CT-34 Expressway will start to be torn up in a month

[Mergingtraffic]

http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2013/03/23/news/new_haven/doc514cc37a477a9347237143.txt

The project will close Exit 3 in about a month and Exit 2 starting in November. The highway eventually will be replaced with boulevard streets and commercial and residential development.

Here we go, the CT-34 expressway will start to be ripped up in a month.  So many issues here, one being they're going to close Exit 3 next month, forcing traffic off at Exit 2.  About 5 years ago the DOT widened Exit 3 to two lanes, put in a traffic light and spent money on new gantries and signs.  For what!??! So it can be torn up 5 years later!?! Waste of money.

Now, before Exit 3 was improved it was a single lane ramp with a Yield sign at the end, and no merge time to the boulevard.  So, now the problem that the DOT fixed 5 years ago, will be moved down to Exit 2 until the project is finished, which is also a single lane ramp, with a Yield sign and no merge time to the boulevard. 

The Mayor said in the article: "Route 34 wasn't intended to be the entryway into New Haven, DeStefano said, so drivers need to utilize other routes. The city is working to inform everyone of those alternate ways to get downtown, he said."

But there are no other routes.  Route 34 is the best there is. There is no beltway or bypass.  Ok, true the highway wasn't intended to be the entryway into New Haven, but that's what people use it for now.  Reality check.

Elm City Cycling raised safety and environmental concerns, and fear its sets a precedent that future development projects will treat pedestrians, cyclists and mass transit users as a "pesky afterthought."

Oh please, they are installing raised intersections, narrower lanes and fewer lanes b/c of them.

[cpzilliacus]

Is New Haven to become the Portland [Oregon] of Connecticut?

[Lytton]

Is New Haven to become the Portland [Oregon] of Connecticut?

Either the Mayor of New Haven is a hypocrite, installing gantries and signs 5 years ago and taking them down? I feel like he doesn't know what he is doing.

[NE2]

Yep, New Haven installs signs on a state highway. Lay off the crack pipe.

[jp the roadgeek]

Well, the extension of the CT 34 expressway was killed by NIMBYs anyway.  It was originally supposed to extend across CT 10 and out to the West Haven Area.  In one plan, I could have even seen it as an extended I-86 across the Bear Mountain Bridge, along the proposed CT/NY 35 expressway across upper Westchester and Fairfield counties (you really want to talk about NIMBYs) to end at I-95 in New Haven.  This is really going to create a traffic nightmare in downtown New Haven, both in the next two months, and in the future.  No wonder why the mayor isn't running for re-election after 20 years. 

[kurumi]

What will the alternate routes be? Will people along those streets get tired of extra traffic and call for detours/culdesacs/traffic calming?

The hundreds of millions the state devoted to the 34 part of the new 95/91/34 interchange could have been put to other uses -- maybe the Route 11 Fund. (The new ramp from 95 NB was about $100 million on its own.)

The engineer on the SomethingAwful "Ask a Traffic Engineer" thread noted that studies were done of the impact on 91 and 95 of closing Route 34. Apparently 5 miles or more at peak times. (At the moment, the thread is locked to non-members.)

[Sykotyk]

I just finally got to drive this 'freeway' a while ago. It really is a shame that was all there was to it.

The issue is, if they want to eliminate the freeway portion, why is the state paying so much adding those giant CT34 ramps from the 95/91 interchange if it's just going to a city street?

[Duke87]

The issue is, if they want to eliminate the freeway portion, why is the state paying so much adding those giant CT34 ramps from the 95/91 interchange if it's just going to a city street?

I think that was more about removing the left exit than anything else.

As for the traffic impact, how is closing 1000 feet of the stub end of a freeway going to create five mile back ups?  Or were they talking about just during construction?

Really, it's a minor loss considering the rest of it was never going to happen. The city of New Haven isn't going to be worse with the freeway gone... but it won't really be better, either. New Haven does have problems, but roads have nothing to do with them.

[shadyjay]

Hope this project will improve the connection between 34WB and Union Station.  Right now its a 180 deg turn off Exit 1.  It'll be interesting to see the plans for this project and where exactly the expressway will transition into surface street.  Probably will happen somewhere between the Union Ave/State St underpass and the College Street overpass.

[NE2]

http://downtowncrossingnewhaven.com/faqs/

Exit 1 will be the primary entry point to Downtown New Haven. An improved intersection at Exit 1 will ease your transition to city streets. Whether you are going west, say to St. Raphael's or Yale-New Haven Hospital, you will continue west along North Frontage Road. If you are heading to the New Haven Green, you will likely take a right and proceed north on Church Street. If you are going to Union Station, you will have the option of taking a left on Church Street and then a left on Union Avenue; or you may wish to stay on Interstate 95 to Exit 46 and access Union Station from the south.

