3A. ROUTE 7 IN DANBURY,
RIDGEFIELD AND REDDING, CT

INTRODUCTION
Route 7 from Danbury to Norwalk is classified as part of the top level National Highway System. It is also a principal arterial roadway and is the Greater Danbury Region’s main link to the south. On a grander scale it is also the primary north-south corridor for the western edge of New England.

The basic alignment and cross section in our area dates from 1928. Over the years, many spot improvements to the existing road have been made.

More significantly, a new Route 7 Expressway parallel to the old road was advocated by Conn DOT and HVCEO for many years. Only short sections of the parallel expressway in Danbury and Norwalk were ever completed.

In historical perspective, the Connecticut General Assembly first authorized expressway planning in this corridor IN 1957. Then Conn DOT approved an expressway location in 1962.

Studies continued into the mid-1970's, when a federal environmental impact statement was issued. This was challenged, first causing years of delay, then indefinite postponement of construction. A map of the proposed Route 7 Expressway concept will be of interest.

This major new road would have entered Ridgefield from Wilton to the west of the present Route 7. Route 102 runs generally east-west here and a full expressway interchange with Route 102 was planned.

Continuing northeast, the Expressway would have crossed the existing Route 7, briefly entered Redding, then turned north by northwest to follow the Ridgefield-Redding border, re-entering Ridgefield briefly and then entering Redding again.

Upon passing into Danbury from Redding, another interchange was to link the Expressway to existing Route 7 in Ridgefield. The new road was then to continue along the east side of existing Route 7 to meet the existing Route 7 Expressway cross section at Wooster Heights Road in Danbury.

Due to funding constraints, by 1992 completion of the proposed expressway was under reconsideration by Conn DOT. A Conn DOT policy statement released in early 1993 stated that the expressway would still be built, but would be delayed at least 10 years. The exception was a small segment linking northern Norwalk to southern Wilton. There are at present no plans at Conn DOT to revive the Route 7 Expressway construction proposal.

ROUTE 7 EXPRESSWAY POLICY
HVCEO was for many years an advocate of Route 7 Expressway construction. However, after a policy review in 1995, HVCEO no longer supported the construction of the proposed Route 7 Expressway in Danbury, Ridgefield and Redding.

This 1995 position was taken due to the repeated delays in the construction of the proposed Expressway and the concurrent invalidation of the Environmental Impact Statement justifying the project, as well as the lack of safety and capacity improvements on the existing Route 7 roadway, which HVCEO wished to speed.

This change in policy was intended to fully focus all available funding on the immediate improvements required to address safety and capacity constraints on existing Route 7. Since under federal law Conn DOT cannot proceed without regional approval, the HVCEO policy is more than advisory as far as the Expressway is concerned.

The 2001 Regional Transportation Plan added some explanatory as to the reasons the Council no longer supported construction. This referred to the many controversial impacts suggested from such construction. These are given more depth by this 2004 Plan update to include:

1. Negative impact to the adjacent quality of life, both residential and natural environment.

2. Inducing sprawl development along the corridor and to the north, which violates the "Smart Growth" planning concepts in the 1997 HVCEO Regional Plan.

3. The Housatonic Valley Region being forced to accept housing development pressure not wanted in the South Western Planning Region, a problem that is more and more in evidence by our one sided commuting patterns (much AM southbound, little AM northbound).

4. The inability of coastal Interstate 95, already over capacity, to absorb a newly concentrated and expanded AM peak period traffic flow that would enter southbound from the new Route 7 Expressway. Absorption of our traffic onto I-95 may have been possible 25 years ago, but is clearly problematic today.

For some detail on this key point, consider that the 1978 Route 7 Environmental Impact Statement projected that, taking as a specific point of reference the cross section of the proposed Expressway just north of the intersection of Routes 7 and 35 in Ridgefield, that there would be about a 33% increase in total travel in the corridor here if the Expressway were built.

