OT - Rt 8 between Seymour & Shelton = deathtrap

[whaler11]

I was in RI and MA last weekend. Gas is cheaper in CT right now.

That might be the most hilarious solution I've ever heard though - you can raise a trillion dollars by lowering your gas tax.

 

[Adios]

I've lived and worked in CT for 60 years on and off(mostly on except for a stint in the Army) and I hold a class A CDL. Trust me I know all too painfully well every inch of Fairfield, New Haven and Westchester Counties not to mention Boston, Philly, DC and most of the rest of the lower 48. I've had to finagle my way below the Amtrac line to the shore more than most. The only way your going to relieve the traffic situation on I-95 in Fairfield County is to WIDEN THE DAMN HIGHWAY from New Haven to the New York line. I would suggest adding a couple commercial vehicle only lanes(somewhat like the Jersey Tpke) so that the ones transiting thru to other New England destinations don't get snarled in with the local commuters. How do you pay for it? Try lowering the fuel tax so that Connecticut fuel stations become the stop of choice because buying fuel in CT becomes cheaper than any other state in the Northeast. Right now CT fueling stops are bypassed by practically everyone because the prices are higher than any state near here(except parts of NY). Instead of looking at the out of state commercial and non commercial traffic as a nuisance this state should be treating it as a gold mine. There are billions in untapped resources passing through the state every year and all you need to do is lower the friggin fuel tax and expand the rest ares to accommodate more. When out of state truckers are thinking to themselves," I'll wait till I hit Connecticut to fill up" this state will be in a much better place than them thinking"No way am I spending a penny in that over priced traffic jam of a state." You want to pay for it? Make the damn thing user friendly. With a little creativity and forward thinking it will pay for itself. The Fairfield County crowd might lose an extra 1500 feet on either side but they'll gain hours and a lot less stress everyday. In the long run what's more important?

You realize there's a lot of structures along I-95 in Fairfield County? It would require knocking out the Norwalk Fire Station, encroaching more on a historical native American landmark in Westport... A lot was sacrificed to create I-95. Computerizing driving would change things immensely.

 

[whaler11]

Connecticut's gas tax is about 45 cents a gallon right now. If you cut it by a third to 30 cents you have to sell an additional 50% more gas to just break even. So yeah you might need a new plan....

 

[DarthGrumpy]

I've lived and worked in CT for 60 years on and off(mostly on except for a stint in the Army) and I hold a class A CDL. Trust me I know all too painfully well every inch of Fairfield, New Haven and Westchester Counties not to mention Boston, Philly, DC and most of the rest of the lower 48. I've had to finagle my way below the Amtrac line to the shore more than most. The only way your going to relieve the traffic situation on I-95 in Fairfield County is to WIDEN THE DAMN HIGHWAY from New Haven to the New York line. I would suggest adding a couple commercial vehicle only lanes(somewhat like the Jersey Tpke) so that the ones transiting thru to other New England destinations don't get snarled in with the local commuters. How do you pay for it? Try lowering the fuel tax so that Connecticut fuel stations become the stop of choice because buying fuel in CT becomes cheaper than any other state in the Northeast. Right now CT fueling stops are bypassed by practically everyone because the prices are higher than any state near here(except parts of NY). Instead of looking at the out of state commercial and non commercial traffic as a nuisance this state should be treating it as a gold mine. There are billions in untapped resources passing through the state every year and all you need to do is lower the friggin fuel tax and expand the rest ares to accommodate more. When out of state truckers are thinking to themselves," I'll wait till I hit Connecticut to fill up" this state will be in a much better place than them thinking"No way am I spending a penny in that over priced traffic jam of a state." You want to pay for it? Make the damn thing user friendly. With a little creativity and forward thinking it will pay for itself. The Fairfield County crowd might lose an extra 1500 feet on either side but they'll gain hours and a lot less stress everyday. In the long run what's more important?

The money issue with respect to expanding the highway aside, you do realize that I-95 abuts a lot of commercial development, say most of downtown Stamford, and Greenwich, and a lot of well monied and politically connected folks. No way they would let the state or any other government agency take their land to add a pair of lanes to I-95. That's why a majority of urban highway construction back in the 50's and 60's cut through the less affluent areas of each city - just look at New York, Philly, Miami, Chicago, New Haven, etc. When highway planners tried to build a highway across West Roxbury and into Back Bay in Boston (look at a map, draw a line from the BU bridge in downtown Boston to where I-95 intersect I-93 and Route 128 in Canton, the locals raised holy hell and it got shut down. Closer to 'home', why do you think Route 9 ends at I-84 on the southern edge of West Hartford instead of linking-up to I-291 in Bloomfield like it was supposed to? Folks in West Hartford, Farmington, and Avon wanted nothing to do with that idea.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

I was in RI and MA last weekend. Gas is cheaper in CT right now.

That might be the most hilarious solution I've ever heard though - you can raise a trillion dollars by lowering your gas tax.

Can't dream some of this stuff up.

 

[noeynox]

I was in RI and MA last weekend. Gas is cheaper in CT right now.

That might be the most hilarious solution I've ever heard though - you can raise a trillion dollars by lowering your gas tax.

Some people just hate CT so much, in their mind every other state does everything better than CT.

I'm in favor of bringing back tolls though.

 

[whaler11]

Some people just hate CT so much, in their mind every other state does everything better than CT.

I'm in favor of bringing back tolls though.

You'd think with everyone leaving... there wouldn't be so much traffic. We should be raising money to narrow the roads!

 

[John]

You'd think with everyone leaving... there wouldn't be so much traffic. We should be raising money to narrow the roads!

bring back the former glory days of dirt donkey paths.

 

[weyuo]

Well laugh all you want. I have maybe 10 years left(if I feel like dealing with it that long) and then I'll be happy to retire in my quiet Northern CT semi-rural community while you cockroaches crawl over each other at 15 miles an hour on I-95. Enjoy!!