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Message: [QUOTE="Hans Sprungfeld, post: 3370439, member: 181"] Yes, [USER=1522]@superjohn[/USER] and I made mention of this a bit further up the page. An as yet unmentioned aspect of Hartford's Interstate Highway System history, was how I-291 was intended as a ring-type highway that would encircle the city and allow traffic to switch from I-91 to I-84, or even go along the same axis without going through downtown. The strongest (most powerful) opposition came from those along the path of the Talcott Ridge portion through West Hartford/Avon/Farmington, where there were some of the most desirable homes in the metropolitan region. It was also Metropolitan District Commission property, which was the reservoir water supply, and a long-time beautiful/beloved outdoor recreation area. It was a likely coalition of wealthy/connected NIMBY-meets-environmentalists that defeated the project. The odd, unused multi-level stack that still stands where New Britain, Farmington, and West Hartford coverage would have connected I-291 to Route 9 down to the prosperous CT shoreline towns. Years after I had left the Hartford area, small segments of this road were built, joining, for example, Manchester to Bloomfield. So many other US cities built such highways and spawned prosperous real estate development. Joel Garreau's "Edge City" was the classic book on this phenomenon. [/QUOTE]