A 1981 HVCEO summary of the 1978 EIS records "This increase will be due to traffic that is diverted from existing streets in the corridor because of the ease of travel and time savings due to the new facility, and a rerouting of existing shopping, business and other trips to alternate destinations due to a shift in the relative ease of travel."

While pro-expressway groups might well discount point one above as "just the standard local reaction of the NIMBY (Not in My Back Yard) syndrome", points two thru four are systemic issues that they need to address in their arguments.

For interesting web sites that contrast with the HVCEO Route 7 perspective, visit the Route 7 Coalition and also the Committee for the Extension of Route 7, two pro-expressway sites.

For an anti-expressway opinion see the Road to Ruin site. Also of interest is an independently produced history of planning for and upgrading of Route 7.

TOLL ROAD FINANCING OPTION
This informational section is included as inquiries about toll options are still received regarding Route 7 financing. The data source is old, but all that is available.

In 1981 Conn DOT released a study on the feasibility of constructing the proposed Route 7 Expressway between Norwalk and Danbury as a toll road. The basic conclusion was that inflationary construction costs, coupled with high interest rates, made the financing of a new Route 7 by toll revenues highly questionable.

The cost of the priority portion of Route 7 in Norwalk was seen as comparatively high because of the complex Merritt Parkway interchange. And the volume of traffic through a toll station here would be low, due to convenient bypasses, thereby yielding toll revenues that only covered 9% to 14% of the annual debt payment for construction costs.

For the priority portion of new Route 7 in Danbury (the Danbury to Ridgefield section) existing Route 7 would be cut off in the Wooster Mountain area (revised in a later expressway plan) and there are no other roads which could function as efficient bypasses. The resulting high traffic volumes through the toll station here were projected to cover a more positive 55% to 70% of the annual debt payment.

The conclusion of Conn DOT’s 1981 report was that none of the toll concepts investigated would fully finance the construction of Route 7 and that in most cases the share of funds provided by the tolls would be comparatively low. As noted, the only exception would be the Danbury portion where the net toll revenues could cover 55 to 70% of the annual debt payment over a thirty year period.

ACTIVITES TO IMPROVE EXISTING ROUTE 7
Up until December of 1999 Conn DOT remained committed to completion of a small segment of the Route 7 Expressway from its current northern terminus at Grist Mill Road in Norwalk to a new northern terminus at Route 33 in southern Wilton. But Governor Rowland announced in December of 1999 that, due to local opposition, widening of the existing Route 7 northward to Route 33 would replace the proposed parallel Route 7 Expressway extension plan.

Thus the Route 7 Expressway now appears completely abandoned by transportation planning agencies.

This said, attention turns to better management of the existing roadway. For the remainder of the corridor northward to Danbury, Conn DOT is planning widening for the next segment in Wilton, followed by the retention of the two lane cross section in northern Wilton, Redding and Ridgefield south of the Route 7 intersection with Route 35. Then the road will be widened to four lanes from northeastern Ridgefield northerly to near I-84 in Danbury.

The widening of Route 7 from 2 to 4 lanes from one half mile north of Route 35 in Ridgefield (south of which the cross section has already been widened to 4 lanes to Route 35) northerly to just south of Wooster Heights Road in Danbury (where the current expressway portion ends), is scheduled to begin construction soon as Conn DOT Projects 34-315 and 34-260.

It should also be noted that HVCEO completed a driveway and curb cut management plan for Route 7 in Danbury, Redding and Ridgefield in 1996. The Redding and Ridgefield portions of the plan were thereafter incorporated into the zoning regulations of those communities.

ROUTE 7 WITHIN MUNICIPAL PLANS
Redding Plan of 1998: The Redding Plan states that "unlike local town roads, where the goal is to minimize traffic impacts in order to support preservation of the town's essential characteristics, the traffic capacity of existing Route 7 should be maximized to allow the road to absorb local and connector traffic and prevent overflow on to secondary roads such as Routes 107 and 53."

Continuing, "The Redding Planning Commission thus strongly supports major widening and capacity improvements on existing Route 7 and 25, the principal north-south arteries immediately west and east of the Town and continues to recommend that plans for 'Super 7' be abandoned."

