Most of those left exits and entrances are actually 'ghost' interchanges for freeways that were planned, but never built. They instead now connect with local streets.
The designers of the 1960s never dreamed these highways would have so much traffic. A little bit further and you would have passed the Blue Colony Diner, a favorite of many people.
Nice ride Jim- great music to go with the tunes- loved seeing the mix of the old with the new- meaning the upgraded sections and the non-upgraded sections of highway! Always makes it interesting- also loved seeing the view of downtown Hartford and of Waterbury! Nice ride- East coast highways sure do have their charms if you ask me!
Ah yes the Connecticut left exit epidemic as my father once called it. I'm pretty sure I learned a certain 4 letter word from him while on this road. Good times.
Ah yes, the infamous Waterbury Mixmaster, crumbling underneath our very wheels. (On a better note, ConnDOT is actually widening I-84 through Waterbury as we speak. The widening project is scheduled to be completed by 2020.)
Dad and I took a drive on it the day it opened, 67 I think. Hopped on 84 from Chase Parkway. We were THE only car on it! Thought it was a wonder of engineering at the time.
They're making the highway entering Waterbury from the east wider. The project will take about 4 to 5 years to finish. Then after they're finished with that the mixmaster that connects I-84 with route 8 will get a makeover too. Traffic is even more hellish than it already was....hopefully when everything is done. Traffic will be a lot more smoother.
Jane Marie: Thank you, glad you enjoyed the ride. The camera is mounted on a tripod in the front seat area, it also has a amazing Image Stabilization feature which keeps it very steady.
Good video on a highway I have driven about a million times. If you drove 43 miles in 40 minutes, you averaged 64.5mph on roads that mostly had 50 and 55mph speed limits. 😎 This helps you blend in better with the local drivers. 😆 I agree that my home state has too many left-lane entrances and exits, but it would be a really expensive fix.
I would like a Hartford to Springfield ride one day. Lol great job as always. I wish I could do videos like this due to all the adventures that I go on.
5:05 Probably because it is half abandoned! I was surprised that you didn't mention this but the sliproads to the north are unused as well as the mainline. Only the southern slips to CT-9 are used.
Left exits are not only confined to Connecticut. The I-490 in Rochester NY has a few left exits on it. The I-309/I-490 interchange on the western edge of Rochester can be a real nightmare since all the ramps go off from the left.
New England certainly has some interesting and unique freeways. I kind of like the left hand exits and the stack at the end certainly qualifies for name of "malfunction junction". All and all nice ride.
There used to be a few left exit ramps on the 101 Freeway around San Jose, CA. They were certainly hair-raising. I think they're all gone now. A couple of years ago, the last left off ramp from the Santa Ana Freeway near LA finally closed. Thank goodness! There were a lot of bad wrecks because of these ramps.
I lived in Bristol from 1990-1994, and that traditional four level stack didn't actuality open until the early part of the 90s. The DOT did a route number realignment when it opened. Route 9 was extended to it's current terminus at 84 and CT 72 was truncated near Plainville and Middletown.
4:38 Speaking of this traditional stack, as I may recall, people don't want their homes and jobs replaced by freeways and that stack is unusual and I-291 CT was planned to be a ¾ beltway, but people in West Hartford don't want their suburban areas linked or replaced by that and then the plan was cancelled in 1979 and I-291 CT is planned as a bypass route of I-84 (east portion) to Boston and I-91 to Springfield, MA and that freeway portion linking near Middletown, New Britain and near West Hartford used to be part of I-291 CT and is now marked as part of CT-9.
European Roads Both 84 and 8 are double decked highways at that interchange, so from what they've said on the local news about it is it is going to be expensive. There's a relatively steep valley (by CT standards anyway) there that 84 crosses and 8 runs along, so I think the elevation of things complicates it a little too. When it comes to highways, the state is very conservative probably because even small projects are insanely expensive to undertake. My guess is that interchange will still be exactly the same 20 years from now.
I actually checked out this video, and another one by another user, just so I could see the old setup of the Waterbury area again. I saw it for the first time in 2014, and a couple of times after that before the project started. Was not disappointed! How it is now is really nice, but I do miss that concrete stretch for Westbound, it was all paved over a few months ago. Eastbound still has it, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time before it will be paved over.
"HOV-Lane" I had to look that up one up because here it means a lane dedicated to public transportation (such as a regional or interregional bus service ---hoogwaardig openbaar vervoer - basically a kind of BRT system).
I can’t believe they kept 84 from Farmington to Waterbury at 55 mph all those years after the state officially raised the speed limit to 65. A good stretch of that is rural. They finally raised those areas up to 65 mph, well drops to 55 once you get into Waterbury.
Steven Baldi And they are two separate highways! The I-84 in Idaho is not the same road as the one in Connecticut (which begins near Scranton PA and ends at the Mass Pike in Sturbridge MA). I didn't think they could repeat numbers like that, but maybe for short highways it's OK? Does anyone know how that happened?
