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This is just not true. I lived in Rocky Hill at the time 291 was going to be built. It was Barbara Surwilo , a resident of Rocky Hill who had a new house that was going to be surrounded by the highways. and another West Hartford woman , Charlotte Kitowski that were activists that pressed a lawsuit challenging the environmental study. A court order stopped the work. The order was later lifted , however the mandated public hearings were dominated by the brilliance of Barbara, and support began to crumble. Democrats won the election in Bloomfield , and the Town Council pulled its support for the beltway to go through there. Other towns that might have been affected followed suite. I knew Barbara's husband for many years and would hear the details all the time. I actually even met Barbara a couple of times and remember discussing the issue with her.
It was the threat to the neighborhoods, the MDC watersheds that ended the project. The surrounding towns didn't want it.
Governor Meskill attempted to move the beltway out of the environmental impact area , but the distance from Hartford proper would not have gotten as much , if any , Federal Funding .
I am well aware of the history of the I-291 project and the efforts of Barbara Surwilo, who bought a house in Rocky Hill knowing full well there was going to be a new highway and ramps surrounding it. She began a grass roots effort to stop its construction and was successful because Ella Grasso was more interested in saving money than investing in the state's future. Surwilo went on the become Mayor of Rocky Hill. I have a friend/coworker who is a transportation professional and was friends with Barbara and her husband. He admitted that he disagreed with what she did and told Barbara this. It was something they did not discuss because it would have ruined their friendship.
If Ella Grasso had followed the advice and opinions of the professionals around her there is no doubt the highway would have been built but instead she was looking for ways to cut spending and decide to just let the project die. The same with the West Hartford/Farmington section. She deterred DOT staff from putting efforts into the alternative alignment which basically means it died. When Ella Grasso got sick and had to resign, William O'Neill became Governor and continued Ella's policies of underfunding transportation. Of course that all changed when the Mianus River Bridge collapsed and it was shown we could no longer ignore our infrastructure to "save" money. Jay
Well, help us understand. Show us how Ella Grasso prevented the building of 291.
This is what you said :
You can thank Ella Grasso for canceling the beltway around Hartford.
Here is a very brief history of the I-291 project. Obviously there is LOT more to it than a few paragraphs can summarize. What you can't see is what went on behind the scenes at DOT at the time. Ella Grasso was Governor from 1975 to 1980 so you can directly see her time of influence on the project. Her predecessor, William O'Neill extended her policies well into the 80's until the Mianus River Bridge collapse forced him to change things.
I also base my opinion on my long term involvement in transportation and discussing this matter and other transportation issues with the actual people at DOT who were involved in the project including a former Deputy Commissioner and people that went on to become Commissioner of DOT. Whether you choose to accept this or not is your decision but I stand by my statement. Jay
Here is a very brief history of the I-291 project. Obviously there is LOT more to it than a few paragraphs can summarize. What you can't see is what went on behind the scenes at DOT at the time. Ella Grasso was Governor from 1975 to 1980 so you can directly see her time of influence on the project. Her predecessor, William O'Neill extended her policies well into the 80's until the Mianus River Bridge collapse forced him to change things.
I also base my opinion on my long term involvement in transportation and discussing this matter and other transportation issues with the actual people at DOT who were involved in the project including a former Deputy Commissioner and people that went on to become Commissioner of DOT. Whether you choose to accept this or not is your decision but I stand by my statement. Jay
Well here is a bit more. Nothing, anywhere, from any sources that I did research from have Ella Grasso having anything to do with the cancellation OF the beltway. Look at the dates below. Before Ella was even Governor. Only during the Public hearings was she Governor. I base my opinion on documented summaries like below, a personal relationship with Barbara's husband for many years , and at the time, a resident of Rocky Hill . You owe Ella ( may she rest in peace) an apology. The other issues regarding CT is another subject, but in this particular case, you are wrong. She had no " influence" on the project. It was thought of, started, and was taken to Court before she was Governor.
Heavy opposition surfaced in West Hartford as residents expressed concern for the safety of the water supply in the MDC reservoirs and about the proposed road’s impact on residential neighborhoods in West Hartford and Bloomfield. West Hartford resident Charlotte F. Kitowski, a nurse, turned her energy to opposing the new highway, chairing the Committee to Save the Reservoir. She held countless rallies, gathered thousands of signatures on petitions, stirred anti-highway sentiment, and advocated mass-transit alternatives. Surwilo and Kitowski quickly became well known to politicians, highway officials, and reporters as they fought to save the neighborhoods and the reservoir from the I-291 encroachment.
In November 1973, local opponents cited deficiencies in the environmental-impact reports that ConnDot had developed to support the project and won a court injunction against further planning for the Newington-Rocky Hill section of I-291. The injunction was eventually lifted, though, and in the fall of 1977 the DOT held public hearings in each of the seven towns in the southwest quadrant of I-291. Surwilo, as the leader of those opposed to I-291, attended at least six of those hearings, and her comments and questions fill more than 120 pages of the hearing transcripts. Her comments indicated a complete grasp of details on the plans. Her command of the material drew praise even from the frustrated officials she was addressing.
I am well aware of the history of the I-291 project and the efforts of Barbara Surwilo, who bought a house in Rocky Hill knowing full well there was going to be a new highway and ramps surrounding it. She began a grass roots effort to stop its construction and was successful because Ella Grasso was more interested in saving money than investing in the state's future. Surwilo went on the become Mayor of Rocky Hill. I have a friend/coworker who is a transportation professional and was friends with Barbara and her husband. He admitted that he disagreed with what she did and told Barbara this. It was something they did not discuss because it would have ruined their friendship.