Ridgefield Plan of 1999: The Ridgefield Town Plan is silent on the issue of the Route 7 Expressway.

Danbury Plan of 2002: There is no support for the proposed Route 7 Expressway in the Danbury Plan. The Plan constrains Route 7 changes to "Support plans to widen U.S. Route 7 south to Ridgefield and to undertake other planned intersection and geometric improvements."

3B. ROUTE 7 IN DANBURY,
BROOKFIELD AND NEW MILFORD, CT

INTRODUCTION
For decades a Route 7 Expressway had been planned as a replacement for the Danbury to New Milford portion of the 2 lane road, and parts of that upgrading in Danbury and Brookfield were completed. The current Conn DOT and HVCEO plan calls for an expressway bypass to continue on to the Brookfield-New Milford Town Line, followed by widening of existing Route 7 northerly to central New Milford. (As of 11/2003 part of this improvement is under construction).

From I-84 in Danbury northward to Route 202 in Brookfield, the Route 7 designation was transferred in 1977 from the historic two lane roadway to a parallel Route 7 Expressway newly completed that year.

A Conn DOT Route 7 Expressway policy for the Brookfield-New Milford corridor was released in 1990 in the form of a Conn DOT Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE). The Conn DOT 1990 EIE favored expressway construction rather than lesser improvements.

However, due in no small part to strong opposition from potentially impacted property owners, Conn DOT announced in November of 1991 that the finalized EIE would "postpone further evaluation of an expressway in the corridor until such time as interim improvements fail to provide adequate service and direction is mandated by the Legislature."

CURRENT UPGRADING PLAN
The current corridor upgrading plan, as endorsed in 1991 by Brookfield, New Milford, HVCEO and Conn DOT, calls for continuation of a limited access Route 7 beyond its current terminus at Route 202 in Brookfield, in the form of a four lane “Brookfield Bypass.” This facility will then terminate at the existing Route 7 just south of the New Milford Town Line.

From that point northward, Route 7 will be rebuilt as a four lane roadway to Route 67 at Veterans Bridge in central New Milford. The design cross section will incorporate a median from the northern end of the Brookfield Bypass northerly to the vicinity of the new Still River Road in southern New Milford, just north of Lanesville Road. Beyond that point to Veterans Bridge no median will be utilized.

The map above identified current travel time in ten minute intervals from I-84
Exit 7 north towards New Milford. The ten minute line (brown) is south
of the New Milford town boundary and the twenty minute line (red)
is south of the New Milford Town Center.

In contrast to the top map, this second map projects future travel time in ten minute
intervals from I-84 Exit 7 north towards New Milford if the entire Route 7 Expressway
had been built. The ten minute line (brown) reaches will into New Milford and
the twenty minute line (red) well past New Milford Center. The current plan,
a combination of Expressway extension and widening, will provide
much of this time savings benefit.

FUTURE UPGRADING PLAN
On Brookfield's portion of the completed Expressway is an overpass carrying Route 133. HVCEO Bulletin 80, dated 12/1994 and addressing Brookfield’s Federal Road traffic issues, reviewed the concept of adding ramps from and to the Route 7 Expressway to Route 133 at this location.

That study indicated a proposed interchange could be oriented to and from the south, essentially a half interchange, and would reduce traffic on nearby Federal Road and its busy intersections. The new new ramps would be a spur to economic development and motorists using the ramps would reduce their travel time.

The Brookfield, CT Plan of Conservation and Development, dated 11/2001 specifically endorses construction of this interchange. The Plan recommends that Conn DOT "construct a partial interchange at Junction Road (Route 133) to relieve traffic heading easterly, provide better access for the business zoned land in this part of the corridor, and provide a convenient access point for emergency vehicles."

Detailed feasibility of this Route 133 interchange concept remains to be explored. However, this cannot occur until current Route 7 improvements in the vicinity are completed, as traffic projections based upon current volumes and turning movement patterns would not be valid after those new facilities are in operation.