+Alex Rodriguez In the Interstate Highway System, an Interstate highway cannot repeat itself within a single state, but can repeat in other states. Same goes for 3-digit Interstate routes. For example, I-76 exists in both Pennsylvania and Colorado. I-610 cannot exist in both Houston and El Paso because both locations are within the state of Texas. And I-238 in California exists because I-80, the parent route, ran out of even numbers to use in California.
@@jdanon203 Because both I-84s lay between the corridors of I-80 and I-90. There are two I-76s, one that runs from Akron OH all the way to Cherry Hill NJ and than the western 76 runs from Denver CO to five miles inside Nebraska and terminates with I-80.
IIRC, just shortly after the HOV lane begins, there was a *Nice & Easy* deli/diner located at one of the exits somewhere. Is it still in existence, by any chance?
Sorry, but I couldn't watch this whole thing, I love how all wide loads have to be routed through Prospect because the mixmaster is deemed no longer safe for them, but it's ok for all 18 wheelers and box cars and vehicles?
Going south on the Wilbur Cross Pkwy becomes the Merritt Pkwy when the highway crosses the Connecticut River. The southern terminus of the Merritt is the NY state line at Greenwich.
It's actually not the Connecticut River that transforms the little Cross Parkway into is the Merritt Parkway it's actually the Housatonic River that you cross from Milford into Stratford
I84 through Hartford is 4 lanes with an HOV. HOV lanes are very rare, only in bigger cities like la, Atlanta, NYC (li expressway) so it's surprising it's in a city as small but populated as hartford
FreewayJim, you always deliver a sensational ride, (not your fault), but the guy in the red Mitsubishi gallant made a terrible move cutting in front of you at highway speed at (9:52), just to get into the right lane, none the less, you handled it like a pro! Great Drive!!
Funny to see the 1970 map has the I-291 in there as a planned highway but it never got built. My Aunt lives in West Hartford and it would probably be nice and convenient for it to be built but it also might damage the reservoir she likes to walk at. Also, there are not many North-South city bypasses.
Hey Jim... How ya doing? First of all, kudos to the accuracy of your comments about the history of this freeway. However I do have to correct you on one thing. You stated that the section at the beginning was originally known as the Wilbur Cross Parkway. While Connecticut Route 15 includes the Merritt and Wilbur Cross Parkways to the south as well as the Berlin Turnpike, that piece was designated as the Wilbur Cross Highway and eventually I-84 then I-86. Unlike the Parkways, truck traffic was eventually allowed and the two original lanes slightly widened to accommodate three narrow lanes making it one of the most dangerous stretches I ever had the horror of driving on an almost daily basis. However, it's realignment in the 1980s and 90s transformed it into one of the finest stretches of highway in Connecticut. Also. it's Interstate designation was changed from I-86 back to I-84. The original route for I-84 had it splitting off in Manchester, cutting through Bolton Notch, joining up with a finished stretch near Willimantic and eventually terminating in Providence RI roughly following US-6. Years after that project was cancelled, I-86 was returned to I-84 and the I-86 designation retired. It terminates at the Mass Pike in Sturbridge. I agree that Connecticut had a thing for left entrances/exits in the 60s. Nowhere is that more evident than on I-84 between Hartford and Waterbury. What makes it even more hazardous here is the geology of the area with the hills and resulting curves of the highway. This whole stretch is overdue for a complete overhaul. One section in Waterbury built in the early 50s was so bad, it was completely reconfigured in the late 1970s/early 80s. The eastbound and westbound lanes crossed over each other so opposing traffic was on your right instead of your left. It was very unnerving. Throw in a few left exits and it was utter madness! That former nightmare is now the nice wide stretch (9.51 to 10.10) just before the stacked bridge crossing the Naugatuck River. Did you know? Naugatuck Connecticut was the birthplace of Naugahyde.
I enjoyed it very much, nice ride in a place I've never been to. I never cared for that second cut when it was first released but it really is a good tune. Worked well in the video.
I don't know how close you got to Newington if you went through it, but it is the home base of an organization I pay yearly membership dues to, the Amateur Radio Relay League.
3:16 I think there is an alternate route I-84 could take. Back at Exit 57, I-84 could follow Route 15 up until I-91 where the 2 Interstates form a concurrency southbound. Then, it follows the route of I-691 before reuniting with its old route at Exit 27.
It would need major upgrades to handle all the additional traffic, and while it would technically work, it's not really a natural bypass with the other roads/movements needed along the way
@@Freewayjim A late reply, but I have only recently heard of a proposed project called Hartford400. Part of it involves rerouting I-84 onto Route 15 up to I-91, then building a tunnel straight west to carry it back to its old route at Exit 45. I will say the idea (and the whole project) is quite ambitious.
You've got to come back to Connecticut this year A lot has changed on Interstate 84 and Interstate 91 in the Hartford area. Lots and lots and lots of construction is going on currently
Besides the left exits, the morons added right (low) lanes up hills instead of left (passing) lanes so slow moving vehicles have to merge back into the travel lanes at the tops of inclines when they're moving the slowest.
