Originally Posted by Efrem
I beg to differ. I commute regularly from Boston to New Jersey, where I have two brothers with their families, one of my two sons, and until last year a GF. Going up the Thruway to I-84 adds nearly 40 miles to the trip, and 84 itself to Hartford is often a mess.
I would normally agree with you, but with the construction on the Merritt in Greenwich, and the construction on 95 in Bridgeport, and the construction on 287 off the bridge, I would consider this an alternative. There are days when it's easier for us to get back home to Norwalk from Woodbury by going north to 84, crossing over into Connecticut and coming back down Rt 7 then it is to deal with the construction in all the areas. Yes, it's another 40 miles, but it's two hours less time.
The one part we are missing is what the route was going to be from the Tappan Zee to 84, since the two are quite a bit apart and don't intersect. Until they finish the digging, blasting, paving, etc, I wouldn't recommend driving through South West Connecticut, even though I do it twice a day (and hate it right now).
There are days it's fine, that they are working on the side and traffic goes, just a bit slower. There are other days they are digging, blasting, or putting up a bridge, when they shut the road down for 20 minute periods and you just sit on the side of the road and wait. I just don't see it worth the chance of it being bad if you don't need to take it.
Besides, if you take 84, then you can stop at Blackies in Cheshire and get some Hot Dogs. ^ ^ ^