ROUTE 6 IN DANBURY CORRIDOR OVERVIEW

For an understanding of the key traffic safety terms "TASR" and "SLOSSS" that are repeatedly referenced in the discussions below, be sure to review the "Introduction to Danbury, CT Traffic" section.

Route 6 on the west side of Danbury enters from New York State with a combined designation as Route 202. This old highway is part of the historic east-west arterial thru road for the Region. As it enters from New York State, the Route 6 cross section is constructed with four lanes and a median barrier. Once in Connecticut this design soon transitions into a two lane cross section, just easterly of the signalized intersection with Saw Mill Road.

The length of Route 6 on the west side of Danbury is 3.82 miles, measured from the New York State Line and proceeding easterly until it joins I-84 at Exit 4. The Route 6 designation then traverses central Danbury on I-84, ending its overlap with the Interstate at Exit 8, then continuing easterly as a two lane road across northern Bethel.

Thru road usage on Route 6 was dramatically reduced when Route 6 was paralleled by I-84 after 1962. Before I-84 was constructed, the original thru traffic movement and Route 6 designation proceeded westerly into Downtown Danbury on the combination of Lake Avenue and then West Street.

Conn DOT’s 1999 average daily traffic volumes climb steadily as Route 6 moves easterly thru western Danbury, with 5,900 between the New York State Line easterly for the 1.10 miles to Route 824 (to be known herein as the "Corporate Center Northern Access Road"), then 13,800 for the short segment from there easterly to Old Ridgebury Road.

The average daily traffic volume is then 16,800 easterly for the 1.13 miles from Old Ridgebury Road to the intersection with Driftway Road, 19,500 from Driftway to Kenosia Avenue, 17,100 to Crestdale Road, then climbing to 20,000 from Crestdale Road to Mill Ridge Road.

On the short four lane section from Mill Ridge Road easterly to the I-84 Exit 4 westbound off ramp, the 1999 average daily traffic volume on Danbury’s Route 6 reaches its peak; a high 25,500.

Route 6 is known locally as Mill Plain Road from the New York State Line easterly to Kenosia Avenue, easterly from which it is known as Lake Avenue Extension.

All of Route 6 on the west side of Danbury is designated by Conn DOT as a minor arterial roadway. From the Conn DOT perspective, important intersections on Route 6 will be those at any other Conn DOT designated arterial or collector designated roadway interacting with it.

There are six such state designated intersections, from west to east, as follows; 1) with Saw Mill Road as a minor collector route, 2) at State Route 824 (part of I-84 Exit 2 and also known herein as the Corporate Center Northern Access Road) as a minor arterial route, 3) proceeding east at Old Ridgebury Road which is a Conn DOT designated collector, 4) then with Aunt Hack Road as a minor arterial, 5) with Kenosia Avenue as a collector route, and finally on the east end of the corridor 6) at the I-84 Exit 4 ramps which are part of I-84's designation of principal arterial.

The frontage along this roadway has been a major economic growth area for Danbury. An HVCEO traffic study of the corridor completed in 1985 noted that "Since Union Carbide announced the relocation of its headquarters to the Old Ridgebury Road area in Danbury in 1976, land use development has increased dramatically within the adjacent Mill Plain Road corridor."

Continuing, "At the time Union Carbide’s move was announced land use along Mill Plain Road was primarily residential, with a small amount of industrial usage. Over the last ten years, this land use pattern has changed dramatically, and has resulted in increased traffic volumes. Additional growth is expected." Growth here has indeed continued, and traffic issues have grown correspondingly complex.

It should be noted that a driveway and curb cut management plan with reference maps for individual properties was prepared for this corridor as part of the HVCEO’s 1985 traffic study of the roadway. In 1986 this curb cut plan was incorporated into the Danbury Zoning Regulations as a permit review standard and is still in force.

Planning for the zoning and traffic relationship along the Route 6 corridor was given special attention early in 1984 by the Danbury Planning Department. That year it released a report entitled "Traffic and Land Use Management Study for Route 6." The purpose of the report was to "provide an information base for development of zoning regulations affecting the Mill Plain Corridor.... based upon its capacity to accommodate projected traffic volumes."