Great ride, but boy does some of those old bridges give Pennsylvania a run for its money. And that 55 mph limit is criminal. But also a nice dig through the crates Jim!
I-84 in Connecticut looks fresh and well designed (as well as the HOV lanes) near the metropolitan area of Hartford. Also, how many left exits are there?
It was rebuilt in the 1980's, I don't know how many left exits there are, never counted, you could go on Google Maps and find out by counting them if you really want to know.
I counted 20 of them are left exits of I-84 in Connecticut, especially in the HOV lanes. I like your 2014 trip to New England and hopefully, you will come back once Covid-19 is mostly cleared out and have a way different route to New England.
Great shooting of some old highways on I-84. I see that you played some tunes from The Style Council. Paul Weller was of course the lead singer in The Jam. Too bad he never made it big over here.
It would have cost way more to build a right exit and an overpass across a 6 lane highway than a left exit that uses a small cliff as it's base. Left exits are only dangerous when you're approaching them, but they feel way safer once you're on the ramp.
@@willgibson9718 I live in the Atlanta area, I don't have any plans to travel in the near future, it could be years before I'm up that way again, it is what it is.
mhm apparently the bridges in connicut don't make sounds like in other states.. it jus sounds like regular asphalt. me personally I like bridges that make sounds.. with the tanish asphalt.. and btw I love your videos freewayjim
I see what you mean with the left exits. That seems dangerous as you are exiting from the outside or overtaking lane which typically has higher speed traffic. Also enjoying the 80's new wave sound track.
Connecticut's charms do tend to get overlooked because it is inbetween Boston and New York so it is a good thing you are gave the state double exposure. Already anticipating New York my stomping grounds next week
The section in East Hartford is not outdated but the rest is....the left exits, short exit and entrance ramps, tight curves, narrow shoulders....if it were built to today's safety standards it would not look like this, it's classic 1960's Northeastern engineering, which is good for nostalgia and not much else.
@@Freewayjim I have booked ur channel and wish I Can drive a car in the USA. But this seems very hard, I am in mainland China now, and we meet traffic jam everyday. Very admires u, dear.
@@agriculturemachinedanhua3209 Thank you, maybe someday you will drive a car in the USA and there are many places here that have traffic jams every day too.
@@Freewayjim The stretch of I84 west before Waterbury has since been widened and looks much better and different I travel it almost everyday for work and I came across your video to compare what it looked like then pretty neat
Is there still public pressure to get rid of I-84 in Hartford itself. I would love to know where all that traffic will go because a very old city like Hartford has narrow, congested streets. I realize that Hartford wants to revitalize its poorest most troubled neighborhoods but dumping all that heavy traffic onto city streets could have an opposite effect.
Actually Connecticut has decided to remove the bridges that Interstate before uses over the city streets and plans to have the the highway go at ground level and by downtown Hartford the highway is going to go underneath the Connecticut River they're going to get rid of the bulkeley Bridge
+Steven Baldi 291 should be extended on the NW side of Hartford. I would have it come around and join CT-9 in Cromwell which other than the lights in Middletown is already at interstate standards. If you do that then you have a full interstate wrapping around the city and running all the way to the coast where it could terminate at 95.
We originally had that in mind but it was canceled. The same thing with Connecticut Route 11 they wanted to connect Hartford to New London that way find people taking Connecticut route to all the way into Connecticut 11 and then Connecticut 11 was supposed to take you to New London from there but that never finished because the State Department of Transportation ran out of money and by the time we got more money from the federal government we never went back to building Connecticut 11 there's a ghost Bridge that is never used because Connecticut 11 currently ends connecting to Connecticut 82 in Salem Connecticut
Freeway-to-freeway left exits made sense back in the 1950s and 60s and can still be just sa safe and efficient if people would only pay attention to the road; but left exits to local roads were also built and in my opinion they are a big no-no.
Overall, very nice drive, but that's one UGLY stack interchange west of Hartford. The Waterbury one isn't much better. Geesh! And SOMEONE dug into the crates for those tunes. #ThumbsUp
Thanks! yes those interchanges are ugly, but interesting at the same time, but yeah, nobody cared what they looked like during the design/build process.
You be surprised how many older folks also want I-84 gone as well. It sounds like a desperate attempt to route traffic onto Hartford city streets that go through the poorest most troubled neighborhoods to revitalize them. However the total opposite could easily happen.
Maverick1948 Ask the Connecticut DOT, speed limits tend to be slower in the northeast than the rest of the country...in fairness there are a lot of exits close together and left exits.
