Connecticut shock for greens

To the horror of environmentalists (like TSTC) Connecticut’s development commissioner James Abromaitis keeps saying that the state needs to promote development away from the great east-west corridors of I-95 and I-84 because of traffic congestion there. He proposes state-underwritten low-cost loans for businesses locating away from these corridors.

TSTC says: “These ideas are diametrically opposed to the common wisdom among professional planners that the best strategy for reducing auto congestion and land consumption is to encourage employers to settle in existing business and residential centers.”

But that is only possible if congestion on the existing routes can be relieved by expanding them. I-84 is almost entirely 2x2-lanes and choked, and for long stretches needs to go to 2/2/2/2 with separate collector-distributor outer roadways and inner toll express. I-95 in CT is mostly 2x3-lanes having been built as the Connecticut Turnpike. It probably needs another lane and perhaps some similar segregation of local and through traffic. But without tolls there isn’t the money to support that.

The most promising development corridor for Abromaitis is CT-6 Hartford to Providence RI. ConnDOT has a pile of alternates studies for key parts of this route. But the anti-roads groups have fought its development like crazy.