Given the magnitude of the widening investment for the existing right of way, stringent air quality laws, local opposition, development in the path of possible rights of way and limited federal funding, it seems very unlikely as of this Plan update that the remainder of the old Route 7 Expressway extension plan to central New Milford will ever be revived.

3C. ROUTE 25 IN NEWTOWN, CT

The relocation of Route 25 as an expressway on a new alignment from I-95 in Bridgeport northerly through Newtown to I-84 was a goal of Conn DOT for many decades. But this is no longer being considered. A complete review of Route 25 issues is available from HVCEO.

3D. I-84 IN DANBURY, BETHEL,
BROOKFIELD AND NEWTOWN, CT

OVERVIEW
Back in the 1950's, the major east-west flow of traffic through the Housatonic Valley Region made use of two lane Route 6. Route 6 passed westerly through Sandy Hook Center in Newtown, then by the Flagpole, on to the Stony Hill section of Bethel, thru Downtown Danbury, then along the Mill Plain section of western Danbury, on into New York State.

As a bypass for this corridor I-84 arrived from the east in 1958, crossing the Housatonic River into the Region on the early fifties era Rochambeau Bridge and ending temporarily at Route 34, Exit 11, in Newtown.

Then on 12/16/1961 I-84 as the “Yankee Expressway” (a name voted by the General Assembly in its 1961 session) opened across the Region, passing through Newtown, Bethel, the southernmost tip of Brookfield, and Danbury to link up with New York State sections. Thus most thru traffic no longer used Route 6.

The I-84 corridor within the Region extends from the Newtown-Southbury Town Line on the east to the New York State-Danbury line on the west, for a total length of approximately 18.5 miles. Traffic volumes in early years, such as 1966, were a small fraction of what they are today.

The introduction of this interstate route, coupled with construction of I-684 nearby in New York State, has been a tremendous stimulus to the Region's economic growth.

Within the national interstate routing system I-84 is relatively short, as its end points are in Scranton, Pennsylvania on the west and in Sturbridge, Massachusetts on the east. I-684 joins it from the southwest a few miles west of Danbury in New York State.

Oriented to nearby Westchester County and Manhattan, I-684 is also a stimulus for the Region's growth.

I-84 has become the modern "Main Street" of the Housatonic Valley Region, an indispensable economic asset, and of practical importance to the citizens of all ten municipalities.

Fortunately, when I-84 was constructed in the early 1960's the alignment was designed to high standards, with gentle horizontal and vertical curves. The lanes were also given ample width, with breakdown lanes along the right shoulder in most locations. Sight distances were also adequate for the most part.

Click on the map to view a larger image.

However, time has shown that the key weakness of the original design was in the capacity given to exits. While not noticeable in the early 1960's, exit capacity limitations present serious drawbacks with today's traffic volumes. These problems include left-hand entrances and exits, short weaving sections, inconsistent exit patterns, and limited storage at ramps.

The public should not feel that due to the massive scale of I-84 these problems cannot be remedied. Some already have been. Fortunately, the traffic capacity of I-84 is not be rigidly fixed and will continue to evolve. The question is one of money for the necessary upgrades.

Change on I-84 is possible. Consider that I-84 in this Region has undergone some significant capacity expansions since its completion in 1962. The major ones are as follows:

1. The original 1958 section in Newtown, built with only one lane in each direction from the Rochambeau Bridge over the Housatonic River at the Newtown-Southbury line westerly to Exit 11 in Newtown, had its capacity expanded by 100% to four lanes in 1973.

Also at that time, Exit 11 was relocated three quarters of a mile to the east with direct access to Route 34 removed. There it was transformed into a high capacity free flow interchange for a planned connection to a proposed Route 25 Expressway running northward from Monroe and Bridgeport. That expressway connection will now never be built.

For the record, HVCEO never endorsed the concept of this proposed Route 25 Expressway.

