I-84 Hartford- Providence Connection

[Recchia]

Of all the highways that were canceled in RI (both 895 routes,etc.), I think this one shuuld have actually been built. There is NO easy way to get to Hartford now because of it. However, in today's world maybe a highway wouldn't be appropriate and some other form of easy transportation between the cities would be more so.

I saw a video on this at school last summer. There was MAJOR opposition to the highway (I think in rural eastern Connecticutt), the one lady they interviewed was nothing less than really friggen pissed off and did everything she could to let nobody from DOT get anywhere near her property. I think it eventually got killed because they were afraid it would pollute the Scituate Reservoir.

Bostonroads.com had an "unbuilt highways" for Rhode Island before, but I just checked their site and now they don't. They had 84 on there too, I wonder what happened.

[cms821]

I think that absolutely they should have done it. What are your opinions?

We need to form some sort of High-Speed connection from Hartford to Providence It is too bad that they had to kill the I-84/I-184 project in the 80s because of the Scituate Reservoir. They could have made some sort of a parkway with a wide median in the area of the Reservoir. Does anyone else have any ideas on this gap between two important capital cities?

[Cotuit]

I included your comments from your other thread into this poll.

On the poll question, I say no, but...

They should not have gone forward with the plans they had at the time. However, with new highway building technology, they can and should make safety improvements to the corridor to improve traffic flow, and safety.

I'd like to see it become a parkway, no trucks much like the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut. And engineer the project to allow for a future rail link between Providence and Hartford along the parkway's ROW.

[cms821]

I included your comments from your other thread into this poll.

On the poll question, I say no, but...

They should not have gone forward with the plans they had at the time. However, with new highway building technology, they can and should make safety improvements to the corridor to improve traffic flow, and safety.

I'd like to see it become a parkway, no trucks much like the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut. And engineer the project to allow for a future rail link between Providence and Hartford along the parkway's ROW.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Great idea Cotuit- as long as cars can get through. Also they should not allow trucks on suicide 6- That is a dangerous road as it is. Trucks from Prov. To Hartford should be forced to go 95N-146N-90W-84W. But I love the idea of a parkway. Are you thinking at-grade intersections or interchanges? And also if it is cars only could it be elegible as an interstate?

[Cotuit]

As a parkway without trucks, it could not be an interstate highway, and some interstate standards would have to be skirted in the pursuit of building an 'environmentally friendly' roadway (which is quite the oxymoron). I would want to see it have as few at-grade intersections as possible, but there are probably some places were land takings would be prohibitive, and force it into more congested areas where grade seperation would not be feasible.

I don't think the reservoir is as big a concern as it was made out to be. Route 128 passes within feet of the Cambridge reservoir and the fact is, Route 6 passes by the Scituate Reservoir now, interstate or not. Built correctly, a parkway could have less environmental impact on the reservoir and the surrounding area than Route 6 does today.

[Cotuit]

There's some interesting reading about Route 6 here, also here.

[cms821]

As a parkway without trucks, it could not be an interstate highway, and some interstate standards would have to be skirted in the pursuit of building an 'environmentally friendly' roadway (which is quite the oxymoron). I would want to see it have as few at-grade intersections as possible, but there are probably some places were land takings would be prohibitive, and force it into more congested areas where grade seperation would not be feasible.

I don't think the reservoir is as big a concern as it was made out to be. Route 128 passes within feet of the Cambridge reservoir and the fact is, Route 6 passes by the Scituate Reservoir now, interstate or not. Built correctly, a parkway could have less environmental impact on the reservoir and the surrounding area than Route 6 does today.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Then it could be signed as US 6 and the existing 6 could be 6A. It could even be toll on some parts they wanted to collect a few extra dollars.

[cms821]

Thanks

[cms821]

Anyone got any name ideas for a Parkway? I'm thinking about SR 86- The East-West Parkway. I put State Route because I am not sure if a US Route can be truck only. If it could, then it could be called US 6 and the existing 6 could be 6A

[Recchia]

http://www.bostonroads.com/roads/US-6_RI/

Halfway down the page they have a big section about I-84 Providence to Hartford. They changed it to be I-82 and it was going to have exits at Cucumber Hill Road, Foster; RI 94, Foster; RI 102, Scituate; RI 101, Scituate; RI 116, Scituate; and the existing one at I-295, Johnston. Then they re-designated it as I-84 and changed the current I-84 (the Hartford to Mass Pike one) to I-86. Interestingly enough, the website says that the highway would actually use the current Route 6 ROW in order to minimize impacts to the Scituate Reservoir. In the end, the impact was too great anyway though, and it killed the project.

