HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO I-84

Happy Birthday to Interstate 84.  You’re now 64 and you look every mile of it… truly the ouroboros of CT highways

Last week marked yet another birthday for Interstate 84 in Connecticut, first opened on December 16, 1961, a milestone that deserves candles, cake, and perhaps a moment of silence for every commuter who has ever thought, “How is this highway still not finished?”

Back in the 60’s, I-84 wasn’t just a highway.  It was a promise.  The sleek, modern “Yankee Expressway” would whisk drivers effortlessly from Danbury to Hartford and beyond.  Congestion would vanish, they said. Town centers would breathe easier, they hoped.  America would drive happily ever after, wouldn’t they?

Spoiler alert: ‘they’ were wrong.

The early 1960s were the golden age of highway hubris. The federal government was handing out interstate money like Halloween candy, and Connecticut happily obliged by deciding that U.S. Route 6, a perfectly serviceable road that inconveniently (at least to drivers) passed through towns, had to go.  

What better solution than a wide, limited-access highway careening over and through over hills, rivers, and Hartford neighborhoods and downtown alike? 

When the first 15-mile stretch opened between the New York line and Sandy Hook, officials celebrated as if traffic had been permanently solved.  It hadn’t even reached Hartford yet but optimism was cheap, and costly concrete was plentiful.

By the time I-84 finally lumbered into the capital city years later, the damage was already baked in.  Entire neighborhoods were carved up in the name of progress. The highway bent, twisted, doubled back, stacked lanes on top of each other, and introduced a master class in left-hand exits, the traffic engineering equivalent of juggling chainsaws.  And we’re still debating how to fix all that… the topic for a future column, if not a thesis.

Consider the Waterbury “Mixmaster” where I-84 crosses Route 8, a traffic interchange so messed up that national traffic engineers hold it up as an example of what never to build again.  And that’s before CDOT spends $3-5 billion to replace it.

And yet, every decade since the ribbon was cut brought the same response to the ever-worsening traffic: Just widen it.

Traffic backed up? Add lanes. Still backed up? Add more lanes. Still bad? Rebuild interchanges, add HOV lanes, re-stripe everything, and promise that this time it’ll work. This logic has been faithfully applied for more than six decades — making I-84 not just a highway, but a self-sustaining traffic experiment in futility.

So as I-84 blows out its birthday candles, it stands as a living monument to “induced demand”, the transportation principle politely explained in planning textbooks (yawn) and painfully experienced by anyone who’s crawled through Waterbury at rush hour (ouch):  the more road you build, the more traffic shows up to fill it.  Like magic. Or mold.

To be fair, I-84 has aged exactly as expected.  It’s constantly under reconstruction and needed repairs, perpetually congested, and somehow always remains essential despite being deeply flawed, much like Connecticut itself.

So happy birthday, I-84.  Sixty-four years young.  You were built to end traffic and instead, you’ve given us a lifetime of it.

 

TRAIN TICKET TURMOIL AHEAD ON METRO-NORTH

If you’re a Metro-North rider in Connecticut, already juggling limited parking, train delays, and the usual commuter indignities, get ready for something new in January.  Not a fare hike (for once), but a complete rewiring of how train tickets will work, courtesy of the MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority).  All this comes under the guise of a “better customer experience”

Let’s get one thing straight before the panic sets in:   Connecticut is not raising rail fares in January.  That’s just in New York, so if you only consume NYC-media’s recent coverage of this story you are understandably confused.

However… another 5% hike that CTDOT approved for the our trains will hit in July 2026.  Just classic Connecticut: slow, steady, predictable fiscal pain: higher fares, worsening service.

Why the need for fare hikes at all?  In part, because of fare evasion. 

The NYC Citizens Budget Commission estimates the MTA loses $1 billion a year because of that problem, $46 million on Metro-North and the LIRR alone.  And on NYC buses (soon to be made ‘free’ under Mayor-elect Mamdani?), 45% of riders already just jump aboard without paying.

