The Stamford Advocate recently argued in favor of turning U.S. Route 7 in southwestern Connecticut into a "Super 7" limited-access highway. This year’s elections have indeed brought the project back into the limelight. Governor Rell told the paper that Route 7 was her "favorite road." The governor said she wants to ease congestion on the road, but it is not clear she supports the Super 7 option or other alternatives to improve traffic flow. 

   Strong community opposition and environmental issues have stalled implementation of the 40-year-old "Super 7" expressway plan, even though ConnDOT has completed some interchanges and acquired property for the expansion. The 2003 ConnDOT Master Plan lists $110 million for Route 7 widening and interchange projects. But, despite the Advocate’s position, expanding Super 7 is unlikely to reduce congestion in Fairfield County over the long run. Instead, it will probably induce more driving in the corridor and put off more sustainable solutions that would connect local land use and zoning plans to better access planning.

  The Advocate also reported that monthly ridership on the Route 7 "7 link" bus between Norwalk and Danbury is up 29% compared to 2002.

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