I-84 in Conn. & Mass.

ct1964ups wrote:
As said,they opened a 3rd lane thru Waterbury,should be a huge help...Danbury ,all it is,is traffice,slow but moves..15 minutes,same with Hartford....
Once East of Hartford ,runs good....C

We can handle slow and moving. It's that move-stop-move a little more that frosts my cookies.
Thanks for all the advice.

Teach

'tiredTeacher wrote:
We will be going from Scranton to Littleton, Mass. on I-84 in about two weeks. Anything I should be aware of? Is all the bridge repair finished?

Thanx,
Teach

We have a place in Ct between Waterbury and Danbury and most the comments are valid...we Just did Ct to Maine to Mohegan Sun and down South without stopping back at our place
So if you travel on Saturday or Sunday thru there it runs pretty well---Did Mohegan to NY border in just 2 hours..
As said,they opened a 3rd lane thru Waterbury,should be a huge help...Danbury ,all it is,is traffice,slow but moves..15 minutes,same with Hartford....
Once East of Hartford ,runs good....C

loggenrock wrote:
I hate I-84 in CT once you are west of Hartford... I've had nothing but bad luck thru Danbury and Waterbury every time I have taken it. So much so I now cross the Green Mountains of VT on Rte 9 when we leave NH for our travels rather than put up with I-84 in CT... And I have family that lives down there, too!

That's the way we're coming home from Center Harbor. Our "problem" is we're going to Lowell, Mass., so Penny can visit the quilt museum. Any alternatives to I-84 seem to take us out of the way, adding miles and hours to the day's drive. We try not to do more than 300 mi. in a day for mental and posterior health reasons.

loggenrock wrote:
...From Scranton area I run 81 north to 88 in Binghamton, NY, then 88 to Albany area.

We went that way when we visited the Adirondacks in 2016.
This year on our way to Acadia N.P. we're staying in Littleton, Mass., so Penny can visit the N.E. Quilt Museum. Going to Albany first will add 70 miles and 1½-2 hours to our travel day.
I'll just pack my patience I reckon.

Teach

Hartford isn't the issue on 84, it's south/west of there thru the Danbury/Waterbury area. Hartford is mild compared to those areas, if that tells you anything!

From Scranton area I run 81 north to 88 in Binghamton, NY, then 88 to Albany area. I find the tolls on NY I-87 really high, so I avoid that stretch. And I-78 on the east side of PA has been really rough recently - like shake things apart rough - potholes and open bridge expansion joints, dropping my speed to about 45 mph. Hence the route I listed.

Passing through then should keep us out of the worst of the traffic, right?9

Never a guarantee but avoiding both rush hours should help. It will mostly depend on weather, construction and the stupidity of others on the road.

Thanks for all the help. I plan to be in the Hartford area around noon. Passing through then should keep us out of the worst of the traffic, right?9

From Scranton, I'd consider running up I-81 and pick up I-88 to Albany and the Mass Pike. I haven't driven I-88 east out of Binghampton for a couple of years, but members that live in the area swear that it has been fixed.

As others have stated, I-84 through Danbury, Waterbury and Hartford is pretty congested.

I hate I-84 in CT once you are west of Hartford... I've had nothing but bad luck thru Danbury and Waterbury every time I have taken it. So much so I now cross the Green Mountains of VT on Rte 9 when we leave NH for our travels rather than put up with I-84 in CT... And I have family that lives down there, too!

If you arrive in central Mass before 10am and consider taking the short cut on 290E,don’t. Conversely,when you are returning home and thinking “it can’t be that bad”when considering 290w after 3pm,it can.
Just a word to the wise.

And wise words they are. Road is very curvy plus lanes are somewhat narrow. When it's not peak the ride isn't that bad but during peak it's horrendous. My son went to school out there for five years plus we drove it in the MH.