Contents --- 1. Introduction --- 2. Roadway System
3a. I- 84 --- 3b. RT 7 South --- 3c. RT 7 North

4. Projects by Municipality --- 5. Bus Plan --- 6. Rail Plan
Other Elements 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e --- 8. Resource Center

RIDESHARING SERVICES
Publicly subsidized ridesharing services are provided by Metropool, Inc. The service area combines southwestern Connecticut (including the Housatonic Valley Planning Region) and nearby counties in New York State.

This long established ridesharing service offers both employers and employees a wealth of information and services to find the best and most economical way to work.

Metropool services include car, van and shuttle formation, ride matching services, on site technical assistance, guaranteed ride home programs, how-to guides and other related aids. Metropool, Inc. can be contacted at One Landmark Square, Stamford, CT, 06901, at 1-800-FIND RIDE, and via the web link above.

COMMUTER PARKING LOTS
For those area residents seeking to reduce the expense of daily commuting, the alternative of carpooling from a commuter lot is attractive. These lots also serve as pick-up points for commuter van and HART bus services.

Since 1973 the Connecticut DOT has been establishing state maintained parking lots adjacent to the more important roadways throughout the State. Currently nine of Connecticut's commuter parking facilities are located in three of the communities of the Housatonic Valley Region, as follows:

1. Danbury: 160 spaces on Route 6 near I-84 Exit 1
2. Danbury: 112 spaces on Route 6 near I-84 Exit 2
3. Danbury: 50 spaces on Segar Street near I-84 Exit 7

4. Danbury: 171 spaces on Miry Brook Road at Route 7
5. Danbury: 115 spaces on Route 805 - Federal Road
6. Danbury: 75 spaces on Route 840 - White Turkey Road

7. New Milford: 87 spaces on Pickett District Road

8. Newtown: 53 spaces on Route 25 near I-84 Exit 9
9. Newtown: 78 Spaces on Mile Hill Road at I-84 Exit 11

In 2000 the Housatonic Area Regional Transit District completed a detailed assessment of conditions and needs at each commuter parking lot. This report is available at HVCEO.

Adding additional spaces to the regional inventory is now the goal. There are clear constraints to further progress, however, as lot development is tied to the presence of state owned land in suitable locations. Further suitable state properties appear to be limited.

Conn DOT leasing of properties could then become the primary method by which the amount of commuter parking space is further expanded. But this process will be more costly per space developed than for those developed on state properties to date.

Note that some of these problems have been successfully addressed by CT DOT and HART for commuter shuttles to the Harlem passenger rail line from New Fairfield, Danbury and Ridgefield.

INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS (ITS)
During recent years much has been done to promote the efficiency of transportation systems through modern electronic tools. This area of technological innovation is known as Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS).

Traffic congestion and accident surveillance systems, live traffic cams for public and management use, highway advisory radio, clearinghouses for traveler information, and signal system interconnections are all major strategies to wring more capacity out of existing facilities.

Private enterprise is developing personal information services on the Internet that meet this need as well.

To enhance the public's ability to read and use intelligent transportation systems, all federally funded initiatives must conform to the National ITS Architecture Consistency Policy.

In Connecticut, ITS strategies for the largest urban areas and for the Interstate 95 and Interstate 91 corridors have been priorities. Initiation by Conn DOT of activities for the I-84 corridor and mid-sized regions such as the Housatonic Valley are following. A summary of ITS activities in this planning region:

CT DOT I-84 and Route 7 Video Cams: The traffic camera images available below are updated approximately every five minutes. To refresh the image, refresh your browser.

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

CT 7 Danbury northbound south of I-84 - Park Avenue

CT DOT I-84 Variable Message Signs: In 2009 CT DOT installed five portable variable message signs with closed circuit television and two without closed circuit. The devices were installed on concrete platforms located on I-84 in the Greater Danbury area.

CITY of Danbury Video Cams: The leading municipal intelligent transportation system in the region is that maintained by the City of Danbury. Live traffic can be monitored on its citywide video cam system.

City of Danbury video cam locations.

HVCEO Signal Coordination Studies: Improved signal coordination throughout the Region has been pursued via an HVCEO regional signal system coordination plan. The document includes a Traffic Signal Coordination Handbook as well as detailed coordination plans for Backus Avenue in Danbury and Bridge Street in New Milford.

HVCEO - COGCNV I-84 Traffic Diversion Plan: This study will be completed in 2011 in cooperation with CT DEMHS, CT DOT, COGCNV and local emergency management officials.

