UP|Greater Hartford

DOT at it again - I-84 patch job

The Voice of Reason — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:43:33 +0000

MichaelQReilly, on 20 November 2009 - 08:36 AM, said:

Rick Green changed his tune pretty quickly. My link I'm looking forward to hearing some feedback from those who attended last night.

It was an interesting meeting.

I do not know where to begin, but maybe to say that I met Bill M in person, so that was a plus.

There was not enough time for comment

if you bring 30 people together you are going to need more than 30 minutes for discussion. It was a great start however. They broke us into 3 groups

transportation
design and the build environment?? I honestly do not recall the name of this group)
and Economic development.

I was in the econ development group. So I can not speak for what happened in the others.
we all shared ideas, then reported back to the group in a short 2 minute presentation.

after that we had a discussion, and made clarifications amongst the entire group.

lots of notes were taken, and I hope those notes get translated into the plans.

It should be noted that the earlier session had everyone writing on maps and sharing thoughts with the consultants individually, so a huge amount of info was put into play there.

DOT at it again - I-84 patch job

MichaelQReilly — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:36:10 +0000

Rick Green changed his tune pretty quickly. My link I'm looking forward to hearing some feedback from those who attended last night.

Edit: Here is WFSB's story on this from last night. Nothing much we don't already know.

COMPLETED: Hartford 21

ConnMan — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:30:46 +0000

Looks like there's construction paper on the door and windows of one of H21's store fronts on Trumbull. Anyone know what's going in?

DOT at it again - I-84 patch job

MichaelQReilly — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:22:58 +0000

beerbeer, on 19 November 2009 - 09:26 AM, said:

Will removing the viaduct have a major impact on the economy or quality of life in Hartford? I would have to say no. But it does need to be replaced, so it be should done in a thoughtful way. But as far as having any real effect on the city, no one has made that case, most effects will be minimal.

I somewhat disagree with this. I think that if the 84 barrier was lessened the parts of Asylum Hill and Main Street on the far side of 84 would almost immediately see a rise in property value due to being incorpoated into the fabric of downtown. As things currently stand, especially with Main Street, the part North of 84 might as well be in another state altogether from the perspective of someone downtown.

DOT at it again - I-84 patch job

beerbeer — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:26:43 +0000

DOT at it again - I-84 patch job

mikel — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:26:53 +0000

The fact that the viaduct is ending its useful life and is going to need major state work is enough to make this a priority. The DOT should be seriously listening to city residents, businesses, the greater Hartford community, and taking into account how the highway negatively affects the city and how other cities worldwide prosper without having massive highways cut through the heart of them. The only reason it shouldn't be a priority is all likelihood, the DOT will as usual do the wrong thing anyway so it probably is a waste of time.

DOT at it again - I-84 patch job

The Voice of Reason — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:12:12 +0000

MichaelQReilly, on 18 November 2009 - 02:52 PM, said:

Anyone planning to attend the input session tonight? I wish I could go to present my plan , but I won't be getting out of work in time.

I will be there, but its tomorrow.

DOT at it again - I-84 patch job

HartfordTycoon — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:48:37 +0000

I am among those who don't see removing I-84 as a vital priority. Sorry, I just don't see the need to take on this issue now. I use 84 all the time to get in and out of Hartford or even from one side to the other. I don't know, I just can't get worked up about it. We have tons of undeveloped land in Hartford and I would be much more inclined to think this is a big deal if we were running out but we are not. This is just one guy's opinion though, so by all means do whatever you guys want to advocate for whatever you think would be the best for 84.

DOT at it again - I-84 patch job

MichaelQReilly — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:52:09 +0000

Anyone planning to attend the input session tonight? I wish I could go to present my plan , but I won't be getting out of work in time.

DOT at it again - I-84 patch job

Theophrastus Bombastus — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:11:44 +0000

mikel, on 12 June 2009 - 05:56 PM, said:

I believe the best plan is the no-build plan. Remove I-84 through Hartford. The End. But we need to get passenger rail running first.

The guy at the Courant doesn't agree with you:

http://blogs.courant.com/rick_green/2009/11/highway-teardown-hartford-i-84.html#more