2. Then in the late 1970's the I-84 Rochambeau Bridge itself from Southbury to Newtown over the Housatonic River was paralleled with a new and nearly identical bridge. The first bridge alone had a cross section of four lanes; the new arrangement has two lanes on each bridge and a potential for an additional two lanes on each in reserve for the future.

3. In the early 1980's a third westbound lane was added between Exit 1 and Exit 3 in Danbury, and a third eastbound lane was added in Danbury from Exit 2 to Exit 3. A new Exit 1 at a new location, serving Saw Mill Road and Route 6 near the New York line, was also added as part of this project.

What had been Exit 1 serving Old Ridgebury Road was rebuilt and renamed Exit 2; then the original Exit 2 at West Kenosia Avenue (consisting of a single eastbound exit ramp) was permanently eliminated. This expansion served to facilitate the Carbide office development on Danbury's west side, a statewide priority at that time, and warmly embraced by the City of Danbury and the Region.

4. In 1988 I-84 between Interchanges 4 and 7 was widened from four to six lanes, a dramatic 50% increase in capacity in the highest volume segment on I-84 in this Region. Back in the early 1960's the I-84 cross section had been thoughtfully designed to permit such a future capacity expansion by use of land in the median, without the need to rebuild all bridges. This crucial project derived from an HVCEO planning initiative.

As much as these past investments are appreciated by the Region, insufficient capacity for the long term on I-84 remains a key regional concern. It is fortunately also a state concern, since I-84 is a gateway into Connecticut, and a federal concern as well as a main gateway to New England.

Further upgrading of I-84 in Danbury, Bethel, Brookfield and Newtown is needed in order for it to continue to serve thru traffic as well as be an effective "Main Street" for the area. HVCEO's long range goal is to identify the issues involved, qualify the Region for federal funds, and lobby to insure I-84 improvements in a timely manner.

The adjacent region to the east, the Central Naugatuck Valley Region, shares with us an intense interest in the future of I-84. HVCEO and COGCNV are committed to working together to improve I-84.

In the late nineties HVCEO petitioned Conn DOT to undertake an in depth analysis of I-84 upgrading needs. The response was very cooperative and this effort was completed in 2000.

The results were then endorsed by HVCEO and made a part of this Regional Transportation Plan. Some perspective is available from the private Future of I-84 in Danbury web site.

COST OVERVIEW OF I-84
SAFETY AND CAPACITY NEEDS
The total cost by phase for all safety and capacity needs is as follows:

PHASE 1: $ 10,875,000 for 1-84 HIGHEST PRIORITY SMALL INTERCHANGE IMPROVEMENTS. SEE DETAILS BELOW.

PHASE 2: $ 10,840,000 for 1-84 REMAINING SMALL SCALE INTERCHANGE IMPROVEMENTS.

PHASE 3: $ 83,180,000 for 1-84 MAJOR CAPACITY ADDITIONS AT INTERCHANGES. SEE DIAGRAMS FOR EACH BELOW:

I-84 EXIT 2 LONG TERM IMPROVEMEN DIAGRAM

I-84 EXITS 3 AND 4 MEDIUM TERM IMPROVEMENT DIAGRAM

I-84 EXITS 3 AND 4 LONG TERM IMPROVEMENT DIAGRAM

I-84 EXITS 5 AND 6 LONG TERM IMPROVEMENT DIAGRAM

I-84 EXIT 7 MEDIUM TERM IMPROVEMENT DIAGRAM

I-84 EXIT 7 LONG TERM IMPROVEMENT DIAGRAM

I-84 EXITS 8 LONG TERM IMPROVEMENT DIAGRAM

I-84 EXITS 9 LONG TERM IMPROVEMENT DIAGRAM

I-84 EXITS 10 LONG TERM IMPROVEMENT DIAGRAM

I-84 EXITS 11 LONG TERM IMPROVEMENT DIAGRAM

PHASE 4: $ 163,190,000 for 1-84 ADDITION OF THRU LANES TO THE MAIN LINE.