So, in part, the fare hikes are like that ‘public benefits’ surcharge on your electric bill:  the rest of us pick up the tab for uncollectable bills.

January’s big changes affecting us? The new MTA ticketing rules which absolutely do apply to Connecticut riders because we share the system, just with different fare hike schedules.

ONE-WAY TICKETS WILL SELF-DESTRUCT AT 4 AM

Buy a ticket today, use it by 4 a.m. tomorrow, or it evaporates. “Poof”!  The MTA markets this as “flexibility.”  Commuters might call it “gotcha, but make it digital.”  Late for the train because you couldn’t activate your ticket in a cellphone dead-zone? Or ‘forget’ to activate that e-ticket before the conductor comes around?  That’ll cost you a $2 onboard surcharge, a fee whose primary purpose appears to be reminding you who’s in charge.

ROUNDTRIP TICKETS… GONE!

They’re being replaced by the new “Day Pass”, valid until 4 a.m. the next morning and good for unlimited travel that day.  Great for joy-riding and easier for conductors to scan.  But more convenient for riders?  Well, maybe.

10-TRIP TICKETS… ALSO GONE
In their place comes a “mobile pay-as-you-go reward”: buy 10 trips within 14 days and the 11th is free.  It’s the kind of loyalty program only a government agency could invent: stick around long enough, pay full price consistently, and eventually you’ll get something resembling a perk.  Even Dunkin’ Donuts has a better frequent customer program.

And again, all of these rule changes apply equally to riders from Connecticut and New York, because the MTA controls the fare products (with CDOT’s blessing) even on Connecticut-run service.  And all this applies to Metro-North, Shore Line East and Hartford Line trains.

What Connecticut riders are getting in January is a system that’s more complex, less forgiving, and seems designed with the breezy assumption that Metro-North passengers have the time and mental bandwidth to memorize expiring tickets, activation rules, and mobile-only discounts.

So enjoy this moment of clarity.  Your ticket rules are changing in January, but your ticket prices are not… at least not yet.  In today’s commuter world, maybe that almost qualifies as a holiday stocking-stuffer.

 

WHITE HOUSE BOOSTS COST OF DRIVING

Don’t look now, but the Trump White House is changing the cost of your driving commute.

Maybe you missed this news, perhaps disturbed (yet unsurprised) by our President’s daily tirades… attacking Somalis as “garbage” one day, pardoning a convicted drug smuggler the next or his continued threats of invading Venezuela.  How easily we miss the real news by getting distracted by these “bright, shiny objects”.

We all know that Connecticut drivers must cope with some of the highest gas prices, longest commutes, and oldest highways in the Northeast.  Now Washington has decided to dramatically weaken fuel-economy standards for new cars, cutting the 2031 target from roughly 50 mpg to about 34.  This threatens to make things worse for everyone, especially current and future electric-vehicle owners.

On the surface, the rollback is pitched by the White House as a win for “affordable cars,” claiming that these relaxed MPG rules will shave maybe $900 off the cost of a new gas-powered SUV.  But for Connecticut commuters who routinely log 12,000–15,000 miles a year, those savings will evaporate quickly:  cars that burn more fuel cost more to operate, and in a pricey state like ours, the pump always gets paid.

But the bigger, less obvious impact of the mileage rules will be on electric-vehicle drivers, the very people who bought into the promise of lower operating costs, cleaner air, and a modernized transportation system.

According to the Connecticut DMV, there are 2.7 million cars and trucks in our small state.  But only about 60,000 of them are EVs.

For those current EV owners, the MPG rollback creates more uncertainty… beyond just finding a charging station.  EV resale values depend on strong future demand.  So when Washington signals that gasoline-powered cars will stay dominant longer, that EV market may sputter.  Fewer people will shop for EVs, fewer choose them, and used EV prices will likely soften.  

Federal tax incentives (up to $7500) for new EV buyers already expired this fall but some Connecticut rebates continue… for now.

