[JayCT]

Originally Posted by BHW2436

Why are you associating population density with number of bridges? What does that have to do with anything. Number of bridges depends of topography and geography not number of people.

CT ranks 37th in number of bridges in USA (13 states have fewer bridges). CT has much more money than those 13 states as well.

Population density might support an argument of more wear and tear but it’s more wear and tear on a lot less structures.

It has to do with highways and roadways being built in urban areas rather than in open rural areas. At grade highways are cheaper to build and maintain but when you have bridge over multiple streets it gets expensive. We are the 3rd smallest state in area and the 4th most densely populated so 37th is pretty high for a small state like ours. Jay

[BobNJ1960]

Originally Posted by BPt111

I think roads was built for 1950s population people back then didn’t know population going triple but CT did miss opportunity past 20 years.

Correct. Just after WWII was the height of massive, long distance highway construction. It took a long time to complete, of course.

[norcal2k19]

Originally Posted by MrGompers

And despite all of this CTDOT hasn't made a dent in traffic. If anything its worse. With all the people fleeing CT one would think traffic would subside. Also, being the 3rd smallest state in the US we should have top tier roads since we don't have much space to cover.



Even though I am against tolls, the state really missed a big opportunity by NOT tolling the new Q bridge. 3 bucks each way or 6 bucks one way. We could catch all the people visiting the casinos every weekend.

>>With all the people fleeing CT one would think traffic would subside

Connecticut's population is actually growing. We're also seeing an influx of overnight leisure visitors giving the increasing awareness of the relative calmness and quality of life in our state in close proximity to major national urban centers - so yes that will create road traffic. Also - weekend trains passenger rates are recovering pretty nicely from the height of the pandemic.

[ryanthegoldengod]

Originally Posted by norcal2k19

>>With all the people fleeing CT one would think traffic would subside

Connecticut's population is actually growing. We're also seeing an influx of overnight leisure visitors giving the increasing awareness of the relative calmness and quality of life in our state in close proximity to major national urban centers - so yes that will create road traffic. Also - weekend trains passenger rates are recovering pretty nicely from the height of the pandemic.

With all the people threatening to leave, I just wish they would do it already!

But not only do people often not move, the ones that do move often seem to MOVE BACK.

Yep, traffic and Starbucks lines are here to stay!

[SteveM85]

Originally Posted by ryanthegoldengod

With all the people threatening to leave, I just wish they would do it already!

But not only do people often not move, the ones that do move often seem to MOVE BACK.

Yep, traffic and Starbucks lines are here to stay!

Yep. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. You know the drill.
You can leave CT but CT never leaves you.
There are primo examples right here on City Data. Beer Belly realized putting another log in the fireplace just wouldn’t be the same in the Carolinas. Kidyankee was chomping at the bit to start posting in the CT Forum again, it got to be too much. Once Wouldloveto realizes Maine is turning proggy blue like CT in a couple more years, CT will still be there.
Glenda says there no place like home.
Michael Corleone said just when you think you’re out they pull you back in.
That’s CT guys. No bones about it

[1000fc]

seems like they're going to go with alternative 26, even the Merritt Parkway Conservancy is in favor of it.

I just wish they'd add the longer onramp from main ave to rt 15 north from the other plan they have.

alternative 26


alternative 21D


https://www.nancyonnorwalk.com/ctdot...-7-15-project/

[AntonioR]

Originally Posted by ryanthegoldengod

With all the people threatening to leave, I just wish they would do it already!

But not only do people often not move, the ones that do move often seem to MOVE BACK.

Yep, traffic and Starbucks lines are here to stay!

Moving is not as easy as it may seem. Once a person moves to a very different place (whether within the USA or abroad), there will be things that are taken for granted while living in CT that you will begin to miss while living away. If you have family in CT, being close to them becomes more important for many as time goes on.

The key to successfully moving away for good is to simply stay in the new place. It will not be easy, but humans get used to most settings as time goes on. Eventually, you will visit CT and appreciate the things you missed, but CT will no longer feel like home, the place you moved to feels like home. Sometimes it takes that visit to become aware of that.

Many people don't wait in the new place, feel homesick for CT and decide to move back at that time. That's what many of the 'move back' types are going through. If they stay put in the new place even if they feel like "going back home," that new place will feel more like home to them than CT, even if they appreciate CT even for the things taken for granted when they lived in CT.

The key to successfully moving out of CT, especially to a place very different, is moving and staying put no matter what.

