PART 3A:

INTERSTATE 84

IMPROVEMENT POLICY

CT DOT I-84 Video Cams:
I-84 Newtown eastbound east of Exit 9 - Tunnel Road
I-84 Danbury westbound east of Exit 6 - Rockwell Road
I-84 Danbury westbound Exit 6 - Rt. 37 (North Street)

I-84 Danbury eastbound Exit 5 - Starr Avenue
I-84 Danbury eastbound Exit 4 - Lake Avenue
RT 7 Danbury northbound south of I-84 - Park Avenue

1: INTRODUCTION

1A. I-84 AT A CROSSROADS

From the perspective of the Greater Danbury Region as a whole, the "regional main street" for all towns is Interstate 84. Fast and reliable access on I-84 with minimal delay and congestion is vital on all fronts; employment and services, culture and recreation, emergency response, etc.

I-84's traffic capacity maximum limits were designed to be forward thinking back in the mid 1950's. They were set to work well for decades into the future, and have done so admirably.

But more than 55 years have passed, during which the Region has grown tremendously.

Early view of Newtown's Exit 10 westbound.
When it was new, I-84 inspired community pride
and provided consistently free flowing conditions.

While standard for their time, I-84's now dated exit designs, weaving patterns and limited number of thru lanes will increasingly restrict future prosperity. The writing is on the wall: the venerable fifties traffic features will not carry us far into the 21st century without expensive renovation.

Part of the forward thinking fifties design was to anticipate that in the future, additional lanes would be needed on the key highest volume central Danbury segment between Exits 4 and 7. Space to add these future lanes was deliberately designed in back then.

They were duly added and opened to traffic in 1988 without tearing down and widening all of the associated overpasses to provide clearance for them. Forward thinking.

But what was not anticipated in the late fifties was future conversion of Greater Danbury's I-84 to accommodate toll collection - a hot topic in Connecticut today. In contrast, The Connecticut Turnpike, Massachusetts Turnpike and New York Thruway built in the fifties all incorporated design features for tolling from the start.

This original design difference presents a significant constraint in any attempt to retrofit I-84 for tolling today.

A characteristic of our time is that roadway upgrade funds, such as needed for I-84, are limited and competitive. Tolling of I-95, I-84 and other Connecticut expressways is proposed by some legislators as a key source of much needed highway expansion funds.

The center of regional economic growth
developed around Danbury's I-84 Exits 7 and 8.

Tolling could raise the hundreds of millions of dollars needed for roadway upgrading and this political initiative will not dissipate anytime soon.

Should Greater Danbury's upcoming I-84 reconstruction include a retrofit to enable one or more toll booths to fund capacity improvements?

Alternatively, can the area avoid toll options and compete for funds thru traditional channels?

This research on toll impacts is to assist in determining the HVCEO position on tolling and provide information to legislators and others.

1B. I-84 IN ITS EARLY YEARS

Only old timers can now recall that back in the 1950's the east-west flow of traffic through Greater Danbury made use of two lane Route 6. The long planned and much needed bypass of that historic route, I-84, arrived from the east in 1958, ending temporarily at Exit 11 in Newtown.

Then on December 16, 1961 I-84 formally opened across the entire Region, passing through Newtown, the southernmost tip of Brookfield, northern Bethel and Danbury to link up with New York State sections. Total length thru the Region is 18.5 miles.

Most roadway expansion induces growth, and Greater Danbury was quickly transformed.

The City of Danbury's population rose from 39,382 in 1960 to 50,781 in 1970. Development potential in Brookfield was truly "cracked open" as the population rose from a quiet 3,405 in 1960 to a suburban 9,688 in just one decade.

Newtown grew from 11,373 to 16,942 during the sixties. Economic development expanded at a similar fast pace.

I-84 is the "regional Main Street"
for the entire metropolitan area.

The introduction of an interstate route, coupled with construction of I-684 in nearby New York State, was and remains a tremendous stimulus to the Region's growth.

The growth impact of I-84 after 1961 was
further enhanced by its connection to I-684 in 1973.

I
-84 has become an indispensable economic asset, of great importance to the citizens of all ten municipalities in the region and beyond. Greater Danbury's I-84, as a key statewide gateway is also objectively recognized as of great value to the economy of Connecticut.

1C. 1950S DESIGN NEEDS RETROFIT

The impact of growing traffic volumes over the decades has revealed that the key weaknesses of the original 1950's designs were in the limited capacity given to exit ramps and the limited number of thru lanes in cross-sections. While not noticeable in the early 1960's, exit capacity limitations present serious drawbacks today.

Fortunately I-84 has not remained unchanged since opening in 1961: some significant upgrades to segments have been completed over the years;

--- In the early seventies a second and parallel bridge was added to the I-84 crossing of the Housatonic River, such that future widening is not needed there even by 2025.

--- Also in the early seventies Exit 11 in Newtown was entirely rebuilt to accommodate the planned Route 25 Expressway to arrive from the south. As plans for the Route 25 Expressway have been dropped, Conn DOT will now downsize overly large Exit 11.

--- In the late seventies, Exits 1 and 2 in Danbury were entirely rebuilt to accommodate the massive headquarters of Union Carbide Corporation, the largest office building in Connecticut.

--- Then in the late eighties the cross section of I-84 between Exits 3 and 7 in central Danbury was expanded from 4 lanes to 6 lanes.