Then there’s the EV charging network — or, more accurately, the charging network we were promised.  Federal programs launched with great fanfare in 2021 pledged 500,000 publicly available chargers nationwide.  But fewer than 400 federally funded chargers have actually been built under the $7.5 billion program.

In Connecticut, fast-charging deserts for thirsty EVs persist across Litchfield County, the Quiet Corner, and shoreline towns east of New Haven.  Even Fairfield County’s charging stations, while more plentiful, are frequently congested or out of service.

For future EV buyers, the rollback removes one of the biggest forces pushing automakers to build affordable electric models.  Without strict fuel-economy rules, carmakers can meet federal requirements by selling profitable gas-powered SUVs rather than investing in lower-cost EVs that would appeal to everyday drivers. The result? Slower arrival of mid-priced EVs, the very models that would make ‘going electric’ a realistic choice for middle-class families in these tight times.

Remember four years ago when Elon Musk promised us a Tesla for $25,000?  In fact the new entry-level models now cost about $37,000 or more.

Here in Connecticut, where we import every gallon of fuel we burn, a slowdown in EV adoption is more than an environmental setback.  It’s an economic one.  More money will leave the state for out-of-region fuel suppliers.  And an unreliable, underbuilt charging network threatens to stall our transportation future.

The real bottom line?  You may find new gas-powered cars will be cheaper, but the cost of driving them will go up in (exhaust) smoke.

AMTRAK'S TILT PROBLEM

How was your travel this holiday weekend?

If you’re one of the 82 million Americans who traveled at least 50 miles for Thanksgiving, perhaps some of you opted for Amtrak instead of driving.  Our nation’s passenger railroad estimates a six percent boost in ridership this year, as Amtrak’s growth and popularity continues.

Not that taking the train is cheap:  a one-way, last-minute fare from Stamford to Washington DC on Thanksgiving day was as much as $400 on one train!  It’s a matter of demand exceeding supply.  Still, Amtrak is proud of these fares which, nationwide have seen the railroad increase overall revenues by 10%.

Aside from worsening highway traffic and delays, why chose the train instead of driving?  Because the investment in its infrastructure is finally paying off with better service.

Stations are being improved, crucial bridges (like the Walk Bridge in South Norwalk) are being reconstructed, new tunnels are being built, tracks and overhead power lines replaced.  You can see the improvements as you travel.

And then there’s the new equipment.

Amtrak’s long expected (and four years delayed) NextGen Acela is turning eyes as it whooshes up and down the corridor.  It’s a really sweet train, with only five sets in service so far but with 23 more sets to come by 2027.  But these sleek new trains are having problems, especially between New Haven and Providence, one of the ‘curviest’ parts of the Northeast.

Fast trains abhor curves.  While the new Acela can go as fast as 160 mph, it can do so only on about 40 super-straight miles of its 450 mile journey from Washington to Boston.  In the rest of Connecticut it can go no faster than Metro-North.

In fact, the new Acela is slower than the old Acela, especially from New Haven to Providence.  The reason?  Tilting, or lack thereof.

To handle all the curves in Connecticut, Acela is designed to automatically tilt into the curves, maintaining speed without having passengers’ beverages sliding off their tray-tables into their laps.

But because the NextGen Acela is still awaiting final certification by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), it’s limited in how much it can tilt into curves.  That means that, between Providence and New Haven, the new Acela takes ten minutes longer than the older models, worsening those supposedly-faster trains’ on-time performance.

Because our tracks in Connecticut are older and placed closer to together than in other parts of the corridor, the tight clearances between passing trains could cause a problem… especially if two passing trains should both be tilting in the wrong direction and sideswipe each other.

As the NextGen Acelas prove their reliability and improvements are made to our tracks, it’s expected that the FRA will lift some restrictions and all the new trains will ultimately operate at maximum efficiency.

With more and faster trains, the increase in available seats may lead to lower fares.  But what Amtrak really needs is competition… the topic for another story.

