Traffic Woes on Connecticut’s I-95: Congestion, Commuter Frustration, and Calls for Infrastructure Improvements

Living near the Prospect-Cheshire line, Perrone faces a challenging commute to her job as a teacher in Greenwich, roughly 60 miles away. “I could travel almost all the way down to work, and I get to Norwalk, it may only take, like, 35 minutes,” Perrone, who also serves as the president of the Greenwich Education Association, explains. “And then from Norwalk to Greenwich, it could be an hour — just the large amount of traffic coming on there.”

Perrone tries to avoid the heavily congested Interstate 95, instead preferring the two-lane Merritt Parkway during the day. However, when darkness falls or icy conditions arise, she opts for I-95 because of its better lighting and reduced presence of animals.

INRIX, a traffic data and analytics company, recently released its annual Global Traffic Scorecard for 2023, highlighting the busiest corridors in the United States. The report revealed that three sections of I-95 in Connecticut — two northbound stretches and one southbound — were among the top 10 busiest corridors nationwide. A portion of the Merritt Parkway South also made it to the top 25.

In the 2022 report, the segment of I-95 South from the Sherwood Island Connector in Westport to Indian Field Road in Greenwich topped the list, surpassing a notoriously congested highway stretch in Los Angeles. The 2022 list also featured another section of I-95 North and segments of the Merritt Parkway South and North.

For 2023, the section of I-95 North from the Sherwood Island Connector to Warren Street in Bridgeport was ranked third nationally. During the peak hour of 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., drivers on this stretch lost an average of 29 minutes to traffic congestion. Over 240 workdays, this would amount to a staggering 116 hours lost in traffic over the course of a year.

The worst traffic in the nation for 2023 was found on I-4 West near Orlando and I-5 South in Los Angeles County, where drivers lost an average of 31 minutes per day. INRIX defines time loss as the difference between a trip taken with little to no traffic, typically at night, and one taken during peak commute hours.

Connecticut’s I-95 South from Compo Road South in Westport to Indian Field Road in Greenwich claimed the fourth spot on the list, with drivers losing an average of 28 minutes during the 8 a.m. peak hour. Another stretch of I-95 North ranked ninth, with traffic at its worst around 5 p.m., costing drivers an average of 17 minutes per day.

The Merritt Parkway South from Wilton Road in Westport to Taconic Road in Greenwich took the 25th spot, with drivers losing 13 minutes on average during the 7 a.m. hour. No section of the Merritt Parkway North was included in the 2023 list.

To avoid highway traffic, Perrone often takes the train to Greenwich, finishing her commute on foot. However, when she needs a car for meetings around town, she drives to work on Mondays and leaves her car there, taking the train back from Union Station. “It’s relaxing. You can do your paperwork. You can answer emails,” she says of the train commute.

Jim Cameron, founder of the Commuter Action Group and a columnist for the Connecticut Mirror, echoes the frustration felt by many commuters. He recalls former Governor Dannel P. Malloy’s characterization of the Merritt Parkway as a museum and I-95 as a parking lot. “That situation has not improved significantly,” Cameron states. “I’m as perplexed as the next person is, especially because…I-95 runs right alongside the Metro-North tracks, and I do not understand how somebody who’s making a daily commute to an office in Stamford or Greenwich can tolerate being in bumper-to-bumper traffic, especially in morning rush hour, and watching Metro-North trains come hurtling by at about 70 miles an hour and not figure out that the train would be a better alternative.”

Metro-North’s New Haven Line saw ridership reach 28.7 million in 2023, a 25% increase from 2022 but still 29% lower than in 2019. Cameron believes that many vehicles on I-95 don’t need to be there, not just because commuters choose driving over trains, but also because local drivers use the highway for short trips. “People treat it like a local road,” he notes. “Instead of getting on the Post Road, which parallels 95 as well, they’ll hop on 95.”

Cameron argues that reintroducing tolls could discourage such behavior. “If I had to pay a toll of even 25 cents to do (a short) drive, I would say to myself, being pretty cheap and parsimonious, is it worth 25 cents to get on the highway or should I take a local road?” he says. Tolls, he believes, would reduce traffic by encouraging people to “self-select out.”

However, there is little political will to bring back tolls, which were removed across the state in the 1980s following a tragic accident in Stratford where a truck crashed into vehicles at a toll booth, killing seven people. Governor Ned Lamont attempted to reinstate tolls for all vehicles and later just for trucks during his first term, but both proposals failed.

Cameron emphasizes that the congestion issue is not primarily caused by tractor-trailers but by personal vehicles carrying only the driver. “Trucks are not just driving up and down the highways to infuriate us,” he asserts. “They’re filled with…stuff that we want to buy in stores.”

John Blair, president of the Motor Transport Association of Connecticut, adds that trucks are limited in their route options compared to passenger vehicles. “The long-term relief for all of this is better infrastructure,” Blair suggests.

A spokesperson for the state Department of Transportation (DOT) shared with Hearst Connecticut Media that the agency is committed to a comprehensive, multimodal strategy to reduce congestion on I-95. “That strategy involves restoring and enhancing existing infrastructure, including the newly constructed two-lane interchange in Stratford, the new exit 27A in Bridgeport, and the multi-million-dollar repavement project currently underway along I-95,” DOT spokesperson Samaia Hernandez explains.

The DOT is also investing in Metro-North, expanding bus services for better first- and last-mile connections, and awarding grants to municipalities to improve area connections. “We’re also going to be constructing an auxiliary lane in Stamford between Exits 6 and 7 that will alleviate congestion,” Hernandez adds.

Additionally, the DOT is conducting “Planning and Environment Linkages” studies to improve mobility and safety on sections of I-95 in Greenwich, Stamford, Fairfield, and Bridgeport. According to the 2022 data, approximately 120,000 vehicles travel through Stamford via I-95 daily, with hundreds of crashes occurring annually on the stretch.

Cameron remains convinced that getting commuters off highways and onto trains is the best solution. “I think it’s just too much demand and limited supply, and we’re not doing anything to manage the demand,” he concludes.

Perrone also acknowledges the uncertainty that comes with her commute through Fairfield County. “If you’re working in that area and have a set time where you have a responsibility to be there, you get up early, hours early, to look at the weather, check if there’s accidents,” she shares. “Because, for example, my drive to work could be, on a good day, an hour and 10 minutes. But if there’s an accident or construction, that changes to three hours. That is very impactful.”

The unpredictability of traffic is a major stressor for Perrone. “You’re flying down there, and then all of a sudden an accident happens,” she says. “You thought you were going to be half an hour early, and now you’re going to be an hour late.”

This unpredictability also affects employers, particularly during times of labor shortages. “Everyone is trying to hire and retain employees,” Perrone notes. “And based on my experiences, we can get some really good qualified people, they come down for the interview and see the traffic, and then they say, ‘No, I can’t do this.’”