446
Derby, CT road widening (lemmy.ml)
submitted 3 weeks ago by aptoast@lemmy.ml to c/fuckcars@lemmy.world
59 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 140 points 3 weeks 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 3 weeks 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 3 weeks ago

well, let em suffer then.

[-] Fiivemacs@lemmy.ca 10 points 3 weeks ago

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

[-] javasux@lemmy.world 6 points 3 weeks ago

Cars (2006)

[-] FartsWithAnAccent@fedia.io 75 points 3 weeks ago

They widened it to add protected bike lanes, right?

[-] superkret@feddit.org 58 points 3 weeks 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 3 weeks ago

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

[-] barsquid@lemmy.world 45 points 3 weeks ago

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

[-] Jake_Farm@sopuli.xyz 38 points 3 weeks ago

Lol, they demolished half the town for this?

[-] primrosepathspeedrun@lemmy.world 13 points 3 weeks ago

well, yeah; cars gotta live somewhere.

[-] stebo02@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 3 weeks ago

half of the eight houses yes

[-] Someonelol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 29 points 3 weeks ago

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

[-] marble@sh.itjust.works 20 points 3 weeks ago

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

[-] stebo02@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 points 3 weeks ago

it's a screenshot from streetview where such issues often occur when the images are stitched together

[-] conditional_soup@lemm.ee 19 points 3 weeks ago

Beautiful stroadside shopping

[-] timewarp@lemmy.world 14 points 3 weeks ago

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

[-] Evil_Shrubbery@lemm.ee 14 points 3 weeks 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 3 weeks ago

"Historic" buildings

[-] PlaidBaron@lemmy.world 18 points 3 weeks ago

Found the Eurosnob.

[-] gmtom@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago

Yes 🗿

[-] Blackmist@feddit.uk 16 points 3 weeks ago

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

[-] jol@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 3 weeks ago

Probably in the Derby CT history books.

[-] Jeanschyso@lemmy.world 11 points 3 weeks ago

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

[-] cinabongo@lemmy.world 11 points 3 weeks ago

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

/s

[-] juliebean@lemm.ee 2 points 3 weeks ago

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

[-] Phegan@lemmy.world 10 points 3 weeks ago

Gross

[-] cornshark@lemmy.world 10 points 3 weeks 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 3 weeks ago

Narrator: Those buildings were not put back up

[-] WoahWoah@lemmy.world 10 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

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

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

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