 

 

CARLESS IN CONNECTICUT

Is it possible to live in our state without a car? 

We have over 1.1 million cars registered in Connecticut (not counting SUVs, pickups and vans) for our 2.6 million licensed drivers.  But that still doesn’t account for another half-million adults who don’t drive, by choice or economic necessity.

According to AAA, in Connecticut it costs about $11,000 a year to operate a new car (not counting its purchase price), well above the national average.  You can blame high insurance premiums, property taxes, registration and maintenance… plus the cost of gasoline.  That means the average driver pays about 70 cents a mile to drive.

But in most of the state, access to a car is essential for daily living, especially if you’re older.

Something like 19% of all Connecticut residents are over age 65.  Over age 70, traffic fatalities increase with age; by age 85, drivers have probably outlived their ability to drive safely.

Every year some 600,000 adults in the US stop driving.  But because seniors make 90% of their trips in private cars, either driving or as passengers, what happens next?

When seniors stop driving it impacts more than their mobility:  it can also affect their health.   Seniors who stop driving make 15% fewer trips to the doctor.  They can’t get out to shop as much.  They isolate socially, which can lead to depression and a downward spiral in health.

Living in the suburbs, 80% of seniors reside in car-dependent neighborhoods.  Some 53% of those areas don’t have sidewalks and 60% are not within a ten minute walk of a transit stop, assuming the elders can still walk that distance.

The cost of bus fare isn’t the main reason that dissuades seniors from riding the bus.  It’s not knowing where the bus stops are, when they run, the lack of a shelter and, yes, probably a fear for their safety.  Plus not all buses kneel, which makes boarding a challenge.

Many affluent communities offer free or low-cost ride services for seniors (and others with disabilities).  In Greenwich there’s “Call A Ride”, in Fairfield “Dial A Ride” and in Darien “At Home in Darien”.  And several cities offer on-demand, Uber-like services such as Norwalk and Westport’s “Wheels2U” and New Haven’s “Via NHV”.

At the other end of the mobility spectrum, many of our cities and towns have gone to great expense installing bike lanes.  But when’s the last time you saw them being used?  They sound great, offering a chance for exercise and enhanced mobility, but they’re hardly useful year-round.  And they certainly don’t replace the utility of a car.

Metro-North, Shore Line East and the Hartford Line are great if you’re going to a city center.  But getting to the station usually means relying on a car.  And when you alight from the train in many towns, that last-mile to your destination still involves a cab or bus (if it runs your way).

So can you live, work and play in our state without a car?  You decide.

TRUTH IN FLYING?

You ever get the sense the airlines are lying to you?

Sure, the government shutdown wasn’t their fault. But are they always honest — in this instance and others — when flyers face delays?

How often has a promised 20-minute delay morphed into an hour?  And then another hour?  And maybe even a cancellation?

Because these most recent delays were beyond their control (they can blame Congress), airlines were not required to do much… aside from apologize.  Some did offer meal vouchers and hotel rooms, but for the most part travelers were on their own as schedules and staff were juggled.

Overall, the federal shutdown is estimated to have cost airlines, hotels, and car-rental companies about $1 billion a week.  And that’s not even counting the cost to travelers for their time and expenses.

But when the airlines say, “We apologize for the delay, but it’s not our fault,” there are some things they can and do control, especially as they drive for maximum revenue on every flight… like paid-for seat assignments, one of the so called “junk fees”.

A US Senate report says one airline alone, United, raked in $1.3 billion just for letting passengers pick their seats… more than the $1.2 billion their earned for handling checked bags.

Assigned seats ease the boarding process and give fliers what they want… aisle access, that comfy middle seat or, my favorite, the window seat.  I want to see where I’m flying and I’ll pay to get it.

So imagine the outrage of passengers on several airlines who paid $15 - $30 for a window seat and found it had no window!

A Window Seat with NO Window?