TOTAL: $ 268,085,000

Phase 1 itself has sub-components and priorities. These details are necessary here as coordinated lobbying will be most effective if on a project by project basis:

PHASE 1: FIRST PRIORITY:
DANBURY EXIT 5: EXTEND WESTBOUND OFF RAMP, $1,000,000.
DANBURY EXIT 5: EXTEND EASTBOUND OFF RAMP, $1,500,000.
DANBURY EXIT 6: WIDEN WB OFF RAMP, WIDEN RT 37, ADD SIGNAL, $300,000. FUNDED
DANBURY EXIT 6: EXTEND WESTBOUND OFF RAMP, $500,000. FUNDED
DANBURY EXIT 6: EXTEND EASTBOUND ON RAMP, $1,500,000. FUNDED
TOTAL: $4,800,000.

PHASE 1: SECOND PRIORITY:
DANBURY EXIT 8: EXTEND EASTBOUND ON RAMP, $230,000.
NEWTOWN EXIT 9: REDESIGN RAMP TERMINI AND SIGNALIZE EASTBOUND, $100,000.
NEWTOWN EXIT 9: EXTEND WESTBOUND OFF RAMP $1,100,000.
NEWTOWN EXIT 9: EXTEND WESTBOUND ON RAMP, $1,000,000.
NEWTOWN EXIT 9: ADD EASTBOUND LEFT TURN LANE TO RTS 6 & 25 INT., $225,000.
NEWTOWN EXIT 11: LIGHTED SPEED SIGNS BEFORE WASSERMAN WAY, $70,000.
NEWTOWN EXIT 11: NEW ON RAMP FROM TODDY HILL ROAD INT., $1,500,000. (FOUND TO BE UNFEASIBLE).
TOTAL $4,225,000.

PHASE 1: THIRD PRIORITY:
DANBURY EXIT 2: EXTEND WESTBOUND ON RAMP, $500,000.
DANBURY EXIT 2: EASTBOUND SIGNAGE TO REST AREA AND LOCAL ROADS, $100,000.
DANBURY EXIT 2: EXTEND EASTBOUND OFF RAMP, $500,000.
DANBURY EXIT 4: EXTEND EASTBOUND ON RAMP, $750,000.
TOTAL: $1,850,000.

The next step is for Conn DOT to undertake an environmental assessment of I-84 from the New York State Line to Waterbury, in conformance with FHWA guidelines, in order to qualify this 32 mile segment of roadway for major federal funding." This should begin early in 2005.

ECONOMIC IMPACT STATEMENT
I-84 improvement advocates are asked to please spread the ideas in this I-84 economic impact statement:

The upgrading of the I-84 Corridor can yield handsome economic benefits to the State of Connecticut, for this corridor is a natural growth area for economic development in a global market. This view was presented to the Greater Waterbury Chamber of Commerce in September of 2003 by nationally known economic growth expert Michael Gallis.

All projections show that the New York Metro area will retain a strong position in the new global economy. Connecticut can benefit by positioning itself as a distinct submarket of that area. While two thousand units of local government compete for economic growth in just this one metro area, selling ourselves as one of the “nine interstate spokes out of NYC” puts us on the world radar screen.

An excerpt from the Gallis report, which projects
a shift to growth to the Danbury-Waterbury I-84 corridor

A gigantic lattice of trade routes is growing just to the west of the Washington to Boston coastal corridor. One million square foot distribution centers appearing on I-81 are one symptom of this. North and south NAFTA trade routes, such as I-87 nearby, are also driving its formation.

The Hudson River presents a barrier to global competitiveness here to its east. But I-84 holds the high card of a free flowing connection across that barrier. The position of I-84 through western Connecticut serves the New England market, then also the New York Metro, then triple duty as a bypass for congested I-95 and NYC.

From the perspective of emerging globally influenced trade patterns, this geography presents the Danbury to Waterbury Corridor with great opportunity. (New and fast multi-lane Route 7 connections north to New Milford are about to pull it more into the I-84 orbit as well).

In reaction to these forces, to insure economic viability for all of Connecticut, I-84 capacity upgrading must be a high statewide priority.