Likely for the effect the mount has on bridge life and maintenance.

The sign support section of the bridge design manual is here: https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/dot/documents/dpublications/bridge/division-1/section-14-sign-supports.pdf

I could take a quote out of context:

In general, placement of signs on structure mounted supports is discouraged on bridges

but the full quote is:

In general, placement of signs on structure mounted supports is discouraged on bridges with skew angles of greater than 30 degrees.

[cockroachking]

Changing panel area of a bridge-mounted sign would require a structural analysis of the bridge. Since most sign replacement projects are not done by structural engineers, it would be an added layer of complexity for an otherwise simple project. I can see why they might not bother.

[shadyjay]

I think Merging was refering not to signs posted on overhead bridges, but signs/gantries mounted on overhead sign supports on bridge structures (such as the Bulkeley, Commodore Hull, etc.  That is an excellent question, however.  The Bulkeley got overlays.  Various support structures/signs on Route 8 were not replaced for some reason the first time around (viaducts in Derby/Ansonia and Bridgeport), and some aren't even getting replaced this time, either (south end of Commodore Hull, I believe).

The I-95 sign project from Clinton to New London that just went out to bid recently doesn't show any intermediate signs on the Baldwin Bridge itself, but from watching just now the public meeting regarding the 2027 rehabilitation of that bridge, it does say sign support structures on the bridge will be replaced. 

[Mergingtraffic]

I think Merging was refering not to signs posted on overhead bridges, but signs/gantries mounted on overhead sign supports on bridge structures (such as the Bulkeley, Commodore Hull, etc.  That is an excellent question, however.  The Bulkeley got overlays.  Various support structures/signs on Route 8 were not replaced for some reason the first time around (viaducts in Derby/Ansonia and Bridgeport), and some aren't even getting replaced this time, either (south end of Commodore Hull, I believe).

The I-95 sign project from Clinton to New London that just went out to bid recently doesn't show any intermediate signs on the Baldwin Bridge itself, but from watching just now the public meeting regarding the 2027 rehabilitation of that bridge, it does say sign support structures on the bridge will be replaced. 

Yes that's what I was referring to. I think one sign gantry in I-84 WB Wasn't even on a bridge and was skipped. I don't get it.

[shadyjay]

So was on I-91 South today from Cromwell down to New Haven and noticed some modifications made to the Exit 17 signs southbound in Meriden.  The North Haven-to-Meriden sign replacement contract plans had full sign replacement up to the Meriden/Middletown line.  The "Meriden Mix" project basically took out the NB replacements within the city of Meriden, but there have been some new signs SB posted, even though the SB contract of "Meriden Mix" hasn't started yet.  The new signs have replaced the Exit 17 overhead signs, retaining centered exit tabs, but adding the Wilbur Cross Parkway shield before the CT 15 route marker and eliminating "East Main St" from the signage, replacing the bottom line with "(no truck symbol) Passenger Cars Only" in orange/yellow.  This could be the only case of a WCP shield posted on an overhead sign... ever!  Didn't get a shot... next time!

The ground-mount diagrammatic just past Exit 18 was not modified, but the "Exit now" for Exit 17 has the I-91 pull-thru arrows changed to "up and left" instead of straight down.

[abqtraveler]

Changing panel area of a bridge-mounted sign would require a structural analysis of the bridge. Since most sign replacement projects are not done by structural engineers, it would be an added layer of complexity for an otherwise simple project. I can see why they might not bother.

The biggest consideration for mounting overhead signs to bridges is the added wind loads that would be transferred from the sign assembly to the bridge superstructure. Those are not usually factored into the bridge design.

[MikeCL]

I've never seen a pin & hanger bridge before in person this has a retrofit but how many are still use in the state?