United and Delta airlines are now facing a class action suit potentially affecting more than a million passengers who were affected, paying for window seats with no windows.  It’s just the way the aircraft were built and the seats were laid out, so the airlines knew before offering those seat reservations.

If they knew the ‘window seats’ had no windows, why not warn passengers before they click?

(I encountered the same problem on Amtrak on its new NextGen Acela, choosing a window seat in advance only to board the new train and find a bulkhead and no window.) 

What’s the airline’s defense?  Well, they say that just because it’s called a window seat doesn’t mean you get a window… that the seat name refers more to its placement nearest the fuselage vs the aisle.

In its defense, United’s attorneys literally said “The use of the word ‘window’ in reference to a particular seat cannot reasonably be interpreted as a promise that the seat will have an exterior window view.”

Really. That’s what they said.

All of which reminds me of former bosses at Metro-North in the bad old pre-COVID days of over-crowded, standing-room-only trains.  When one passenger suggested a refund for not getting a seat he was told, “You’re paying for transportation.  We never promised you a seat.”

Such customer service!

 

 

 

 

A METRO-NORTH CONDUCTOR'S MEMOIRS

Being a train conductor seems like a simple, boring job:  collecting tickets, opening and closing doors, reminding people to keep their feet off the seats.  Yawn.

But there’s a lighter side to the job, as I wrote a few years ago, based on former conductor Michael Shaw’s great book, “My Rail Life” after he retired from a 36 year career on the New Haven line.  He clearly loved his job.  And he swears these stories are true.

He once told passengers on a standing-room only train: “OK, folks.  We are half way to Grand Central.  It’s time for everyone who’s been seated to get up and give their seats to folks who’ve been standing.”

Asked by a passenger boarding at Grand Central, “what times does this train arrive in Stamford?” he answered candidly, “Usually about 20 minutes after the schedule says”.

On another train he announced: “Folks, I have good news and bad news.  The good news is that Metro-North fixed the air conditioning you complained about not having all summer long.  The bad news it’s now winter.”

Honest to a fault, he turned in everything left by passengers on his train to the Metro-North Lost and Found… even an envelope containing $400 in cash. (The lost money wasn’t claimed so he got it back.)  On several occasions he’d find a lost briefcase or cell-phone and personally return it to the owner’s home the same day.

He also loved razzing his fellow railroad workers, once announcing, “If you have any railroad questions or would like to take your picture with a real railroad engineer, come to the front of the train and say hello to is Jerry who loves chatting with people.”  The engineer’s name was not Jerry and the real man at the controls really didn’t like people.

Approaching Bridgeport, Shaw announced the connection for the Waterbury train, adding “Be sure to ask your Waterbury conductor for one of the free 100 Years Commemorative pins.”  There were no such pins.

On late Friday late night trains Shaw would bet with his fellow conductors watching drunk passengers boarding at Grand Central, guessing who would be first to throw up.  Shaw immediately chose a 95 pound blonde he saw staggering to the nearest car with her equally inebriated boyfriend.  Even before leaving the station his co-worker came and gave him his winnings.

Shaw always went out of his way to keep passengers informed about delays.  In the horrendous winter of 2014 when the railroad almost ground to a halt, he printed a one-page apology for the previous day’s delays and did his own seat-drop of 500 copies before the train left New Haven.  His regular passengers were so grateful for his candor they gave him a standing ovation as he entered each car to collect tickets.  His railroad bosses were not amused.

Approaching an obviously “senior” citizen to collect his fare, the old timer asked if Shaw needed his ID to prove his age.  Saying that wouldn’t be necessary, the old timer asked “Are you saying I look too old?”  “No,” said Shaw. “You look honest.”

On another occasion he approached an elderly, grey-haired woman who wanted to buy a senior-discount ticket.  “Are you over 65?,” he asked in a teasing voice. “Actually, I’m 82” she said.  “Well, you look marvelous!,” said Shaw, asking “What’s your secret?”.  Without a smile or batting an eyelash she said “Rough sex.”

If you need a good chuckle, you’ll love this book.