Talks are nearing an end in the long running, try since 2005, dispute between the DOT and the Merritt Parkway Conservancy. The DOT may be warming to the idea that they create a cloverleaf interchange. For some reason the DOT is against the idea of cloverleaf interchanges.
The new design is a “slightly altered” version of the blueprint the conservancy has advocated for and “the DOT is giving it a serious look,” agency spokesman Judd Everhart said. DOT “cannot commit to it without further evaluation and consideration of safety and efficiency issues.”
The new design would implement “cloverleaf” structures connecting Route 7 and the Merritt to and from the east.
The DOT advocated against a cloverleaf design during the negotiations, which were mandated by Gov. M. Jodi Rell last year after a federal judge ruled the state’s interchange plans violated federal preservation law. The DOT is now more receptive to the idea.
“While popular for many years and still practical in some cases, the DOT has tried to move away from cloverleaf designs whenever possible, largely because of what is known as the ‘weave’ . . . cars getting onto the roadway have to weave into traffic that is trying to get off,” Everhart said.
If the DOT and conservancy agree soon, public hearings on the new design could be held early next year, Everhart said. He was uncertain of the projected timeline of the project after proposed meetings.
Conservancy members also said progress was being made but were hesitant to say how close the two sides were.
“They are providing the conservancy with more information about what a cloverleaf design would look like,” conservancy board member Keith Simpson said. “We’re still looking at all the alternatives.”
Not having an interchange ramp between the route 7 connector and northbound on the Merritt Parkway puts additional traffic on the Main Ave. part of route 7. Including adding to the most dangerous intersection in Norwalk, which I refer to as the Dunkin Donut Deathtrap Driveway. With a railroad crossing, hill, two lanes of left turns and cars backed up to turn into the Dunkin Donut, we are lucky there hasn’t been a fatality there. There have, however, been way too many accidents. The DOT approved the driveways, btw, so questioning them about everything and anything is a recommended action. And not just based on this intersection, but the long, long list of DOT disaster ladled decisions.
The current Merritt Parkway/Route 7 interchange is a bad one. For one, it has the on ramp to Northbound spit out onto the bottom of a step incline that the Merritt Parkway naturally follows. Unless your ride is a sports car, hitting the accelerator to get to highway speeds takes way too long. Hence the perennial backups at this and other interchanges where that design deficiency exists.
So let’s see what emerges from this. It would be better if we could outsource to the NY DOT, but that is another battle.
source: The Advocate, Agreement nears on Merritt-Route 7 interchange, By Mark Ginocchio, October 29 2007
I’m not sure I understand why the Merritt Parkway Conservancy would think a cloverleaf interchange design is better? What is their interest and agenda?
Anyone else notice that Dunkin Donuts creates traffic hazards wherever their stores have drive-thrus?
#1, The main agenda was always to protect the landmarked highway (even though the 2 bridges that were to be removed were not visible from the parkway, and were not on the list of unique overpasses that are part of the Merritt’s beauty) but there just may be other agendas for the foot-dragging as well.
Funny, the Merritt Conservancy made no peep, at least in the press, about the thousands of trees that were clearcut for the hideous new Long Ridge Road (Stamford) offramp. Of course, this is in STAMFORD, and since the chairman of the Merritt Parkway Conservancy lives in Greenwich, is rich and powerful, and owns a ton of real estate in Stamford, and the MC co-chairs are from New Canaan and Southport, and almost all of the MC board of directors are not from Norwalk, and at the time of the hearings in 05 Norwalk was siphoning off a lot of business from Stamford (Diageo had just moved here from Stamford), and the mayor of Stamford announced he was against the interchange at the time, it just makes one wonder, that’s all. That doesn’t make the original DOT plan any more attractive, but it is worth mentioning and maybe makes it less surprising why a compromise hasn’t been reached any sooner. If the bottleneck at the parkway and 7 can last for years,or decades even, it does make the decision to keep your company in Stamford a little easier. And meanwhile the shiny new offramp at Long Ridge Rd. in STAMFORD plowed through acres of old-growth forest and destroyed the view from a mile-long stretch of the parkway without any outcry or disruption. Hmmmmm.
If super 7 is built, won’t the cloverleaf become a deathtrap? Has Toni Boucher been on 33 or Belden Hill at 8 AM ever, and been stuck in the miles long gridlock trying to get to work or get her kids to school? Does anyone think air pollution and oil drippings from miles of idling cars and trucks stuck on the back roads of Wilton are even more of a threat to the environment than super 7 would ever be? When fatal accidents on the antiquated existing 7 shut down the highway ever more frequently, paralyzing the entire region, will Toni Boucher be proud of her record of fighting a safe and efficient solution to the nightmare that Wilton has become? When the smart people of Wilton finally get behind super 7, will the interchange in Norwalk be sufficient? Duff has the right idea-start fighting for a sensible solution, and improve the trains at the same time.
A clover-leaf does not necessarily have to lead to the “deadly weave”, especially at an interchange that has significant grades on both sides, as this one does. Why not just elevate one of the leaves on each side, so that actually traffic enters the highway just beyond where traffic exits? If one ramp goes over, and the other goes under, no weave!
Elevated ramps are exactly what the DOT proposed, and what the Conservancy hated. Not hundreds of feet in the air like the LA freeway, but, My God, 30 feet high! Horrors! The height of a 2-story house-can you imagine the visual blight! the Conservancy wants a rotary, like the one going to Cape Cod that makes you pray you will get through it without getting sideswiped. Charming.
I agree with you #6 – the rotary at Cape Cod is one of the worst. If that is what the Merritt Conservancy people are recommending, Norwalk should come out and fight against it!
I think it is about time the powers that be in Norwalk started standing up to these special interest groups and do whatever it takes to get the interchanges built. People aren’t thinking about the historic value of the parkway when they are sitting in backed up traffic for hours at a time each day. Trees don’t last forever and bridges don’t last forever – what are these people thinking? Certainly that area of Main Avenue is not pretty to look at the way it is now. When the Merritt Seven buildings were started, it was always the plan to have interchanges built to handle the traffic – in fact, there was supposed to be a large cloverleaf built to connect Super 7 with the Merritt in both directions. Wilton successfully stopped that when they stopped Super 7 from going through their town. It is about time our State and local officials said enough is enough and just get the job done.
the conservancy should have just demanded a huge budget for tree planting, and stone facing on the new bridges. We would have had the interchange nearly completed by now, and after the trees went in it it would have looked great, and in a few years nobody would know anything ever happened, and traffic in half of norwalk would have been flowing again.. But no, we had to have the hysterical over-reaction, which served Malloy and the Stamford based conservancy just fine.
norwalk got screwed yet again, and stamford got its new offramp without any delay. this all just stinks.
Where’s the mayor when we need him? Knopp was for the interchange, and wasn’t afraid to say so. Hey, MO, this is important. Probably the most important project in our city right now, and you never mention it. Get off your tush and start fighting for norwalk for a change.