[SteveM85]

Originally Posted by AntonioR

Moving is not as easy as it may seem. Once a person moves to a very different place (whether within the USA or abroad), there will be things that are taken for granted while living in CT that you will begin to miss while living away. If you have family in CT, being close to them becomes more important for many as time goes on.

The key to successfully moving away for good is to simply stay in the new place. It will not be easy, but humans get used to most settings as time goes on. Eventually, you will visit CT and appreciate the things you missed, but CT will no longer feel like home, the place you moved to feels like home. Sometimes it takes that visit to become aware of that.

Many people don't wait in the new place, feel homesick for CT and decide to move back at that time. That's what many of the 'move back' types are going through. If they stay put in the new place even if they feel like "going back home," that new place will feel more like home to them than CT, even if they appreciate CT even for the things taken for granted when they lived in CT.

The key to successfully moving out of CT, especially to a place very different, is moving and staying put no matter what.

You’re absolutely right Tone, great work, but depends on who you talk to too.
Tolland and Litchfield republicans are on a conveyor belt out of the state. It’s the Mason-Dixon Line or bust. They can’t take another minute of Gavin Newsome Jr. as governor of CT. They ain’t coming back no matter what.
Even a few Gold Coasters will leave. WiltonPark is counting the seconds to get the hell out of here, and for good you better believe it.
The remaining millions wouldn’t even entertain the thought. You should hear the Wine Moms of Fairfield County fawn and faint like Katherine Hepburn over CT or their particular incorporated town or city.
CT needs to send a message (not in a bottle though, that could take decades) and do right by these people and finally bring its transportation infrastructure up to speed, atleast a little faster than snail pace.

[Beeker2211]

Originally Posted by 1000fc

seems like they're going to go with alternative 26, even the Merritt Parkway Conservancy is in favor of it.

I just wish they'd add the longer onramp from main ave to rt 15 north from the other plan they have.

alternative 26


alternative 21D


https://www.nancyonnorwalk.com/ctdot...-7-15-project/

That alternative 26 is an absolute mess, putting signaling on that part of RT 7 doesn't have the road clearance to handle the queueing in either direction and a traffic circle would have to (back of the napkin based on other such projects) get traffic in the approach to 25mph or less on every approach angle to keep up flow. I'm a huge fan of circles instead of signalization or signage but it's an arrow in the quiver... not a panacea of every traffic condition. The current no-build option is far superior, and it's one of the worst interchanges in the whole state.

Unless they are going to remove the close-turn access from both directions from i95 trying to offset the through traffic on Main Ave onto a newly designated arterial rt 7 is a fools errand. We've seen such schemes elsewhere in the country for similar projects for similar goals and I think outside of a handful the problems have become much, much worse.

It's not like that portion of the interchange is pristine wilderness anyways, it's close to a major employment hub, and though the price tag is more a proper and modern 8 point interchange is safer and would take up only a moderate more footprint for new roadway. I'm sorry but it seems this was to appease very odd set of busybodies with far too much power. One of the biggest issues for Northern Fairfield County (Danbury Area) is lack of feasible and reliable connections to and especially from the Coastal areas, and that "alternative" does little for that and my guess is to discourage increased use of RT 15 for more East bound on 15 to North bound 7 traffic.

I know I'm the one that questions car-centric infrastructure I do believe where it is needed and useful it should be done *right* and *right* from the beginning with sensible connections between major limited access roadways. A better use of the $140mm price tag for that alternative is to hand every man, woman, and child in CT a million dollars per year for 10 years and use the rest for a kicking bonfire with leftover cash money as the pyre.

[Beeker2211]

Further, that proposal still shows how ConnDOT continues to be far too roadway minded: any upgrade of the this one intersection is going to be at least $200mm, even at the minimal build and is seen as a feasible project. I travel on that interchange many times a week and I know how bad it is but let's get a frame of reference: all these new roads add only about 3 miles of pavement at one interchange.

The higher-bound cost of even extending the Danbury line to New Milford, electrification, and selective double tracking in Danbury, Ridgefield, Georgetown, and Norwalk is estimated at $540mm for almost ten times the mileage (38 line miles) but is seen and framed as a pie-in-the-sky proposal. Even though it'd be able to feasibly increase throughput, help simplify the rolling stock maintenance, decrease travel time significantly, and allow for better positive track control.

Not saying that upgrading the Danbury Line to such levels is the best use (I personally believe so, but certainly understand the counter-argument well enough), ConnDOT isn't quite even handed on how it frames the different projects.