The site also mentions studies to extend route 37 westward from 295 as an alternative, and then also a 1992 long-range plan to build the highway from Route 6/I-295 in Johnston to the Conn. border.

At the bottom of the page, the site actually recommends that the highway be built and connect to 384 outside Hartford.

Looking through this site at other roads I came across some devastating unbuilt roads, like an extension of Route 78 in Westerly (the Westerly Bypass)---there was actually a plan to build a bridge from Westerly to Long Island to be a part of I-495 in Long Island.

[Benhamin]

I think if they built an interstate quality or at least a roadway like Rte. 146 or Rt. 2 in MA between Hartford and Providence, it could possibly help ease congestion on I-95 in CT and RI, especially with the I-195 project going on in Providence. I wonder if they can find a route that would satisfy environmental concerns? I'm sure they couldn't just build a bridge over the reservoir because of those concerns.

[cms821]

Looking through this site at other roads I came across some devastating unbuilt roads, like an extension of Route 78 in Westerly (the Westerly Bypass)---there was actually a plan to build a bridge from Westerly to Long Island to be a part of I-495 in Long Island. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Long Island! That would have been great for people going to Montauk Pt., tip of Long Island, Etc ...so thats why 495 starts with an even number...

[Sleek89]

Wouldent that bridge ummm collapse in like a year lol, it would be huge.

[Baines]

I included your comments from your other thread into this poll.

On the poll question, I say no, but...

They should not have gone forward with the plans they had at the time. However, with new highway building technology, they can and should make safety improvements to the corridor to improve traffic flow, and safety.

I'd like to see it become a parkway, no trucks much like the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut. And engineer the project to allow for a future rail link between Providence and Hartford along the parkway's ROW.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Totally agree. One point, Hartford has much more to gain from a connection to Providence than visa versa...they are a weak and boring city.

[Mij]

Totally agree. One point, Hartford has much more to gain from a connection to Providence than visa versa...they are a weak and boring city.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The same could be said about a road that goes between boston and providence. I voted yes b/c i think it would have been better to have direct connection throughout the region.

[Frankie811]

Long Island!   That would have been great for people going to Montauk Pt., tip of Long Island, Etc    ...so thats why 495 starts with an even number...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What the distance between Westerly and LI?

[Recchia]

What the distance between Westerly and LI?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Its just about 20 miles from Montauk to Westerly, but the site said Riverhead to Westerly, which would have to use Orient Point to Westerly. That distance is over 30 miles and would cross through Fisher's Island. Wierd... Anyway, here's a link to this on the site: http://www.bostonroads.com/roads/RI-78/ The NY-Westerly stuff is at the bottom.

[Cotuit]

Yes, the bridge would have island-hopped from Watch Hill to Orient Point (you can see the islands here). This island-hopping route makes it less of an engineering challenges, but an environmental impossibility (at least today, it probably would have been allowed in the 60s). Also, people on Fishers Island would never allow this to happen.

[cms821]

As of now we are exactly 50/50 on the poll. Very close!

[uconn99]

This road would not have only helped Providence and Hartford but would have brought life back into the old mill towns in Eastern Connecticut like Willimantic, Killingly, and to some extent helped Putnam also. There is still on going talks about eventually connecting I-384 with Rt 6 in Windham, ct but this is years away from becoming reality.

[EnfiladeKH1]

I would like to see a limited access freeway open to all traffic, or if necessary a toll road. But I parkway would hinder a more complete commerce link between the two cities.

...And a few years ago Connecticut wanted to extend the current I-384 to the completed section in Willimantic. Environmentalists, NIMBY people, and the army corp. of engineers shut the project down.

Anyway, this site has alot about route 6 highway projects past and present, including a graphic of the orginal plan through CT:

http://www.kurumi.com/roads/ct/harttoprov.html

[eltron]

From my perspective, a proposed I-84 connection would be terrible on many fronts, and not seriously help either of the cities...

It would just contribute to more sprawl and cause much more long-term and irreversible damage that just cannot justify a quicker car connection between two secondary cities that have little other connection to each other....

[Garris]

From my perspective, a proposed I-84 connection would be terrible on many fronts, and not seriously help either of the cities...

It would just contribute to more sprawl and cause much more long-term and irreversible damage that just cannot justify a quicker car connection between two secondary cities that have little other connection to each other....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

More or less agreed... I don't see the inherent benefit...

- Garris

[HartfordTycoon]

Totally agree. One point, Hartford has much more to gain from a connection to Providence than visa versa...they are a weak and boring city.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

We're not doing this again are we? Anyway I think a connection would be good for both cities as Hartford is a major center of business and Providence is a nice city. It would also establish a more direct link to Westchester County from RI.

[Cotuit]

We're not doing this again are we?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No, we are not, please note when that post was written.