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Making the Bulkeley Bridge a city street


MadVlad

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I was driving from downtown into East Hartford today and took the Bulkeley Bridge. You know, I really don't think it would be hard to just make it city streets; Morgan Street to Connecticut Blvd. Does that little highway extention need to be there? Can't people just take one of the other fly overs to get to I-84, Rte 2, or I-91 South? I think it would be great to have that type of connection between the 2 cities....

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I was driving from downtown into East Hartford today and took the Bulkeley Bridge. You know, I really don't think it would be hard to just make it city streets; Morgan Street to Connecticut Blvd. Does that little highway extention need to be there? Can't people just take one of the other fly overs to get to I-84, Rte 2, or I-91 South? I think it would be great to have that type of connection between the 2 cities....

No, it shouldn't be hard at all...

8c15119r.jpg

We should put it back like that... (and bring back the cobblestone...)

I-84 should be rerouted over the Bissell Bridge in Windsor.

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I was driving from downtown into East Hartford today and took the Bulkeley Bridge. You know, I really don't think it would be hard to just make it city streets; Morgan Street to Connecticut Blvd. Does that little highway extention need to be there? Can't people just take one of the other fly overs to get to I-84, Rte 2, or I-91 South? I think it would be great to have that type of connection between the 2 cities....

Like the way Springfield and West Springfield connect to each other?

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I always thought I-84 should have built its own bridge.............not hijack the Bulkeley. The beauty of the bridge has diminished since it has been taken out of the fabric of the city.

Imagine Connecticut BLVD linking Main Street in Downtown Hartford with Main Street in Downtown East Hartford. I would also try to relocate the car dealerships that are on the East Hartford side.

Where would I-84 be rerouted?

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Heh, well, I could say we could bury it under the river, but that didn't work out so well for Boston, now did it....

I'm glad Hartford doesn't have the serious problems that the Big Dig is facing right now. Who know's what other structural problems they'll find in Boston.

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Where would I-84 be rerouted?

When I travel between Waterbury and East Hartford I often take I-691 east - I-91 north - Charter Oak Bridge. I prefer the road bed. I-84 in West Hartford and Hartford has all those curves with the 45 MPH speed limits.

I would like to see consideration go into upgrading I-691 - I-91- Charter Oak Bridge to carry the official I-84 route. The former (official) route could be optimized as a more regional expressway serving the western environs of Hartford. Perhaps it could be called I-484 or something. The Downtown and Bulkeley Bridge segments would then be replaced with landscaped boulevards.

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I'm glad Hartford doesn't have the serious problems that the Big Dig is facing right now. Who know's what other structural problems they'll find in Boston.

AMEN. People for a while were saying it would be nice to have I-84 and I-91 buried in Hartford. However, Boston proved what a terrible idea that would be. We should spend our money on many small things, not one massive project that has yet to be successful anywhere in the world. That way, if an idea turns out to be a bad one, we'll at least have other small ideas that have chances to succeed. Where, if you're ONE HUGE PROJECT fails... well, just look at Boston.

They could in fact build another bridge for I-84, no? How about something nice, similar to the Arrigoni Bridge in Middletown or the Ben Franklin Bridge in Philly.

I say Putnam Bridge in Wethersfield or Bissell Bridge in Windsor. Ideally, maybe 20-30 years down the road, I'd love to see that thing (I-84) get the hell out of Hartford!

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I say Putnam Bridge in Wethersfield or Bissell Bridge in Windsor. Ideally, maybe 20-30 years down the road, I'd love to see that thing (I-84) get the hell out of Hartford!

I'm not sure how the Putnam Bridge would work though. Would I-84 East get routed along I-91 south to Rt 3? I'd hate to see the traffic there from 330 - 630 every night.....

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The easiest thing would be to use the Bissel as suggested above.and then through the resevoir system on the west side of the city (the old 291 path). That has already been defeated once. It will be very tough to muster the the politica will to do ANYTHING AT ALL.

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The easiest thing would be to use the Bissel as suggested above.and then through the resevoir system on the west side of the city (the old 291 path).

I think the resevoir route would be more difficult than the 691 route. The transportation corridor is already in place. It would just need some upgrading.