It will serve as the guide during I-84 traffic emergencies. Diversion plans for other expressways in Connecticut are available from the CRCOG Diversion Plans page.

Future Intelligent Transportation Systems:
For future ITS, one possibility is for electronic information signs at the Downtown Danbury HART Pulse Point, if city sign regulations can be met. Also, bus signal preemption in certain corridors may be a regional strategy.

GOODS MOVEMENT BY TRUCK AND RAIL
It is generally known that the freight transportation industry in the United States has undergone dramatic changes in the last twenty years. Developments in “containerization”, shifts in the manufacturing industry to “just-in-time” delivery; the deregulation of rail, trucking and aviation industries, and the development of new trading patterns in a global economy have led to consolidation and restructuring of freight transportation modes.

The development of expressways such as I-84 and I-95, the trend toward larger and heavier trucks, more time-sensitive shipping requirements, increasing competition, and railroad branch line reductions have contributed to the trucking industry attracting a large market share of goods movements. But, while the number of truck trips is increasing, the average length of such trips is decreasing.

On the national scene many shippers are using more cost-effective rail, air or water transport for the long-haul portion of freight delivery, with trucking firms supplying the pick up and delivery portion of trips rather than supplying end-to-end service. Thus truck/intermodal traffic has increased dramatically in recent years and should continue to increase.

According to Conn DOT, Connecticut, because of its small geographic area and its close proximity to some of the nation’s largest ports, intermodal rail facilities and airports, can expect to continue to see primarily the truck portions of intermodal freight trips.

According to Conn DOT, most rail shipments entering Connecticut fall within a limited range of bulk commodities such as crushed stone, lumber, rolled paper, steel, chemicals, and waste products. The manufacturing and distribution companies who currently receive these goods by rail accept significantly longer shipment times than would be required for truck shipment of their low-value, non-time-sensitive raw materials and products.

See also the HVCEO Rail Freight in the Region report.

TRAVEL BY BICYCLE
A detailed HVCEO report on bicycle planning and criteria was adopted by the Council in 1996.

This was used successfully to insure sufficient shoulder width for bicycles in the Route 7 Danbury - Ridgefield roadway widening project and as an input to municipal plans of conservation and development.

See also the Connecticut Statewide Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan.

Excerpt from the CT 2009 Bicycle Map

AIR SERVICE
Danbury Municipal Airport
Danbury Airport has no regular public air passenger service, except to Cape Cod and related tourist destinations in the summer.

The following text is taken from the 2002 Danbury Plan of Conservation and Development:

Danbury Municipal Airport is the base for corporate air fleets, a flight school, and a number of aviation services, and consists of two intersecting runways and the control tower.

The airport is used exclusively for private flights and is protected from land use intrusions by the Airport Protection Zone in the zoning regulations. This zone is intended to reduce hazards in the approach and transition zones by controlling building area and height.

Danbury Municipal Airport

The 1995 Danbury Airport Master Plan offers three land use and zoning recommendations to further the protective envelope: (1) the City should acquire land or easements along the residentially zoned portion of Miry Brook Road to control the height of vegetation; (2) permitted land uses around the airport should be restricted to avoid new land use conflicts; and, (3) the Airport Protection Zone regulations should be updated to conform to current airspace standards. The airport has no plans to expand its current boundaries.

The airport's greatest negative impact on the community is the noise associated primarily with the flight school. This is especially severe during summer weekends and has its greatest impact on the Wooster Heights neighborhood.

To minimize this negative impact, many airports around the region institute noise abatement policies that impose curfews during those hours when noise is most likely to disturb residential neighborhoods, policies that could be considered by the Airport Authority.

Candlelight Farms Airport
As for the small Candlelight Farms Airport in western New Milford, it has two turf runways and no control tower. The largest runway is 2,000 feet, aircraft parking is via tiedowns, and there are about 33 aircraft based at this field.

Source: The Kathryn Report

Candlelight Farms Airport in New Milford

Stewart International Airport
The international airport options for Greater Danbury can be viewed by size. Kennedy Airport has 42 million passengers annually, La Guardia 23 million, Bradley 6.7 million and Stewart 300,000.

Early in 2007 the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns Kennedy and La Guardia, purchased Stewart Airport. The Port Authority goal is to shift some air traffic north to Stewart.

As Stewart in Newburgh, NY is about 40 miles west of Danbury we are the market and air service development there serves our interests. A direct exit to Stewart Airport from I-84 is also planned.

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