Freewayjim I can answer that for you its ME PA MD and NH are the exceptions to the 65 mph rural Northeastern states speed limit (DE,NJ,NY,CT & MA) since they use 70-75 mph speed limits with NH posting 45 mph min speed limit on it's 70mph speed limit zone
Freewayjim late reply and its due to most of the Northeast having 60-65 mph speed zones with the exception of ME & NH which might have 65-70 mph speed zones before the National Speed limit act of 1974
Do you and your family a service don't move to Connecticut!. It sucks and the taxes are way too high and you don't get anything from those tax dollars honestly they just take them.. The roads suck, the politicians suck and the people suck so just drive straight on through and never look back.. I'm serious BTW!.
Most of those left exits and entrances are actually 'ghost' interchanges for freeways that were planned, but never built. They instead now connect with local streets.
The designers of the 1960s never dreamed these highways would have so much traffic. A little bit further and you would have passed the Blue Colony Diner, a favorite of many people.
Nice ride Jim- great music to go with the tunes- loved seeing the mix of the old with the new- meaning the upgraded sections and the non-upgraded sections of highway! Always makes it interesting- also loved seeing the view of downtown Hartford and of Waterbury! Nice ride- East coast highways sure do have their charms if you ask me!
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
Ah yes the Connecticut left exit epidemic as my father once called it. I'm pretty sure I learned a certain 4 letter word from him while on this road. Good times.
thanks freeway Jim, I love your videos and the history behind each highway.
Thanks for watching!
Ah yes, the infamous Waterbury Mixmaster, crumbling underneath our very wheels.
(On a better note, ConnDOT is actually widening I-84 through Waterbury as we speak. The widening project is scheduled to be completed by 2020.)
Is the mixmaster interchange being demolished and replaced?
I got some news bud.
Dad and I took a drive on it the day it opened, 67 I think. Hopped on 84 from Chase Parkway. We were THE only car on it! Thought it was a wonder of engineering at the time.
They're making the highway entering Waterbury from the east wider. The project will take about 4 to 5 years to finish. Then after they're finished with that the mixmaster that connects I-84 with route 8 will get a makeover too. Traffic is even more hellish than it already was....hopefully when everything is done. Traffic will be a lot more smoother.
Jane Marie: Thank you, glad you enjoyed the ride. The camera is mounted on a tripod in the front seat area, it also has a amazing Image Stabilization feature which keeps it very steady.
A 15 mph left-side freeway-to-freeway exit? What could possibly go wrong?
+Corello1249 We have a 5 mph exit in Cincinnati.... lol
+Corello1249
You haven't driven in a Connecticut winter. Have you?
I grew up here.Thanks for the video.Wish the ride from Hartford to Waterbury was that quick.lol
I MISS CT SOO MUCH ALWAYS REPRESENTING #860- #203
Since you left Connecticut there are four new area code phone numbers now 860 203 959 and 475
And Connecticut also has a new rail service called CT rail which includes the Hartford line and the shoreline East
good drive!!! Love it. I-290 in Oak Park Illinois has those left exits and entrances--really messes up the traffic on I-290
Good video on a highway I have driven about a million times. If you drove 43 miles in 40 minutes, you averaged 64.5mph on roads that mostly had 50 and 55mph speed limits. 😎 This helps you blend in better with the local drivers. 😆
I agree that my home state has too many left-lane entrances and exits, but it would be a really expensive fix.
Thank you for watching!
"Go with the flow"
10:07 The hospital where I was born in July 1967! (St Mary's)
Me too, 1977 🤗
I would like a Hartford to Springfield ride one day. Lol great job as always. I wish I could do videos like this due to all the adventures that I go on.
Thanks...Hartford to Springfield is not a very interesting ride IMO, not something I'd likely film.
Freeway Franks has a video on that route going south.
@@Freewayjim How about a Hartford CT to Burlington VT ride?
@@r.pres.4121 I don't generally do long videos like that unless it's spectacular like I-70 in Western Colorado or I-15 across the desert in SoCal.
Been on this road sooo many times.
thanks for the video Jim. Keep up the good work !!....reminded me about my days in CT and the evening rush hour traffic in I-84 west bound.
Thanks for watching!
5:05 Probably because it is half abandoned! I was surprised that you didn't mention this but the sliproads to the north are unused as well as the mainline. Only the southern slips to CT-9 are used.
Josh Bostock In this earlier video he did briefly mention that fact
czcams.com/video/5C72nx7zAmg/video.html
I-691 is what I like to call the Meriden Lateral Expressway.
Left exits are not only confined to Connecticut. The I-490 in Rochester NY has a few left exits on it. The I-309/I-490 interchange on the western edge of Rochester can be a real nightmare since all the ramps go off from the left.
New England certainly has some interesting and unique freeways. I kind of like the left hand exits and the stack at the end certainly qualifies for name of "malfunction junction". All and all nice ride.
Love your videos, Jim, keep up the great work.
Thank you very much!
Nice, very informative informative about Hartford and it's hwy systems. Thank You!
Thanks
Loved the crossing of the downtown and also the first stretch including the HOV lanes. That's a very large carriageway!
One of my favorite stretches of roadway through there.
