Looking Out The Window

 

The entrance to Interstate 95 at Exit 4 in Greenwich

No matter the time, there is always activity on Interstate 95.

Sean and I can look out the back windows of the apartment and spy things going on.

I often just watch the traffic from the kitchen or the balcony. Sometimes I wonder where people are going. Additionally, I often wish I was one of those people, packed in up my car and heading for Richmond or Fayetteville or Tampa. Perhaps heading north to Boston or Maine.

But too often, I look out there and see traffic. I don't just mean traffic of moving cars, blissfully heading toward parts unknown.

I mean congestion.

Lately, it's been construction near the Mianus River Bridge area.

Look, I get that it's a road that opened in 1958 but it's under constant construction at basically any time of day (or it feels like it). I have to go to Stratford tomorrow to teach at CSB and, inevitably, I'll deal with construction and congestion both ways, including in the Norwalk area -- due to, you guessed it, construction -- around 10:30 p.m.

It's a no-win and, recently, the corridor out my back window has been deemed the most congested in the U.S. by Inrix.

I mean, yay us? Consider the top eight...

So, let's get this straight: number one is from Exit 18 to Exit 4 southbound while number three is Exit 4 to 18! Furthermore, four of the top eight are segments around Stamford, with the Merritt Parkway (CT Route 15) taking two of those four.

Mind-boggling.

I generally don't go northbound for this reason. Oh, there are times when I'm home and want to get out but the thought of fighting traffic just to get to Norwalk or Stamford is a colossal turn-off.

Southbound isn't a walk in the park from my place but it's normally a sight better than northbound. Thus I use backroads to go to most things around here.

It all plays out in front of me every day. Look this isn't a complaint about our home. We still love it here and, despite being a couple of country mice, we've largely adjusted to the buzz that occurs outside our windows, though the horns drive us crazy.

It's just, you know, the congestion is ridiculous. There is the frequent squeaky (train) wheel advocating for all of us to get out of our cars and take mass transit but there are often situations where it just isn't necessary or relevant. Conversely, we could have taken the train to Darien when we went out for dinner last Saturday and met up with family. That's a fair point.

Of course, it will take a lot more than just the Adams boys getting off the road to have any kind of an impact. Tolling the road isn't the answer nor is eliminating trucks, although there are posted signs telling motorists to avoid the coastline of Connecticut and take Interstate 84 to go to Boston, etc. 

But, as you might imagine, that has an impact on I-84, and I've experienced that mess as well.

Connecticut has a serious congestion problem. That's the simple diagnosis.

But, then, what? How? 

I'm willing to say that there is no easy answer. It will involve red tape, politicians, pork, and lots of chatter.

And no one will be happy.

So I will just keep watching everyone out the kitchen window. I'll watch Amtrak and Metro-North roll by on the train tracks.

And I'll dream about getting in the car early one morning and heading out on I-95 to an adventure somewhere.