[borninny]

Went up to CT this past weekend and loved houses in Farmington, and West Hartford...My husband found out that he can work in Southington two days a week and Wallingford the others...Anyway, even on Saturday, rte 4 seemed to go pretty slow...wondering if it really is "bad"..or just a little slow..also, how is it going from W.Hartford/Farmington (back and forth)during the day..I know I could have the option of living closer to his work- but I really liked the area around Farmington/W.Hartford...however, if you tell the traffic is really horrible I may reconsider! Thanks so much!

[MikefromCT]

I used to commute to Simsbury a few years back. From where I was living I headed north and I had to exit I84 at the Route 4 exit in Farmington, and it sucked. If I gave myself a few extra minutes in the morning and left a bit earlier it was slightly quicker, but more often than not it was really frustrating to be on it - back AND forth.

If you commute to Southington from either of these towns, it wouldn't be too long a drive in terms of meilage or time spent on the road. Wallingford is a bit further since it's further south and is accessible primarily either via I-91 or Route 15 (which both are North-South highways) which means you'd have to get on one of these to access it. Which is not to say it can't be done, just keep in mind it's a bit further away.

[kidyankee764]

Is traffic in Farmington/Bristol/W. Hartford horrible? No. Will you have to occasionally go half the speed limit as cars maneuver their lanes? Probably.

It's not going to be anything like I-95 in southern CT, which is one of the most congested stretches in the country.

[CrissCT]

It gets really bad in the Unionville section of Farmington crossing the bridge. If you can avoid that bridge, you are better off. The bridge is one way to get to Bristol. I know they are discussing replacing it (can't imagine the chaos that will cause). Other than that, it is slow moving but not that bad. Depending on where you live, there are ways to avoid Rt. 4.

[JViello]

As Criss stated the Unionville intersection can get clogged a bit, especially if there was an accident. If you were really piled up, I'm willing to bet there was a fender bender there as it's not "oh my God" traffic normally.

Also they are rebuilding the bridge near the center of Farmington on RT4 so that's adding to it a good bit. When it's done, it'll be 4 lanes wide. It's about 70% done from what I can tell.

[JayCT]

I have not done the commute out of Farmington in the morning but I understand it can be tough. As noted the Route 177 bridge in Unionville backs up and Route 4 backs up at Route 10 in all directions. The Route 4 bridge widening will not make a lot of difference because that is not the choke point, Route 10 is. Jay

[borninny]

Thanks so much for all of the replies...I am hoping this traffic is not a deal- breaker in us living in this great area..I did not feel quite at home in the Cheshire/Wallingford area- maybe I need to live a bit closer to some urban life...Anyway, if we can just get a decent commute from that area to Farmington I think we will do great! I am hoping there are some back ways to avoid complete road rage for my husband..All of your replies have been helpful!

[ansky]

If you need to get to Southington and Wallingford then I would recommend living on the western side of Farmington (west of route 10 and south of route 4). You can easily take back roads like Meadow Rd. through "the flats" and completely avoid Rt 4 and Unionville traffic. You can take route 177 south to route 72 east which connects to I-84 (for Southington) and Route 9 (for Wallingford), or you can just stay on route 177 all the way through Plainville and into Southington. My mother commuted this way to New Britain every day for 25 years and never had any major problems with traffic.