Belíssimo passeio.
Interessante aquele trecho da ponte do final do vídeo.
Thank you!
Translation for Renato:
Wonderful tour.
Interesting that stretch from the bridge end of the video.
There used to be a few left exit ramps on the 101 Freeway around San Jose, CA. They were certainly hair-raising. I think they're all gone now. A couple of years ago, the last left off ramp from the Santa Ana Freeway near LA finally closed. Thank goodness! There were a lot of bad wrecks because of these ramps.
I lived in Bristol from 1990-1994, and that traditional four level stack didn't actuality open until the early part of the 90s. The DOT did a route number realignment when it opened. Route 9 was extended to it's current terminus at 84 and CT 72 was truncated near Plainville and Middletown.
Wasn't the stack supposedly supposed to have been Interstate 291 which was the capital Beltway
4:38 Speaking of this traditional stack, as I may recall, people don't want their homes and jobs replaced by freeways and that stack is unusual and I-291 CT was planned to be a ¾ beltway, but people in West Hartford don't want their suburban areas linked or replaced by that and then the plan was cancelled in 1979 and I-291 CT is planned as a bypass route of I-84 (east portion) to Boston and I-91 to Springfield, MA and that freeway portion linking near Middletown, New Britain and near West Hartford used to be part of I-291 CT and is now marked as part of CT-9.
Such a crisp sharp picture with great content make for a fabulous ride; enjoyed the ride along.
I remember being very impressed when CZcams came out with 480 HQ picture in 2007 2008. Seems quaint now just a few short years later
Thanks, good lighting sure helps :)
3:51 Yes, I've noticed. Connecticut also has a central exit-number tab fetish.
The two lane section in Waterbury looks so much different now. I almost forgot how bad it was.
@ReturnoftheBrotha No need to be so crude bunk. Technically, Connecticut is a New England state even though most natives don't agree.
And I love the first song.
Thank you!
The GREAT USA
Beautiful
Great approach into Waterbury. Aren't there plans to rebuild that interchange?
I believe so, it's in the "study" phase, which means, not anytime soon.
European Roads Both 84 and 8 are double decked highways at that interchange, so from what they've said on the local news about it is it is going to be expensive. There's a relatively steep valley (by CT standards anyway) there that 84 crosses and 8 runs along, so I think the elevation of things complicates it a little too. When it comes to highways, the state is very conservative probably because even small projects are insanely expensive to undertake. My guess is that interchange will still be exactly the same 20 years from now.
+European Roads The exchange is still in the planning stages, the stretch before it is being opened from two to three lanes right now.
I actually checked out this video, and another one by another user, just so I could see the old setup of the Waterbury area again. I saw it for the first time in 2014, and a couple of times after that before the project started. Was not disappointed! How it is now is really nice, but I do miss that concrete stretch for Westbound, it was all paved over a few months ago. Eastbound still has it, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time before it will be paved over.
great vids jim keep up the great work just one question are you a truck driver or just doing it for fun either way love the vids keep em coming
Thank you! This is just a hobby I do on vacations and indulgent road trips :)
everyone from west hartford to plainville does freaking 80 mph or more now
Hmmmm. Whenever I'm on there we're doing 40, rush hour
I make it from Hartford to 1st exit in Waterbury, 26?, in about 25 minutes without driving fast enough to get a ticket 🤗
"HOV-Lane" I had to look that up one up because here it means a lane dedicated to public transportation (such as a regional or interregional bus service ---hoogwaardig openbaar vervoer - basically a kind of BRT system).
High Occupancy Vehicle lane, must have at least two people in the car in order to drive in that lane,
Thank you. That clarifies it for me.
The 55 MPH zones from Route 9 to the Waterbury city line are now 65, and the 50 MPH zone near Route 72 is now 55.
I can’t believe they kept 84 from Farmington to Waterbury at 55 mph all those years after the state officially raised the speed limit to 65. A good stretch of that is rural. They finally raised those areas up to 65 mph, well drops to 55 once you get into Waterbury.
Side note: Interstate 84 goes through two state capital cities, Hartford, Conn and Boise, Idaho.
Steven Baldi And they are two separate highways! The I-84 in Idaho is not the same road as the one in Connecticut (which begins near Scranton PA and ends at the Mass Pike in Sturbridge MA). I didn't think they could repeat numbers like that, but maybe for short highways it's OK? Does anyone know how that happened?
+Alex Rodriguez wjsjjdhdhdhdhdjs call
+Alex Rodriguez In the Interstate Highway System, an Interstate highway cannot repeat itself within a single state, but can repeat in other states. Same goes for 3-digit Interstate routes. For example, I-76 exists in both Pennsylvania and Colorado. I-610 cannot exist in both Houston and El Paso because both locations are within the state of Texas. And I-238 in California exists because I-80, the parent route, ran out of even numbers to use in California.