If Ella Grasso had followed the advice and opinions of the professionals around her there is no doubt the highway would have been built but instead she was looking for ways to cut spending and decide to just let the project die. The same with the West Hartford/Farmington section. She deterred DOT staff from putting efforts into the alternative alignment which basically means it died. When Ella Grasso got sick and had to resign, William O'Neill became Governor and continued Ella's policies of underfunding transportation. Of course that all changed when the Mianus River Bridge collapsed and it was shown we could no longer ignore our infrastructure to "save" money. Jay
" I am well aware of the history of the I-291 project and the efforts of Barbara Surwilo, who bought a house in Rocky Hill knowing full well there was going to be a new highway and ramps surrounding it."
That's not what Barbara and her husband " Butch " told me. They said that the realor lied and that there would not be an exit near the property.
"She began a grass roots effort to stop its construction and was successful because Ella Grasso was more interested in saving money than investing in the state's future. "
100 % wrong. It was the highways around the property ,and in West Hartford, the MDC watersheds
She was successful because she was brilliant , and had details and a presentation that won the support of the residents of the towns.
" I have a friend/coworker who is a transportation professional and was friends with Barbara and her husband. He admitted that he disagreed with what she did and told Barbara this. It was something they did not discuss because it would have ruined their friendship. "
That's quite a stretch. It means nothing since the basis for the disagreement is inconclusive and not able to be proved.
"If Ella Grasso had followed the advice and opinions of the professionals around her there is no doubt the highway would have been built but instead she was looking for ways to cut spending and decide to just let the project die. The same with the West Hartford/Farmington section. She deterred DOT staff from putting efforts into the alternative alignment which basically means it died. When Ella Grasso got sick and had to resign, William O'Neill became Governor and continued Ella's policies of underfunding transportation. Of course that all changed when the Mianus River Bridge collapsed and it was shown we could no longer ignore our infrastructure to "save" money. Jay[/quote]"
" Professionals around here ", had nothing to do with the beltway. It was first the Court Order , then the hearings, and then the towns pulled their approval. Period.
The " alternative alignment " in west Hartford was proposed by Thomas Meskill in 1971. It didn't work because then the beltway would be too far from Hartford to qualify for Federal dollars. He knew it wouldn't pass, but said it anyway as a manner of posturing.
You can sidestep and try and muddy the water all you wish. But I was there. I personally knew some of the people involved. I lived in the exact area where 291 would be in Rocky Hill. I can remember vividly having conversations regarding the matter in Hartford , in the South End to be exact, with Barbara and her husband " Butch " , who were very nice people..
Ella Grasso had absolutely nothing to do with the cancellation of the beltway.
There was a golden opportunity to expand the rail service from Waterbury to Hartford a few years ago. You have a track (albeit used only for freight) that runs through Bristol, Plainville (where you could've even had a one car shuttle to Southington before that rail line was mostly torn up), and New Britain, then you had a nice connection to the Amtrak line near Route 175 in Newington. The busway ruined that opportunity; now trains would have to backtrack to Berlin, which adds over 5 miles to the trip. Couple that with a transportation budget where funds were regularly diverted to the general fund for porkbarrel spending, and it's not realistic plan at this time.
How did the busways ruin that opportunity--did it take over the rail right-of-way? The busway was probably way cheaper anyhow and Hartford in its current state isn't enough of an employment district. It would only be a poor decision if the busway is currently heavily packed. Bus lines that are heavily trafficked are generally the first paths that get converted to rail, so maybe it's still in the cards at some point, but probably well into the future when Hartford is running a bit stronger.
Looks like the state was epically unprepared for a small snow. Insane traffic and the roads look like they’ve never been touched.
Lol, where is Ella Grasso when you need her?
"A high point of her career was her decisive handling of a particularly devastating snow storm in February 1978. Known as "Winter Storm Larry" and now known as "The Blizzard of 78" this storm dropped around 30 inches of snow across the state, crippling highways and making virtually all roads impassable. In a bold move, she "Closed the State" by proclamation, and forbade all use of public roads by businesses and citizens and closed all businesses, effectively closing all citizens in their homes. This relieved the rescue and cleanup authorities from the need to help the mounting number of stuck cars, and instead allowed clean-up and emergency services for shut-ins to proceed. The crisis ended on the third day, and she received accolades from all state sectors for her leadership and strength"
"A high point of her career was her decisive handling of a particularly devastating snow storm in February 1978. Known as "Winter Storm Larry" and now known as "The Blizzard of 78" this storm dropped around 30 inches of snow across the state, crippling highways and making virtually all roads impassable. In a bold move, she "Closed the State" by proclamation, and forbade all use of public roads by businesses and citizens and closed all businesses, effectively closing all citizens in their homes. This relieved the rescue and cleanup authorities from the need to help the mounting number of stuck cars, and instead allowed clean-up and emergency services for shut-ins to proceed. The crisis ended on the third day, and she received accolades from all state sectors for her leadership and strength"
Huh, so CDOT should close all the roads to citizens and businesses for this? What's the takeaway here? I mean, we're not really in a devastating snow storm are we?
Huh, so CDOT should close all the roads to citizens and businesses for this? What's the takeaway here? I mean, we're not really in a devastating snow storm are we?
Generally, when you see "lol" in front of statement or question of some sort, it means there's humor ahead.
Generally, when you see "lol" in front of statement or question of some sort, it means there's humor ahead.
I'll keep going and get it despite the oddly inapplicable joke! Let's do it together! Hold my nut!
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