Based upon that report, in September of 1984 a specially formulated Commercial Arterial Zone (CA-80) was adopted by the Danbury Zoning Commission for the Route 6 Corridor. Permitted densities on lots of two acres or more were lowered in order to prevent future traffic congestion on adjacent Route 6. However, in 1995 the Route 6 zoning restrictions of 1984 were reevaluated by the Zoning Commission and most were removed from the regulations.

The current City of Danbury policy for Route 6 upgrading was transmitted to Conn DOT by Danbury via a letter dated 6/3/1996. In that transmittal, the first improvement priority is stated to be the section from Kenosia Avenue easterly to I-84 Exit 4.

On this segment the Danbury request is that Route 6 be redesigned to "provide four thru lanes, provide turning lanes where warranted, improve roadway horizontal curvature, install or replace existing sidewalks, install new traffic signals where warranted, interconnect traffic signals, and maintain adequate right of way for future roadway improvements."

The 6/3/1996 Danbury letter then defines a second and adjacent corridor priority, beginning at the I-84Exit 2 related Corporate Center Northern Access Road (State Route 824) and proceeding easterly to the Route 6 intersection with Kenosia Avenue.

Along this second priority segment the Danbury policy is to "Maintain the existing two thru lanes, provide turning lanes where warranted, install or replace existing sidewalks, improve access into and out of the Mill Plain Road "cutoff", install new traffic signals where warranted, interconnect traffic signals, and maintain adequate right of way for future roadway improvements."

The key difference with the Route 6 widening to the east is that here a two lane Route 6 cross section, rather than a four lane cross section, is to be maintained. As of 2000 Conn DOT is preparing plans for the widening of Route 6 from Kenosia Avenue easterly to just before I-84 Exit 4, the City’s first corridor improvement priority.

Details as to the major safety and traffic capacity issues along Danbury’s Route 6 are described below from west to east as follows:

1. ROUTE 6 IN DANBURY FROM THE NY STATE
LINE EASTERLY TO OLD RIDGEBURY ROAD
This segment is defined as extending from Route 6 milepost .00 to 1.22. Proceeding easterly, the signalized intersection with Saw Mill Road is the first major traffic feature encountered. There are some significant Conn DOT TASR but sub-SLOSSS accident rates here, with 197% for 1989-91, 208% for 1992-94, and then 204% for 1995-97.

The Conn DOT 2000 I-84 Deficiencies Study examined operations at Exit 1. That study found that Exit 1 operates adequately and made no recommendations for changes at the adjacent Saw Mill Road and Route 6 intersection.

Proceeding easterly, the next item of traffic interest is the proposed location for a relocated I-84 westbound on ramp, about 1700 feet westerly of the intersection of Route 6 with State Route 824 (the Corporate Center Northern Access Road and part of I-84 Exit 2).

At present, an I-84 Exit 2 westbound on ramp originates off of Route 824. But to improve I-84 mainline operations, it will be removed from that location and relocated westerly about one quarter of a mile to become a direct access from Route 6 to I-84 westbound, originating across from the Hilton Garden Inn. This change, while officially part of the Conn DOT I-84 improvement plan, has low Conn DOT priority compared to other I-84 needs in Danbury.

Continuing eastward, the next item of traffic note along Route 6 is the intersection with State Route 824, the Corporate Center Northern Access Road, at milepost 1.10. This short state roadway segment was designed in the late seventies specifically to provide access to the adjacent Union Carbide Corporate Headquarters to the south. That building, which has a larger square footage than any other office building in the State of Connecticut, has been known in recent years as the Corporate Center.

Importantly, this short state route also serves as a base for I-84 Exit 2B westbound off and on ramps. State Route 824 is just three tenths of a mile in length, beginning on the south at the edge of the Corporate Center, where it is the continuation of a private on site access road, and then running northward past I-84 Exit 2 westbound ramps to Route 6.

The Conn DOT 2000 I-84 Deficiencies Study makes long term recommendations for major changes to State Route 824 that will obliterate its current intersection with Route 6. The intersection of Routes 824 and 6 will be moved westward along Route 6 about 200 feet. The Exit 2B westbound off ramp as well as the Exit 2 westbound on ramp will be entirely removed from adjacent Route 824.