@@jdanon203 Because both I-84s lay between the corridors of I-80 and I-90. There are two I-76s, one that runs from Akron OH all the way to Cherry Hill NJ and than the western 76 runs from Denver CO to five miles inside Nebraska and terminates with I-80.
That's because there are actually 2 Interstate 84 highways
IIRC, just shortly after the HOV lane begins, there was a *Nice & Easy* deli/diner located at one of the exits somewhere. Is it still in existence, by any chance?
Sorry, but I couldn't watch this whole thing, I love how all wide loads have to be routed through Prospect because the mixmaster is deemed no longer safe for them, but it's ok for all 18 wheelers and box cars and vehicles?
Going south on the Wilbur Cross Pkwy becomes the Merritt Pkwy when the highway crosses the Connecticut River. The southern terminus of the Merritt is the NY state line at Greenwich.
It's actually not the Connecticut River that transforms the little Cross Parkway into is the Merritt Parkway it's actually the Housatonic River that you cross from Milford into Stratford
I84 through Hartford is 4 lanes with an HOV. HOV lanes are very rare, only in bigger cities like la, Atlanta, NYC (li expressway) so it's surprising it's in a city as small but populated as hartford
FreewayJim, you always deliver a sensational ride, (not your fault), but the guy in the red Mitsubishi gallant made a terrible move cutting in front of you at highway speed at (9:52), just to get into the right lane, none the less, you handled it like a pro! Great Drive!!
Thanks, stuff happens, it looks worse in the sped up video than it was in person.
Glad to hear that, it most certainly looked horrifying but you handled it like a BOSS!!!
Funny to see the 1970 map has the I-291 in there as a planned highway but it never got built. My Aunt lives in West Hartford and it would probably be nice and convenient for it to be built but it also might damage the reservoir she likes to walk at. Also, there are not many North-South city bypasses.
Hey Jim... How ya doing? First of all, kudos to the accuracy of your comments about the history of this freeway. However I do have to correct you on one thing. You stated that the section at the beginning was originally known as the Wilbur Cross Parkway. While Connecticut Route 15 includes the Merritt and Wilbur Cross Parkways to the south as well as the Berlin Turnpike, that piece was designated as the Wilbur Cross Highway and eventually I-84 then I-86. Unlike the Parkways, truck traffic was eventually allowed and the two original lanes slightly widened to accommodate three narrow lanes making it one of the most dangerous stretches I ever had the horror of driving on an almost daily basis. However, it's realignment in the 1980s and 90s transformed it into one of the finest stretches of highway in Connecticut. Also. it's Interstate designation was changed from I-86 back to I-84. The original route for I-84 had it splitting off in Manchester, cutting through Bolton Notch, joining up with a finished stretch near Willimantic and eventually terminating in Providence RI roughly following US-6. Years after that project was cancelled, I-86 was returned to I-84 and the I-86 designation retired. It terminates at the Mass Pike in Sturbridge.
I agree that Connecticut had a thing for left entrances/exits in the 60s. Nowhere is that more evident than on I-84 between Hartford and Waterbury. What makes it even more hazardous here is the geology of the area with the hills and resulting curves of the highway. This whole stretch is overdue for a complete overhaul. One section in Waterbury built in the early 50s was so bad, it was completely reconfigured in the late 1970s/early 80s. The eastbound and westbound lanes crossed over each other so opposing traffic was on your right instead of your left. It was very unnerving. Throw in a few left exits and it was utter madness! That former nightmare is now the nice wide stretch (9.51 to 10.10) just before the stacked bridge crossing the Naugatuck River.
Did you know? Naugatuck Connecticut was the birthplace of Naugahyde.
patdthomas
patdthomas
I enjoyed it very much, nice ride in a place I've never been to. I never cared for that second cut when it was first released but it really is a good tune. Worked well in the video.
Thanks, it's not a bad ride at all, in either direction....those are probably the only two songs from that group I like, lol.
I don't know how close you got to Newington if you went through it, but it is the home base of an organization I pay yearly membership dues to, the Amateur Radio Relay League.
3:16 I think there is an alternate route I-84 could take. Back at Exit 57, I-84 could follow Route 15 up until I-91 where the 2 Interstates form a concurrency southbound. Then, it follows the route of I-691 before reuniting with its old route at Exit 27.
It would need major upgrades to handle all the additional traffic, and while it would technically work, it's not really a natural bypass with the other roads/movements needed along the way
I see.
@@Freewayjim A late reply, but I have only recently heard of a proposed project called Hartford400. Part of it involves rerouting I-84 onto Route 15 up to I-91, then building a tunnel straight west to carry it back to its old route at Exit 45. I will say the idea (and the whole project) is quite ambitious.
@@lukwisnie I've read about it, very ambitous indeed!
You've got to come back to Connecticut this year A lot has changed on Interstate 84 and Interstate 91 in the Hartford area. Lots and lots and lots of construction is going on currently
Besides the left exits, the morons added right (low) lanes up hills instead of left (passing) lanes so slow moving vehicles have to merge back into the travel lanes at the tops of inclines when they're moving the slowest.