This 1980 News Times article foresaw two new lanes on
I-84 in central Danbury, raising the total from four to six.
They were completed in 1988, a 50% increase in capacity.

It became evident by 1990 that additional expansions of I-84 capacities would be needed to properly serve interregional thru traffic, be the dominant roadway for the area and retain a free flowing state gateway.

HVCEO and the Connecticut Department of Transportation reached agreement in 2000 as to the conceptual designs for lane additions and interchange capacity improvements needed. The construction cost estimate in 2000 was $268 million, certainly more now.

See the illustrations for each CT DOT exit improvement plan:

PLANS FOR EXITS 1-7 IN DANBURY:
EXIT 1 SHORT TERM ONLY
EXIT 2 SHORT TERM; LONG TERM
EXITS 3-4 SHORT TERM; MEDIUM; LONG TERM

EXIT 5 SHORT TERM; LONG TERM
EXIT 6 SHORT TERM; LONG TERM
EXIT 7 SHORT TERM; MEDIUM; LONG TERM

PLAN FOR EXIT 8 ON DANBURY-BETHEL LINE:
EXIT 8 SHORT TERM; LONG TERM

PLANS FOR EXITS 9-11 IN NEWTOWN:
EXIT 9 SHORT TERM; LONG TERM
EXIT 10 SHORT TERM; LONG TERM
EXIT 11 SHORT TERM; LONG TERM

Detailed justification is available from the text
for each I-84 CT DOT I-84 Plan chapter:
Cover Page ; Contents ; Chapter 1; Chapter 2; Chapter 3;
Chapter 4; Chapter 5; Chapter 6; Chapter 7; Appendix.

Example of a Conn DOT I-84 exit redesign, in this case I-84 Exit 5 in Danbury.
Blue indicates features removed. Note greatly extended westbound
off ramp vehicle storage capacity and eastbound
off ramp no longer to use Downs Street.

Tolling was not studied in the 2000 Conn DOT I-84 Plan. And the agreement reached between HVCEO and Conn DOT in 2000 did not reference future tolling of any section of I-84.

Further, there were no formal tolling proposals for I-84 prior to those in a 2009 CT Tolling Study. Neither Conn DOT nor HVCEO have to date taken a position as to the desirability of tolling I-84.

As for I-84's competition within the Region for roadway widening funds, I-84 needs are clearly dominant, as shown on the regional map of future roadway widenings.

1D. I-84 CONGESTION TO GROW 2010-2025

The exit by exit capacity improvements detailed above cannot proceed until they receive their detailed environmental clearance.

To accomplish this, as of 2009 one of Conn DOT's major studies in Connecticut was the preparation of an I-84 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) from Danbury east to Waterbury in conformance with Federal Highway Administration guidelines. However after an initial set of public meetings the EIS process was cancelled by CT DOT in April of 2010.

The completion of this $5 million planning document was to qualify Greater Danbury's and Greater Waterbury's I-84 improvement needs for federal funding.

The cancelled I-84 EIS remains an administrative
necessity before federal funds can be committed.

The EIS was to take a serious look at options to traditional roadway widening, such as more carpooling and greatly expanded bus transit. But the practicality of such EIS options to actually prevent future congestion often proves elusive.

An overview of deteriorating conditions summarized from the Conn DOT 2000 I-84 Study is as follows:

EASTBOUND I-84 IN 2025 AM: The only good news in 2025 is that operating conditions along most of the eastbound I-84 mainline will remain acceptable during the morning peak hour. The exception will be the Exit 7 to Exit 8 segment in Danbury.

EASTBOUND I-84 IN 2025 PM: During the eastbound evening peak hour however, the number of congested segments will rise substantially.

All eastbound segments will by 2025 be over capacity except for the Exit 2 thru 4 west side segment in Danbury. The worst of the PM problem will be on the central Danbury Exit 4 to Exit 8 segment.

WESTBOUND I-84 IN 2025 AM: For the westbound morning peak hour, all segments in Danbury, Bethel and Newtown will be over capacity except for Exit 1 thru Exit 4 on Danbury's west side. Again the Exit 4 to 8 segment in central Danbury will be the most problematic.

WESTBOUND I-84 IN 2025 PM: The afternoon peak hour will have a similar congestion pattern as the westbound morning peak hour but not quite as severe as in the AM.

As traffic conditions deteriorate during the 2010-2025 period public anxiety over the expansion of I-84 will rise.

Above: marketing Greater Danbury on the global stage.
Addressing I-84 congestion problems is vital for
continuing the area's economic development.

An important report by the CT Transportation Strategy Board was released in 2010. Excerpted below is a key recommendation from that report, entitled A Strategic Framework for Investing in Connecticut's Transportation, that is relevant to I-84 thru Greater Danbury:

“The strategic importance of a project derives in part from the importance of the travel corridor it serves… Given the State’s limited fiscal resources, the strategic importance of a corridor should be one of the factors considered when allocating limited funding.”

Continuing, “Considering their role in linking Connecticut to national transportation networks and major economic centers, the two most important corridors are New York – New Haven and New York – Danbury – Waterbury - Hartford. Both corridors provide critical access to New York City and most of the national transportation network outside New England.”

See also the 10/2009

I-84 GREATER DANBURY

TOLL PLAZA IMPACT STUDY