The Conn DOT 2000 I-84 Deficiencies Study recommendations for I-84 Exit 2 call for the addition of a new intersection with Route 6 adjacent to the current intersection with Route 824. This will be to accommodate the Exit 2B off ramp relocated from State Route 824 and now to have a direct connection with Route 6. This proposal has low Conn DOT priority.

At present I-84 Exit 2B westbound terminates at the Corporate Center Northern Access Road where a right turn leads to Route 6. These movements hug the sides of a Conn DOT commuter parking lot. The new Exit 2B design will avoid the right turn by cutting this corner, and instead traveling right through the commuter parking lot, which will need to be replaced.

Whatever the future plans, the present signalized Route 6 intersection with the State Route 824-Corporate Center Northern Access Road was on the 1987-89 TASR list of high priorities, known as the SLOSSS, at 149%, and again on the SLOSSS for 1989-91 at 137%. But after the 1989-91 period accident rates here fell dramatically, to a TASR figure of 35% for 1992-92 and then 7% for 1995-97.

By way of background, these hazard rating percentages are not to be considered as factual indicators of hazard but rather as suggestive of safety problem areas. The "TASR" (Traffic Accident Surveillance Report) statistics over 100% that are determined by Conn DOT to be the highest priorities have an additional "SLOSSS" designation (Suggested List of Surveillance Study Sites).

In the late nineties the truck stop center on the Route 6 north frontage here was removed and its driveway modernized for a new retail area known as the Danbury Green Shopping Center. When in the future due to I-84 improvements the intersection of Routes 6 and 824 is moved about 200 feet westward, this shopping center will be impacted.

In recognition of this, the City of Danbury in a letter to Conn DOT dated 4/27/2000 stated that the existing intersection location for Route 6 and the Corporate Center Northern Access Road (Route 824) should remain, as after considerable planning it was agreed to align it directly with the new driveway to the Danbury Green Shopping Center. "Changes should not be made unless Conn DOT can demonstrate to us that alternative access into the shopping center is feasible and desirable and can legally be imposed on the site owners."

2. ROUTE 6 IN DANBURY FROM OLD
RIDGEBURY ROAD TO KENOSIA AVENUE
This segment extends from Conn DOT Route 6 milepost 1.22 to milepost 2.49. Old Ridgebury Road, from its intersection with Route 6, then southerly just over one half mile to the Eastern Corporate Center Access Road was widened to a four lane cross section in the late seventies. The Conn DOT 2000 I-84 improvement study recommended that in the short term the Old Ridgebury Road northbound approach to Route 6 be widened to provide a full right turn lane. This action has high Conn DOT priority.

Proceeding easterly along Route 6, a rising TASR rate is documented at the signalized intersection with Aunt Hack Road. A landmark on the south side of this intersection is the four story Plaza West office building, the exit drive of which forms a fourth leg to the Aunt Hack Road-Route 6 intersection.

At this intersection, the Conn DOT TASR statistics show 42% for 1989-91, 86% for 1992-94, and then up to 140% for 1995-97. As the signal installation here dates from 1997, its hopefully positive impact upon TASR rates will be monitored.

The next safety issue of concern involves the section of Route 6 from the signal at the Westwood Village Condominium Driveway, at milepost 2.12, easterly to Driftway Lane. Here a SLOSSS rate of 101% was reported for 1987-89. This fell to moderate TASR rates of 73% for 1989-91 and 50% for 1992-94. But then a SLOSSS designation was again reached, 118% for the 1995-97 period.

The adjacent segment also has a safety problem, from Driftway Lane easterly .14 miles to the signalized intersection of Route 6 with Kenosia Avenue. On this segment Conn DOT statistics for the 1983-85 period recorded a SLOSSS rating of 151%, with1987-89 at a SLOSSS rating of 141%. Then 1989-91 data show a reduction to a sub-SLOSSS TASR rate of 134%, back up to a SLOSSS rate of 154% for 1992-94, then the latest period of 1995-97 recorded a substantial TASR rate of 117%.

Thus a continuous safety problem area has been documented, from the Westwood Village Condominium easterly to Kenosia Avenue, a distance of about four tenths of a mile. City policy calls for improvement here to follow the Route 6 widening project from Kenosia Avenue eastward.

