New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1929-02-23
WOULD RECONSIDER
Second POST ROAD
Commissioner Macdonald Calls
Present One Adequate Till 1885

WulIllSSlOuGr MdCuUldlQ UdllN
Present One Adequate Till 1886
That the Boston Post road, wild
ened under present plans, will ade-
quately met the requirements OF
traffic until 1886. and that the
auxiliary highway parallel to it
which was sanctioned for construc-
ton by the General Assembly of
1927 would cost In the neighborhood
of $10,00O.oOO and should therefore
be given further consideration BY
the present legislature was the rec
ommendation made by Highway
Commissioner John A. Macdonald
in q letter sent today to Governor
John H. Trumbull.
As 1t was incorporated in the
trunkline system by the 1927 legis-
lature in Chapter 2S2 of the Public
Acts of 1927, the auxiliary Post
Road, sometimes referred to as the
Merritt Boulevard. would parallel
the present highway between Strait
| ford and the Connecticut-New York
state line where it would join with
the Hutchinson River Parkway
passing through Westchester county
to New York city. 1t would furnish
an almost direct route, approXf-
mately 33 miles in length. from
Stratford to the state line and
thence directly to New York. This
| project has no relation whatsoever
to the petition now pending before
the legislature for a privately con-
structed and operated toll highway
| across the state.
Immediately after the passage of
| the act calling for the construction
of the road, which went into effect
on July l, 1927. the highway de-
partment began making detailed
| studies OF the proposition. Airplane
photos of practically the entire area
were made and several highway
lines" were experimental with.
Two routes over which the road
might possibly pass were selected.
10th OF these routes, in order to
avoid expensive grading and cutting,
would necessarily proceed over al
most entirely new rights OF way.
The estimated ultimate cost of the
project, including the purchasing Of
the new right of way over either
route, was fixed at s1o.0O0.000.
/ With reference to the present
Boston Post Road. which the auxil-
larry road is designed to relieve. the
commissioner sums up the situation
as follows:
The road now extends at an ap-
proximate width of 40 feet from the
New Haven city line to the New
York state line at Port Chester with
the exception of two places, one at
Dead Mans Curve in Fairfield and
the other in Milford. Construction
of these two stretches. completing
the entire widening of the Post
Road, Is expected by 1881. The Post
Road is now carrying a peak load
OF approximately 10000 vehicles per
"a hours. As it will ultimately be
widened it will have q capacity of
$4,000 vehicles per day. 1t is esti-
mated, however. that the latter
point will not be reached for seven
years or approximately in 1886.
Commissioner Macdonald further
points out that inasmuch as COM
mercial vehicles are prohibited by
constitutional provision on the
Hutchinson River Parkway into
which the parallel Post Road would
feed. 1t Is doubtful if the 33 miles
of the road in Connecticut could be
greatly used except for passenger
traffic. Commercial traffic would
necessarily be limited to that be.
tween local Connecticut points.
Although no opposition was voiced
to the passage of the bill in 1927
Commissioner Macdonald in view Of
the above facts feels at this time
that the present assembly and the
public in general through a legis
lative committee hearing SHOULD
have an opportunity of reviewinf
those facts and of again passin;
. upon the merits of the proposition
4 bill repeating the original act ha
been submitted to the assembly ant
will afford that opportunity whel
the hearing is held before the Com
, mittee on Roads. Bridges ant
: Rivers.
It is Commissioner Macdonald
opinion that the legislature shoul
, make a definite statement as t
whether or not the state desires t
: Commit itself to the expenditure Q
1 such q large amount of money TO
l the construction of one road. t
e which opposition has already devel
:. oped in the territory through whic
t i. would pass. and by which tn
= tentative highway program for tn
4 next two years in all other parts {
3 the state would necessarily be con
t siderably curtailed.
s At recent poultry, pigeon an
0 rabbit show in London one pair