TRANSPORTATIONRoads
The Interstate highways
in the state are I-95 (the Connecticut Turnpike) running southwest
to northeast along the coast, I-84 running southwest to northeast in
the center of the state, I-91 running north to south in the
center of the state, and I-395
running north to south near the eastern border of the state. The other
major highways in Connecticut are the Merritt Parkway and Wilbur Cross Parkway, which together form State Route 15,
running from the Hutchinson River Parkway in New York State parallel to I-95 before
turning north of New Haven and running parallel
to I-91, finally becoming a surface road in Berlin, Connecticut. Route 15 and I-95 were originally toll
roads; they relied on a system of toll plazas at which all traffic stopped and
paid fixed tolls. A series of terrible crashes at these plazas
eventually contributed to the decision to remove the tolls in 1988.[43] Other major arteries in the state include U.S.
Route 7 in the west running parallel to the NY border, State Route 8
farther east near the industrial city of Waterbury and running
north-south along the Naugatuck River Valley nearly parallel with U.S.
7, and State Route 9 in
the east.
Between New Haven and the New York City, I-95 is one of the most
congested highways in the United States. Many people now drive longer
distances to work in the New York City area. This strains the three
lanes of traffic capacity, resulting in lengthy rush
hour delays. Frequently, the congestion spills over to clog the
parallel Merritt Parkway. The state has encouraged traffic reduction
schemes, including rail use and ride-sharing.
Connecticut also has a very active bicycling community, with one of
the highest rates of bicycling ownership and use in the United States.
New Haven's cycling community, organized in a local advocacy group
called ElmCityCycling, is particularly active.
According to the U.S. Census 2006 American Community Survey, New Haven
has the highest percentage of commuters who bicycle to work of any major
metropolitan center on the East Coast.
Public transportation
Rail
Southwestern Connecticut is served by MTA's Metro-North Railroad New Haven Line, providing commuter service to New York City
and New Haven, with branches servicing New Canaan, Danbury, and Waterbury. Connecticut lies along Amtrak's Northeast Corridor which features frequent Northeast Regional and Acela
Express service. Towns between New Haven and New London are also
served by the Shore Line East commuter line. Operation of
commuter trains from New Haven to Springfield on Amtrak's New
Haven-Springfield Line is under consideration.[45][46] Amtrak also operates a shuttle service between New Haven and Springfield, Massachusetts,
servicing Hartford and other towns on the corridor.
Bus
Statewide bus service is supplied by Connecticut Transit, owned by the Connecticut Department
of Transportation, with smaller municipal authorities providing
local service. Bus networks are an important part of the transportation
system in Connecticut, especially in urban areas like Hartford,
Stamford, Norwalk, Bridgeport and New Haven. A three-year construction
project to build a busway from New Britain to Hartford began in August
2009.
Air
Bradley International Airport
is located in Windsor Locks, 15 miles
(24 km) north of Hartford. Regional air service is
provided at Tweed New Haven Regional
Airport. Larger civil airports include Danbury Municipal Airport and Waterbury-Oxford Airport in western
Connecticut. Sikorsky Memorial Airport is
located in Stratford and mostly services cargo, helicopter and private
aviation. The Westchester County Airport in Harrison, New York serves much of southwestern
Connecticut.
Map of Connecticut showing major highways.
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