3. ROUTE 6 IN DANBURY AT KENOSIA AVENUE, WITH
CHANGE IN CROSS SECTIONAL POLICY AT THIS LOCATION
At the intersection of Route 6 with Kenosia Avenue, a landmark on the southwest corner is the Mill Plain Office Park building. On the north side of Route 6 across from Kenosia Avenue a fourth leg to the intersection is formed by the driveway of the 7-11 convenience store.

Route 6 eastbound at this intersection is striped for two lanes, one thru and one for right turns south onto Kenosia Avenue. Kenosia Avenue serves as an important link to the Danbury Fair Mall and adjacent retail services.

The Kenosia Avenue northbound approach to Route 6 has two lanes, striped for right and left. Route 6 westbound has one thru lane and one for left turning vehicles southbound onto Kenosia Avenue. The 7-11 driveway is without turning lanes.

The current City of Danbury policy for upgrading of the Kenosia Avenue intersection was transmitted to Conn DOT by Danbury in a letter dated 6/3/1996. That transmittal stated that for the upcoming Route 6 redesign process, the intersection with Kenosia Avenue should include "Two westbound and two eastbound thru lanes, adequate exclusive turning lanes onto Kenosia Avenue, and provide double left turn lanes out of Kenosia Avenue."

As noted above City of Danbury policy dated 6/3/1996 call for a safety assessment and resultant improvements as necessary along Mill Plain Road from I-84 Exit 2, past Old Ridgebury Road, then easterly to approximately Kenosia Avenue. Safety improvements are to be incorporated into the current two lane cross section, that cross section to be retained without a widening to four thru lanes.

An Old Ridgebury Road to Kenosia Avenue Route 6 safety improvement project has not yet been applied for by Danbury or administratively authorized by Conn DOT. HVCEO and Danbury policy are for it to follow sequentially the major widening of Route 6 to the east, a change affecting about one and two thirds miles of roadway. As these projects have air quality impacts and are proposed to be federally funded, Conn DOT air quality impact modeling for these Route 6 improvements was completed on 10/30/1997.

For historical background, the 1985 HVCEO traffic study of the Route 6 corridor endorsed widening to four lanes of the easterly Kenosia to Exit 4 section, but not the adjacent Exit 2 to Kenosia Avenue segment. Retention of the two lane cross section from I-84 Exit 2 easterly to Kenosia Avenue is also tied to the Danbury view that the populace of adjacent neighborhoods is generally not in favor of the greater development and character change that a four lane cross section for Route 6 in this area would induce.

A key recommendation in the 1985 HVCEO study was that "In the future, as traffic demands increase, consideration should be given to widening Route 6 to provide four travel lanes, two in each direction, from Kenosia Avenue east to Exit 4 of I-84." A qualification in the 1985 report was that "Based upon the development rate projected, this improvement may not be required until 15 to 20 years from now."

As of 9/2000 is in the very early planning stage at Conn DOT, known as Project #34-0288. A 10/04/1999 Conn DOT project estimate is that the completion date will be 2/01/2004 and the cost is projected at $6,490,000.

A 10/04/1999 Conn DOT project summary stated for the widening stated that "This section of Route 6 serves a fairly developed commercial area which experiences delays due to traffic congestion. This project will widen the road to two eleven food wide through lanes a left turn lane and two four foot shoulders. Sidewalks may be included. Signals will be updated and interconnected."

4. ROUTE 6 IN DANBURY FROM KENOSIA
AVENUE EASTERLY TO JUST WEST OF I-84 EXIT 4
TASR hazard rates for the four tenths of a mile between the signal at Kenosia Avenue easterly to the signal at Crestdale Road were relatively low for 1989-91 at 64%, then again low at 51% for 1992-94. But then the TASR rate rose to 100% for 1995-97. Factors causing the climb to 100% will be addressed in Conn DOT’s upcoming four lane widening design process.

Along this Route 6 segment the Conn DOT roadway redesign process will link existing traffic signals at the driveways of the Radisson Hotel and the Western Connecticut State University into the coordinated system to be extended westerly from its current terminus at the Route 6 intersection with Mill Ridge Road.