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I don't agree that the Big Dig is such a disaster. It's terrible someone died from a design flaw, and the cost of the project was truly insane, but the basic idea is a good one. It makes some sense that major highways would go through a major city, but it's a shame to ruin the landscape of a city center - as Hartford is ruined - with a mess of ugly, polluting highways that create a massive pedestrian no-man's land. A tunnel is one solution. And it's good for drivers, too - if you drove through Boston before and after the Big Dig opened, you know what an improvement it is.

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We are in agreement, brother. I really would love to have all our highways buried through downtown, not much would make me happier. That being said, I really wouldn't be surprised if the DOT messed up that type of project like Mass did with the Big Dig. I just have no faith in them...

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We are in agreement, brother. I really would love to have all our highways buried through downtown, not much would make me happier. That being said, I really wouldn't be surprised if the DOT messed up that type of project like Mass did with the Big Dig. I just have no faith in them...

I can't argue with that. It would be nice to get the highways buried and develop the land that they are on now.

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I can't argue with that. It would be nice to get the highways buried and develop the land that they are on now.

It would create giant mess in this state that we'd be paying off forever.... Please, just forget that idea. Hopefully someday the highways will be rerouted through the suburbs, some housing divisions and strip malls may be affected, but who cares about that? Better to do that than spend billions on some tunnels.

I still think that in 30 years or less, gas will be so expensive that traffic will be cut significantly, and some highways will just close.

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RE: I-691 - I-91 - Charter Oak Bridge route

Here's the thing though,if you use I-691, imagine the cluster-f that would ensue from 691 in Meriden to the Putnam Bridge....

It is not as though all the commuter traffic into Hartford from the west is going to be transferred to 691. Those who commute from Southington, Plainville, Farmington etc. into Hartford would still use the current route (which would reach the city before dispersing into landscaped boulevards). Through traffic (from Waterbury that is going beyond Hartford) would be encouraged to use the 691 route.

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RE: I-691 - I-91 - Charter Oak Bridge route

It is not as though all the commuter traffic into Hartford from the west is going to be transferred to 691. Those who commute from Southington, Plainville, Farmington etc. into Hartford would still use the current route (which would reach the city before dispersing into landscaped boulevards). Through traffic (from Waterbury that is going beyond Hartford) would be encouraged to use the 691 route.

Good point, but shouldn't it pass a little closer to the city?

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I always thought I-84 should have built its own bridge.............not hijack the Bulkeley. The beauty of the bridge has diminished since it has been taken out of the fabric of the city.

Imagine Connecticut BLVD linking Main Street in Downtown Hartford with Main Street in Downtown East Hartford. I would also try to relocate the car dealerships that are on the East Hartford side.

Where would I-84 be rerouted?

Bill:

Where would you FORCE Hoffmann Enterprises (Hoffman dealerships) and the others to move? Also, what would you do with the land? How about Staples -- want them to move, too?

Jim

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AMEN. People for a while were saying it would be nice to have I-84 and I-91 buried in Hartford. However, Boston proved what a terrible idea that would be. We should spend our money on many small things, not one massive project that has yet to be successful anywhere in the world. That way, if an idea turns out to be a bad one, we'll at least have other small ideas that have chances to succeed. Where, if you're ONE HUGE PROJECT fails... well, just look at Boston.

I say Putnam Bridge in Wethersfield or Bissell Bridge in Windsor. Ideally, maybe 20-30 years down the road, I'd love to see that thing (I-84) get the hell out of Hartford!

mikel:

So you want I-84 to go across the Bissell Bridge to 91? Then what?? All of that (I-84) traffic will end up on I-91 and already, I-91 is bad. Truckers won't like that, because they'll be stuck in TRAFFIC. Putnam Bridge would be a bit easier, but still Rt 2 is a pain.

Jim

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Bill:

Where would you FORCE Hoffmann Enterprises (Hoffman dealerships) and the others to move? Also, what would you do with the land? How about Staples -- want them to move, too?

Jim

Maybe a deal could be cut with Hoffman/Gengris to move somewhere else...

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RE: I-691 - I-91 - Charter Oak Bridge route

It is not as though all the commuter traffic into Hartford from the west is going to be transferred to 691. Those who commute from Southington, Plainville, Farmington etc. into Hartford would still use the current route (which would reach the city before dispersing into landscaped boulevards). Through traffic (from Waterbury that is going beyond Hartford) would be encouraged to use the 691 route.

Good point, but shouldn't it pass a little closer to the city?

Isn't the Charter Oak Bridge close enough to the city for through traffic? Do all the Danbury to New Hampshire bound trucks need to pass any closer?

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