[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Route 8 is eastern Fairfield County. There is a need for a connection in the western part of the county. That is what Route 7 would have provided. Jay

Right. You said there are no highway connections in eastern FFC. There is, and it's RT 8.

[Mike 75]

Originally Posted by Raider111

Weekends on I-95 in FC have now officially joined weekday rush hour status.
Had to take Post Rd and backroads through Darien, Rowayton, Sono, East Nor,Westport to get back from Stamford - on a F%^&$*ing saturday afternoon.

Its been this way for a while. Strangely, weekends are not nearly as bad on the Merritt as they are on 95.

[LINative]

Originally Posted by JayCT

As bad as people think traffic is in Fairfield County, it did not make the American Highway Users Alliance list of the worst bottlenecks in the country. A number of other highways in the New York metropolitan area made the list including the Lincoln Tunnel, the Cross Bronx Expressway, the Long Island Expressway and the New Jersey approach to the George Washington Bridge. Even the Mass Pike and I-93 in Boston are on the list. Do you think this was an oversight or is our I-95 problem not as bad as people here think? Jay

http://www.highways.org/wp-content/u...015-hi-res.pdf

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

I didn't read the article, but 95 is not a bottleneck. The few highways you mentioned are mostly very urban areas that have actual bottlenecks. 95 in CT is regularly a 20 to sometimes 40 mile stop and go. The only jams equivalent to that are experienced on the LIE and 95 in Virginia's DC suburbs. So perhaps it didn't fit the criteria.

It's difficult to compare urban traffic to suburban traffic, which is what many of these lists do. I'll bet if you do a study on the worst suburban traffic jams, 95 in CT would top the list (or maybe LA's 405 or LI's LIE). Either way, I think it would be in the top 3. As someone else stated, it's no longer just a rush hour problem. It's difficult to travel during the day and on weekends.

I agree with Kidyankee here. The list seems to be of more urban areas or inner suburban areas and usually the bottlenecks are for a relatively short distance, a mile or so. I looked up the LIE you mentioned Jay, and the link has it for an area of western Queens, not suburban Long Island. So this list does not seem to rate suburban traffic as well.

[LINative]

Originally Posted by 7 Wishes

One theory I've read is that I-95 has an exit every mile or less from the NY State line until past New Haven (and even then the exits are still pretty close) whereas some other urban Interstates such as the NJ Turnpike spread them out a bit more. The idea is that when you have heavy traffic going the speed limit or more but lots of cars are entering/exiting the highway constantly every mile or less that it slows things down ever more.

Yes, I think too many exists is part of the problem.

Also whenever there is heavy traffic and a long on ramp, some people will try to get into the on ramp lane so they can cut in front of other people. I cannot tell you how much this annoys me and I am sure it annoys other people. To stop these "cutters" from cutting in, people will either ride the bumper of the car in front of the them to block them or switch to the middle lane to avoid them. Either way, it slows down traffic even more.

[metalmancpa]

Originally Posted by JayCT

As bad as people think traffic is in Fairfield County, it did not make the American Highway Users Alliance list of the worst bottlenecks in the country. A number of other highways in the New York metropolitan area made the list including the Lincoln Tunnel, the Cross Bronx Expressway, the Long Island Expressway and the New Jersey approach to the George Washington Bridge. Even the Mass Pike and I-93 in Boston are on the list. Do you think this was an oversight or is our I-95 problem not as bad as people here think? Jay

http://www.highways.org/wp-content/u...015-hi-res.pdf

I've lived in Boston my entire life, and over the past 3 decades I frequently travel that increasingly frustrating section of I-95.

Any list that doesn't include this section of highway may not be an oversight, but it also doesn't have the longer history of bottlenecking like the SE Expressway in Boston or the Cross Bronx for instance.

As the years roll by FFC section just gets worst IMO. Way more sluggish than it used to be, BUT, I always found that section of highway to be the worst, 2nd only to Providence on my trips to the NY border.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

Right. You said there are no highway connections in eastern FFC. There is, and it's RT 8.

You are right I said eastern. I meant western. Sorry about that. Jay

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by JayCT

You are right I said eastern. I meant western. Sorry about that. Jay

Gotcha. Yeah - 7 and 25 absolutely should be limited access highways. 7 has been modernized but it's still difficult from where it intersects with 35 through northern sections of Wilton. I also wonder how long it will be until the modernized sections in northern Ridgefield and southern Wilton will become bumper to bumper again.

25 between Trumbull and Newtowm is a mess and desperately needs help.

[HeadedWest]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

25 between Trumbull and Newtowm is a mess and desperately needs help.

A while back DOT announced they were giving up the idea of a 25 expressway and are going to dismantle parts of exit 11 on I-84 that would never be needed. Last I knew none of that had been done, but it seemed to me that it was an announcement to the towns along 25 that they will be screwed forever.

[Wilton2ParkAve]

Traffic has been dismal across the highways yesterday and today's- lots of folks returning from thanksgiving break. That said (and yet again) Route 7 is green the entire length from Norwalk to Danbury. Just went for Santa photos at Danbury Fair and it really was smooth sailing. Not sure what the obsession or habitual bitching is about Route 7 not being a highway. It's not the problem.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Wilton2ParkAve

Traffic has been dismal across the highways yesterday and today's- lots of folks returning from thanksgiving break. That said (and yet again) Route 7 is green the entire length from Norwalk to Danbury. Just went for Santa photos at Danbury Fair and it really was smooth sailing. Not sure what the obsession or habitual bitching is about Route 7 not being a highway. It's not the problem.

Except that it is. It's stop and go at best on the stretch I noted above during rush hour. Dont you commute from south Wilton to NYC everyday? How would you have any idea what it's like at 730 am?

As I said it's gotten better, but still isn't stress free.