Approaching the Ethan Allen Inn property on the north and the Texaco Station on the south, Route 6 widens to four thru lanes and retains this width to the end of the corridor at the I-84 Exit 4 eastbound on ramp. As noted above, a Conn DOT design process has started to extend this four lane cross section westerly to just past Kenosia Avenue.

Moving on to the highest volume segment of Route 6, the approximately 450 feet between the traffic signals at Mill Ridge Road easterly to the I-84 westbound off ramp, the TASR hazard rate here has risen recently. The TASR rate for 1989-91 was 50%, then for 1992-94 an insignificant 27%. But for 1995-1997, the rate rose to 147% and included a SLOSSS designation.

The 2000 Conn DOT study of I-84 documented that the intersection of Route 6 and Mill Ridge Road was operating at a Level of Service F, a very poor rating, during both peak hours. Landmarks at this busy intersection are a Dunkin Donuts on the northeast corner aside Mill Ridge Road, and the Lake Avenue Plaza office building on the northwest corner. There is a McDonald’s Restaurant to the south and its driveway forms a fourth leg to the Route 6-Mill Ridge Road intersection.

The pending redesign and widening of Route 6 here will address current safety and capacity limitations. That process will need to take into account a major recommendation of the 2000 I-84 Study that will reconfigure this intersection. The nearby I-84 Exit 4 westbound off ramp will remain much as it is, but the westbound I-84 Exit 4 on ramp will be entirely relocated, directly thru the McDonald’s Restaurant location, across from Mill Ridge Road.

The McDonald’s property will necessarily be purchased by Conn DOT, and its current entrance drive across from Mill Ridge Road converted to an I-84 entrance ramp. This proposal has some considerable Conn DOT priority.

According to Danbury’s 1995 signal coordination plan, corridor signal coordination should eventually extend from the I-84 Exit 4 vicinity westerly along Route 6 to the intersection with Kenosia Avenue.

5. ROUTE 6 IN DANBURY AT I-84 EXIT 4
Route 6 here forms a four way intersection with Seegar Street, Lake Avenue and the I-84 Exit 4 eastbound on and off ramps. The Route 6 designation continues eastbound at this point, up the I-84 Exit 4 on ramp and overlapping with I-84. For issues on the small section of Route 6 on the eastern side of Danbury, please refer to the discussion of adjacent Route 806 (Newtown Road).

Jumping back historically to early Conn DOT TASR lists, for 1980-82 this busy I-84 Exit 4 intersection qualified for the SLOSSS with a rate of 158%. The rate here for 1982-84 was 194%, also achieving a SLOSSS designation. Some more recent rates; 1989-1991 achieved a SLOSSS designation at 199%, 1992-1994 also had a TASR priority SLOSSS designation at 114%, then the 1995-97 SLOSSS accident rate reached a high 244%.

The 2000 Conn DOT Study of I-84 deficiencies examined this intersection. It found operations at Level of Service E, a poor rating, during the PM peak hour, also that the nearby intersection of the I-84 westbound ramps and Route 6 operates at Level of Service F during the AM peak hour, again poor.

The 2000 Conn DOT Study recommends for the short term that the Seegar Street approach to Route 6 be widened to add a right turn lane. Then a medium range improvement in the 2000 Conn DOT I-84 Study calls for I-84 eastbound traffic exiting at Exit 4 to this intersection to be rerouted, causing a major change in traffic patterns here.

At present, eastbound I-84 Exit 4 traffic approaches this intersection from the north. In the future, a direct ramp off of Exit 3 easterly to Seegar Street will be built, such that this same traffic reaches the Route 6-Exit 4 intersection on a northerly course via the Seegar Street approach.

The long range I-84 Plan recognizes that the intersection of Route 6 with Seegar Street and the I-84 Exit 4 eastbound off ramp (to become a Route 7 off ramp only, after the direct connection from I-84 Exit 3 to Seegar Street is built) will be "improved with widened approaches and increased storage lanes for turning vehicles."

Signal coordination by the City of Danbury was installed in 1999 in this vicinity, from the signal at the intersection of Lake Avenue with Abbott Avenue on the east thru the signals at the Exit 4 I-84 ramps and on to the Mill Ridge Road signal on the west. As already noted, according to Danbury’s 1995 signal coordination plan, corridor signal coordination should eventually extend westerly along Route 6 to the intersection with Kenosia Avenue.