Group Wants I-84 Demolished in Hartford, CT

Recently, John Norquist, a former mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was in Hartford to discuss and promote the idea of knocking down an I-84 viaduct that runs through the city. He has been working with a citizen's advocate group called the Hub of Hartford in order to discuss alternate plans for the aging viaduct that runs west of downtown Hartford.

Currently, ConnDOT has plans of investing $100 million towards fixing the viaduct for a 20 year period, while the Hub of Hartford suggests bringing Interstate 84 down to ground level. Another idea is to have the highway go around the city instead of through it, or sinking the highway underground. Norquist suggests knocking down the freeway in order to free up real estate and promote business in the area.

My take on this is that if I-84 through Hartford gets altered, I-84 would be rerouted on a different route, likely I-691 and I-91, or via CT 72 in New Britain, CT 9 and I-91. Real estate prices in Connecticut are likely too expensive for ConnDOT to want to build a new alignment around Hartford, plus there has been a strong sentiment against building new highways in the past. Plus there are traffic flow problems to consider, as I-84 traffic can get very heavy west of Hartford (possibly due to the large number of exits in the area - see I-95 between Bridgeport and Greenwich for another example). This would shift the issue of traffic flow onto other roads.

I believe that in the end, the status quo will be maintained as far as I-84 is concerned, but it is nice to see the ball get rolling for possible improvements.

Developers contemplated doing the same thing in Syracuse, wanting to tear down the elevated portion of I-81 in downtown Syracuse, so they could bring the Syracuse University campus socially closer to the downtown Syracuse community. The proposal pops up on occasion, but I am not sure how serious of a proposal it is.

A similar idea is also mentioned for the Inner Loop in Rochester, NY, with the
notion of removing the depressed highway and turning it into an at-grade boulevard.

http://www.wfsb.com/news/15904065/detail.html - WFSB TV-3 article
http://www.hartfordadvocate.com/article.cfm?aid=7156 - Hartford Advocate article

Comments

Anonymous said…

If demolition of I-84 in Hartford, CT were to commence, the unused stacks of the former I-291 would have to be considered. This would provide traffic to residents in the towns of Avon, Simsbury, and Bloomfield respectively. If the cancelled I-284 were completed, it would have connected I-91 traffic westbound to I-84 via Bushnell Park.

http://daredevyl83.blogspot.com

5:55 AM

California State Route 38

California State Route 38 is a fifty-nine-mile State Highway located entirety in San Bernardino County and a component of the Rim of the World Highway. California State Route 38 begins at California State Route 18 at Bear Valley Dam of the San Bernardino Mountains and follows an easterly course on the north shore of Big Bear Lake. California State Route 38 briefly multiplexes California State Route 18 near Baldwin Lake and branches east towards the 8,443-foot-high Onyx Summit. From Onyx Summit the routing of California State Route 38 reverses course following a largely westward path through the San Bernardino Mountains towards a terminus at Interstate 10 in Redlands. Pictured as the blog cover is California State Route 38 at Onyx Summit the day it opened to traffic on August 12th, 1961. Part 1; the history of California State Route 38 California State Route 38 (CA 38) is generally considered to be the back way through the San Bernardino Mountains to Big Bear Lake of Bear Valley

I went to Buc-ee's and came away unimpressed

Buc-ee's, the Texas-sized gas station and convenience store that started in Texas, has been expanding its territory. New locations have sprung up in Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. Construction is underway, or plans are in place for even larger stations in Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Colorado . For nearly four decades, Buc-ee's was a Texas-only novelty. The first location opened in Lake Jackson, Texas in 1982, and another four stores opened over the next decade. In 2000, Buc-ee's began its Texas-sized growth by adding over 20 new stores - mainly around Houston, Dallas/Ft. Worth, and Austin/San Antonio areas. Each store was built larger - with more gas pumps, amenities, and offerings. The store became well-known for its clean bathrooms, fresh-cut brisket sandwiches, and wall of beef jerky. Texans and visitors from all around would take road trips to visit new stores or get their Buc-ee's fix. Buc-ee's has billboards advertising thei

The original alignment of California State Route 33 in Firebaugh

Firebaugh is a city located on the San Joaquin River of western Fresno County. Firebaugh is one of the oldest American communities in San Joaquin Valley having been settled as the location of Firebaugh's Ferry in 1854. Traditionally Firebaugh has been served by California State Route 33 which was one of the original Sign State Routes announced during August 1934. In modern times California State Route 33 is aligned through Firebaugh on N Street. Originally California State Route 33 headed southbound passed through Firebaugh via; N Street, 8th Street, O Street, 12th Street, Nees Avenue and Washoe Avenue. The blog cover depicts early California State Route 33 near Firebaugh crossing over a one-lane canal bridge. The image below is from the 1935 Division of Highways Map of Fresno County which depicts the original alignment of California State Route 33 in Firebaugh. Part 1; the history of California State Route 33 in Firebaugh The community of Firebaugh is named in honor of Andr

Gribblenation

Search This Blog