446
Derby, CT road widening (lemmy.ml)
submitted 10 months ago by aptoast@lemmy.ml to c/fuckcars@lemmy.world
56 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Derby, CT is a small, working-class, post-industrial town with a population which has been stagnant at about 12,000 for more than six decades.

The geniuses over at the Connecticut DOT decided that this obviously meant that the town's Main Street needed to be widened, by twice the size, destroying a number of historic buildings and uprooting numerous small community businesses in the process. That red stripe on the far left of the "After" pic is the new edge of the street.

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[-] RangerJosie@sffa.community 141 points 10 months ago

Congrats. Your small peaceful town is about to become a gas stop on the side of an interstate highway expansion.

Either it will boom and you'll all be gentrified out. Or it'll bust and dwindle away to literally a gas stop.

Flip a coin.

[-] jonne@infosec.pub 61 points 10 months ago

I'm sure the local business community (on the side that wasn't torn down) was all for it because it would bring so much more traffic to their business, but they'll soon discover they lost all foot traffic and nobody driving will stop either because they're going too fast to even see that there's a business there.

[-] primrosepathspeedrun@lemmy.world 7 points 10 months ago

well, let em suffer then.

[-] Fiivemacs@lemmy.ca 10 points 10 months ago

I see it mostly depending on where the Walmart goes..

[-] javasux@lemmy.world 6 points 10 months ago

Cars (2006)

[-] FartsWithAnAccent@fedia.io 75 points 10 months ago

They widened it to add protected bike lanes, right?

[-] superkret@feddit.org 58 points 10 months ago

They should remove the buildings on the other side, too.
Businesses can then operate directly out of the bed of a semi truck, and housing is provided by rental RVs.
For recreation, you can race from one stoplight to the next, or coal-roll some cyclists.

[-] primrosepathspeedrun@lemmy.world 5 points 10 months ago

not that we would propose any locals be forced to cycle. convict cyclists will be imported.

[-] barsquid@lemmy.world 45 points 10 months ago

The before photo already had far too much road for a small town.

[-] Jake_Farm@sopuli.xyz 38 points 10 months ago

Lol, they demolished half the town for this?

[-] primrosepathspeedrun@lemmy.world 13 points 10 months ago

well, yeah; cars gotta live somewhere.

[-] Someonelol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 29 points 10 months ago

Just one more lane bro. All your problems will be fixed.

[-] marble@sh.itjust.works 20 points 10 months ago

They needed to fix that overhead cable that didn't meet in the middle.

[-] conditional_soup@lemm.ee 19 points 10 months ago

Beautiful stroadside shopping

[-] Evil_Shrubbery@lemm.ee 14 points 10 months ago

But think of the profits (those go to few individuals, elected people included). Very very short term profits that overall cause a net loss for everyone.

[-] gmtom@lemmy.world 14 points 10 months ago

"Historic" buildings

[-] PlaidBaron@lemmy.world 18 points 10 months ago

Found the Eurosnob.

[-] gmtom@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

Yes 🗿

[-] Blackmist@feddit.uk 16 points 10 months ago

Hey now, some of those are 30, nearly 40 years old!

[-] jol@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 10 months ago

Probably in the Derby CT history books.

[-] timewarp@lemmy.world 13 points 10 months ago

Are you sure it was the Connecticut DoT? It sounds like the mayor sold out your city.

[-] cinabongo@lemmy.world 11 points 10 months ago

Let's face it, those buildings were making traffic worse.

/s

[-] juliebean@lemm.ee 2 points 10 months ago

probably true. they gave people a reason to go downtown after all.

[-] Jeanschyso@lemmy.world 11 points 10 months ago

This looks like a before after, but in the wrong order

[-] cornshark@lemmy.world 10 points 10 months ago

It looks a little awkward during construction but it'll all come together nicely once they put those buildings back up

[-] Sauerkraut@discuss.tchncs.de 13 points 10 months ago

Narrator: Those buildings were not put back up

[-] WoahWoah@lemmy.world 10 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Sad truth is more people drive through that town than to that town.

[-] Phegan@lemmy.world 10 points 10 months ago

Gross

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this post was submitted on 14 Aug 2024
446 points (97.2% liked)

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