Great ride, but boy does some of those old bridges give Pennsylvania a run for its money. And that 55 mph limit is criminal. But also a nice dig through the crates Jim!
Thanks, and good point about some of those old overpasses.
You should drive around Detroit because their bridges are a lot worse. My home state of New York also has some real doozy bridges as well.
Just to let you know after traveling the country many times the rte between New York and Waterbury Ct is always well paved and a nice travel
Just noticed when this was posted lol i was confused why there was an exit 24 and noticed that it was 2 lanes around that area
I'm watching this now, waiting to see how much of all the Waterbury traffic jams at any time of day are on here 😆
I-84 in Connecticut looks fresh and well designed (as well as the HOV lanes) near the metropolitan area of Hartford. Also, how many left exits are there?
It was rebuilt in the 1980's, I don't know how many left exits there are, never counted, you could go on Google Maps and find out by counting them if you really want to know.
I counted 20 of them are left exits of I-84 in Connecticut, especially in the HOV lanes. I like your 2014 trip to New England and hopefully, you will come back once Covid-19 is mostly cleared out and have a way different route to New England.
@@CrystalClearWith8BE Classic 1960s engineering with all those left exits, lol, hopefully, I'll get to New England or somewhere next year, we'll see.
Great shooting of some old highways on I-84. I see that you played some tunes from The Style Council. Paul Weller was of course the lead singer in The Jam. Too bad he never made it big over here.
Thanks!
efrem1
It would have cost way more to build a right exit and an overpass across a 6 lane highway than a left exit that uses a small cliff as it's base. Left exits are only dangerous when you're approaching them, but they feel way safer once you're on the ramp.
Can you please make a video of the raymond e baldwin bridge and I-95 new haven?
I'm not going to New Haven anytime soon.
@@Freewayjim why
@@willgibson9718 I live in the Atlanta area, I don't have any plans to travel in the near future, it could be years before I'm up that way again, it is what it is.
@@FreewayjimI used to live in Atlanta too.
Could've also gotten to NYC and I-678 by staying on I-84 until I-684 shortly past the state line then taking that to I-287 East to I-95 South.
But I did not want to go that way, I-684 is not very interesting.
If you drive this now you’ll pass by the beautiful Dunkin’ Donuts Park, home of the Double A Hartford Yard Goats, completed 2017
One of the biggest waste of tax-payer money besides the stupid, never used bus the Fast Trak poopshow 😡🤢
@@jdrfqueen true!
Oh jeez try the PA Turnpike winter There's a crash every Friday
I'm guessing that postcard didn't read "Wish You Were Here..."
mhm apparently the bridges in connicut don't make sounds like in other states.. it jus sounds like regular asphalt. me personally I like bridges that make sounds.. with the tanish asphalt.. and btw I love your videos freewayjim
Thank you very much!
Can you do a video with the end of the saw mill river pkwy in mount kisco to I 684 north to I 84 west to I 87?
I doubt it, I don't usually have a reason to go that way very often, I have no idea when I'll be back that way either, could be years.
I see what you mean with the left exits. That seems dangerous as you are exiting from the outside or overtaking lane which typically has higher speed traffic. Also enjoying the 80's new wave sound track.
Considering Connecticut's only contributions to music are Michael Bolton, Brass Bonanza, and Steam.....
Connecticut's charms do tend to get overlooked because it is inbetween Boston and New York so it is a good thing you are gave the state double exposure. Already anticipating New York my stomping grounds next week
Thanks, and I agree, CT is interesting in places.
3:58 what’s old and outdated about it?
Looks pretty nice to me?
The section in East Hartford is not outdated but the rest is....the left exits, short exit and entrance ramps, tight curves, narrow shoulders....if it were built to today's safety standards it would not look like this, it's classic 1960's Northeastern engineering, which is good for nostalgia and not much else.
0:47 Sign On Top Right Doesn't Match The Exit With CT-30 And CT-83
That's because I wasn't trying to match every exit, signs only the major ones.
+Freewayjim oh ok
Expressways of the USA are quite good. and the musical is quite good.
Thank you!
@@Freewayjim I have booked ur channel and wish I Can drive a car in the USA. But this seems very hard, I am in mainland China now, and we meet traffic jam everyday. Very admires u, dear.
@@agriculturemachinedanhua3209 Thank you, maybe someday you will drive a car in the USA and there are many places here that have traffic jams every day too.
@@Freewayjim The stretch of I84 west before Waterbury has since been widened and looks much better and different I travel it almost everyday for work and I came across your video to compare what it looked like then pretty neat
@@blackcruze1379 I have not been up that way since this video, hopefully I'll get a chance to see it sometime.
Please be careful when driving through Hartford while on I 84. The curves created by this stretch of highway are nothing less than dangerous!