Apparently the bridge over the railroad and Main Street won't be touched (so it will still be a major entrance to downtown, justifying the new flyover).

[KEVIN_224]

http://www.wfsb.com/video?clipId=8705590&autostart=true

Apparently, some work is about to start, mentioning a complete change once you're past Exit 1. Too bad they can't remedy that hairpin turn of Exit 1 itself.

[seicer]

Good. Another disastrous "let's ram this highway through a neighborhood" project is being removed.

[dgolub]

The issue is, if they want to eliminate the freeway portion, why is the state paying so much adding those giant CT34 ramps from the 95/91 interchange if it's just going to a city street?

I certainly hope that the new exit will lead into the city street.  Otherwise, they're wasting a heck of a lot of money.

[NE2]

I certainly hope that the new exit will lead into the city street.  Otherwise, they're wasting a heck of a lot of money.

Apparently the bridge over the railroad and Main Street won't be touched (so it will still be a major entrance to downtown, justifying the new flyover).

[Alps]

Good. Another disastrous "let's ram this highway through a neighborhood" project is being removed.

How was it disastrous? It barely even happened. New Haven is a complete wasteland regardless of the freeways running through it. CT 34 isn't necessary because there's not a major enough attractor left in the city to bring in enough traffic to warrant a freeway. The right of way is preserved down the middle of 34 to the west if CTDOT ever saw a warrant for a freeway - cut and cover, 4+4 express/local boulevard, anything beyond what they currently have. No such need. There are only two reasons for removal: it would cost more money to maintain the structures over the next 20-30 years than to destroy them, or it's time to start reversing blight and redevelop the city. I believe this is a case of the latter, given that it's right by the train station.

[dgolub]

New Haven is a complete wasteland regardless of the freeways running through it.

I lived there for four years while I was in college and don't consider it to be a wasteland.  As long as you stay in the good parts, it's fine.

[Alps]

New Haven is a complete wasteland regardless of the freeways running through it.

I lived there for four years while I was in college and don't consider it to be a wasteland.  As long as you stay in the good parts, it's fine.

I visited a fraternity at Yale back in 2001 and that wasn't even in the good part of New Haven. I doubt you.

[jp the roadgeek]

New Haven is a complete wasteland regardless of the freeways running through it.

I lived there for four years while I was in college and don't consider it to be a wasteland.  As long as you stay in the good parts, it's fine.

I visited a fraternity at Yale back in 2001 and that wasn't even in the good part of New Haven. I doubt you.

The only "good parts" are on the western edge of the city, or farther up Whitney Ave. toward the Hamden line.

[Pete from Boston]

New Haven is a complete wasteland regardless of the freeways running through it.

I lived there for four years while I was in college and don't consider it to be a wasteland.  As long as you stay in the good parts, it's fine.

I visited a fraternity at Yale back in 2001 and that wasn't even in the good part of New Haven. I doubt you.

The only "good parts" are on the western edge of the city, or farther up Whitney Ave. toward the Hamden line.

Eh, that's debatable.  The downtown-and-west area is pretty vibrant and is in decent shape.  "Good parts" depends a lot on your threshold of "ggod."

[shadyjay]

Through much of the early 2000s I worked all over New Haven.  Sketchy areas I found were around Fair Haven and the Dixwell neighborhood on the north end.  Also in the corner SW of Union Station.  Much of the area around Yale/downtown was pretty descent.  Used to love going to the burrito street vendor. 

Working in the tunnel wasn't fun, either.  Though there were some cool old signs in there.

[dgolub]

New Haven is a complete wasteland regardless of the freeways running through it.

I lived there for four years while I was in college and don't consider it to be a wasteland.  As long as you stay in the good parts, it's fine.

I visited a fraternity at Yale back in 2001 and that wasn't even in the good part of New Haven. I doubt you.

I gather it was different back then.  I lived there 2006-2010.

[dgolub]

Working in the tunnel wasn't fun, either.  Though there were some cool old signs in there.

Tunnel?  What tunnel?  Are you talking about the one on the Wilbur Cross Parkway (CT 15) that goes under West Rock?

[shadyjay]

Nope, this one entered by the coliseum and had service entrances for the coliseum, plus the omni hotel and the old mall and Macy's.

[bugo]

Why tear it down?  It's basically just some long offramps.

[vdeane]

Because some people would rather walk across a road then use an overpass for some reason.  Never mind that the overpass is easier because you're just crossing small frontage roads rather than a major arterial.

Some urbanists also seem to be under the impression that they can just wave their magic wands and make the cars go away.