5 of the Most Panic Attack Inducing Intersections in Waterbury
Waterbury is the crossroads of Connecticut. We're a half an hour from everywhere. Hartford? New Haven? Danbury? Bridgeport? Torrington? We'll be there in 30 minutes.
With two major highways passing through our city -- I-84 and Rt. 8 -- at the infamous traffic reporter coined phrase "Mixmaster", there is constant traffic with unfamiliar drivers hopping off onto our streets.
I came across this post on my Facebook feed recently:
The intersection that Melissa is referring to is this one:
Melissa hits it right on the head. People fly through this intersection at Rt.8 speed. Drivers coming off of Rt.8 North are still doing 60-70-80 mph as they approach that stoplight.
This started me thinking about Waterbury's worst intersections. With a population of 110,000 people, and hundreds of thousands of commuters passing through, there are a lot of people cramming our streets. Anxiety runs high when you try to safely navigate through this mess. Here are five intersections that turn my knuckles white:
- 1
Wolcott St/Lakewood Road
Credit - GoogleCredit - Google Horrendous intersection. Taking a left onto Lakewood is an adventure in itself due to the stupid stoplight just past where the Ground Round used to be. Traffic always backs up during rush hour onto Wolcott Street. Nightmare.
- 2
Grandview/Bunker Hill Ave
Credit - GoogleCredit - Google I hate this intersection in the daytime. At least at night, you can see the headlights of cars racing up Bunker Hill Ave. I've almost been t-boned hundreds of times going through this area.
- 3
Harper's Ferry Road off-ramp
Credit - GoogleCredit - Google This intersection sucks. If you're wondering why traffic is constantly jammed up on 84 Eastbound back to Middlebury, here's your answer. A quick ride to BJ's can take you 20 minutes at times.
- 4
Chase Parkway/W. Main/Country Club Road
Credit - GoogleCredit - Google I know it's not the worst, but it's my personal choice for this list. During the school year, NVCC, UCONN, Chase Collegiate, West Side Middle, Kennedy, and Holy Cross students and their parents clog this bridge from 6:15 AM to 9 AM. Throw in rain, snow, or a broken down vehicle? Yikes. Gridlock.
- 5
Homer Street/Thomaston Ave
Credit - GoogleCredit - Google Way back in 1986, when I took my driver's license exam, this intersection was brutal. 30 years later? They've widened the road, moved the DMV further North, and put up some nice new lights, but, it still stinks. Drivers constantly blow through the red lights at this intersection.
More From WRKI and WINE