Is there still public pressure to get rid of I-84 in Hartford itself. I would love to know where all that traffic will go because a very old city like Hartford has narrow, congested streets. I realize that Hartford wants to revitalize its poorest most troubled neighborhoods but dumping all that heavy traffic onto city streets could have an opposite effect.
what city is that, that you have as your video intro? it looks nice at night
it looks kinda like Atlanta Ga. cause I've been there a few times but I can't tell
Yes it is Atlanta.
Not to mention the I-84/CT 72 interchange shuffle.
Maybe when you get back to Illinois, make a video of the Illinois 390
Nice work FWJ
Thanks!
Actually Connecticut has decided to remove the bridges that Interstate before uses over the city streets and plans to have the the highway go at ground level and by downtown Hartford the highway is going to go underneath the Connecticut River they're going to get rid of the bulkeley Bridge
m.czcams.com/video/OPKA1qB4RtM/video.html
That will probably be in 100 years and we will all be dead at that point when it happens. That’s how slow the DOT operates.
Keep up the good work!
Thanks!
Interstate 70 Indiana indianapolis
The section in waterbury looks nothing like it does now
I was almost killed on this highway.
CT should invest in a Capital Beltway by making I-291 into at least a half circle freeway.
+Steven Baldi 291 should be extended on the NW side of Hartford. I would have it come around and join CT-9 in Cromwell which other than the lights in Middletown is already at interstate standards. If you do that then you have a full interstate wrapping around the city and running all the way to the coast where it could terminate at 95.
We originally had that in mind but it was canceled. The same thing with Connecticut Route 11 they wanted to connect Hartford to New London that way find people taking Connecticut route to all the way into Connecticut 11 and then Connecticut 11 was supposed to take you to New London from there but that never finished because the State Department of Transportation ran out of money and by the time we got more money from the federal government we never went back to building Connecticut 11 there's a ghost Bridge that is never used because Connecticut 11 currently ends connecting to Connecticut 82 in Salem Connecticut
I live in Hartford
I liked it. :)
Left lane exit fetish, indeed.
Not unlike Connect-i-cut's political proclivity.
And it's so bad, we're almost living in a third-world country here 🤢😡. Do you still live here?
@@jdrfqueen Moved to NC 20 years ago.
I live in New Britain CT
3:49... To me, left-lane exits make roadways more interesting from time to time.
+SuperPat88 I agree with your premise but they simply aren't as safe and efficient as right side exits.
Freeway-to-freeway left exits made sense back in the 1950s and 60s and can still be just sa safe and efficient if people would only pay attention to the road; but left exits to local roads were also built and in my opinion they are a big no-no.
SuperPat88
You didn't venture up I-91 North to Springfield? Well then you missed out on lotsa footage of stopped traffic! LOL
That was not convenient to where I was going and I've driven it before, nothing special.
That's an understatement. 8^)
Overall, very nice drive, but that's one UGLY stack interchange west of Hartford. The Waterbury one isn't much better. Geesh!
And SOMEONE dug into the crates for those tunes. #ThumbsUp
Thanks! yes those interchanges are ugly, but interesting at the same time, but yeah, nobody cared what they looked like during the design/build process.
Makes me wonder, I bet most who wish 84 to be torn down, that 84 was there before they were born.
You be surprised how many older folks also want I-84 gone as well. It sounds like a desperate attempt to route traffic onto Hartford city streets that go through the poorest most troubled neighborhoods to revitalize them. However the total opposite could easily happen.
Mariah Carey is from Connecticut I'm surprised you didn't play any of her music 🤔😁
It didn't fit what I had in mind for this footage.
i exit 60 in i-84
why 55mph on this highway? it should be 65mph.
55mph is too slow for this three lanes
Maverick1948 Ask the Connecticut DOT, speed limits tend to be slower in the northeast than the rest of the country...in fairness there are a lot of exits close together and left exits.
The speed limit in the city should be 60 mph. That's the speed limit set in many cities in the South, including Houston and New Orleans.
Freewayjim I can answer that for you its ME PA MD and NH are the exceptions to the 65 mph rural Northeastern states speed limit (DE,NJ,NY,CT & MA) since they use 70-75 mph speed limits with NH posting 45 mph min speed limit on it's 70mph speed limit zone
That doesn't answer his question of "why", you're just posting "what" the speed limits are.
Freewayjim late reply and its due to most of the Northeast having 60-65 mph speed zones with the exception of ME & NH which might have 65-70 mph speed zones before the National Speed limit act of 1974
Drove through this in 2013. One of the worst designed freeways I have ever been on. H-1 in Honolulu is another one.
Reylyn
Springfield ma to New York NY
He should do Springfield MA to Syracuse NY. That would be interesting.
BoybandPH
Do you and your family a service don't move to Connecticut!. It sucks and the taxes are way too high and you don't get anything from those tax dollars honestly they just take them.. The roads suck, the politicians suck and the people suck so just drive straight on through and never look back.. I'm serious BTW!.
If you're blaming Connecticut on its taxes think again with California California's taxes are the highest in the country