RVs on the Merritt and Wilbur Cross Parkways in Connecticut

[MatchStick]

I have lived in CT for 32 years, and been driving there for 22. In my unexpected and purely anecdotal survey conducted over the past two weeks, I think there's a problem with how some nav units are directing drivers of RVs. In all those years, I can count on half of one hand I've seen an over-height vehicle on there.

Both Sundays coming back from our lake house in the Quiet Corner, we encountered RVs around North Haven on the Wilbur Cross. First was a 5th wheel trailer type on the back of dually Super-Duty. This past weekend it was a ~12 foot tall Type C. Now, I don't excuse it entirely because you can't just blame following a computer's instructions blindly.

But please, if you are from outside the tri-state area and plan to visit or drive through in a taller vehicle, check your routes:

https://maps.google.com/?cbll=41.100...9,,0,5&layer=c

(lowest bridge for dramatic effect, but there are plenty in the 12 foot clearance range. that one is 10'-4").

[VarianceVQ]

Maybe height limits posted on every on-ramp would help.

[484]

Are you an average joe? Drove a car your whole life? Used to taking any route you please, ignoring weight limits, height limits, length restrictions and safe stopping distances?

Want to take on all the responsibilities of a commercial driver with none of the training? Buy an RV! Bus-sized Diesel pusher preferred!

[jmj]

Forget about the low clearance issues: would you even want to think about driving a giant brick on a swoopy, curvy two lane highway with people like me trying to maintain an 80 mph speed?

[WakusPakus]

i seriously doubt it's GPS...mine knows when it's a "vehicle restricted roadway"..dont' see how you can't get re-routed to 91...esp from the merritt - they're right next to each other.

[Chris_V]

Forget about the low clearance issues: would you even want to think about driving a giant brick on a swoopy, curvy two lane highway with people like me trying to maintain an 80 mph speed?

Now, I don't excuse it entirely because you can't just blame following a computer's instructions blindly.

Well, to be fair, you'd have to know the road beforehand in order to override the NAV's instructions. And it'd be even worse for paper maps that dont' say anything about low overpasses or people doing 80.

[WakusPakus]

Well, to be fair, you'd have to know the road beforehand in order to override the NAV's instructions. And it'd be even worse for paper maps that dont' say anything about low overpasses or people doing 80.

true. BUT.

if you drive and have a license....you should know the difference between a HIGHway and a PARKway.

[MatchStick]

Well, to be fair, you'd have to know the road beforehand in order to override the NAV's instructions. And it'd be even worse for paper maps that dont' say anything about low overpasses or people doing 80.

yeah, I think it's an honest mistake, don't get me wrong.

[kamzcab86]

I think there's a problem with how some nav units are directing drivers of RVs.

GPS or inattentive driver? This is no different than people driving down a dirt road and getting stuck/lost because "the GPS told me this was the way to go so I just kept driving". Drivers of RV's should know the height of their rigs and should pay attention to bridge/overpass height signs. I drive a camper van that's taller than the average minivan; I keep a little card in my van's dash tray with its total height so I know (and anyone else who drives it) whether I can take it into a parking garage, drive-thru, etc. Surely the big RVers can do the same.

[GolfTango]

For all the non-fancy / non-not-fancy dwellers:

The following are prohibited from entry upon and use of the highway right-of-way of those limited access state highways designated as parkways:

(a) commercial motor vehicles;

(b) trailers; of any kind

(c) all towed vehicles except as provided in Section 14-298-240;

(d) buses;

(e) hearses when part of a procession or cortege;

(f) vehicles bearing other than passenger, camper, taxicab, vanpool or hearse registrations and those vehicles bearing combination registrations which have a gross weight in excess of seventy-five hundred pounds;

(g) vehicles whose dimensions, including any load, exceed one of the following:

length – twenty-four feet
width - seven feet, six inches
height – eight feet

[Chris_V]

true. BUT.

if you drive and have a license....you should know the difference between a HIGHway and a PARKway.

I grew up in Washington state. There was no such thing as a parkway there. That's a mostly northeastern thing, and the signs for the road when getting off of 287 in NY really don't say, "oh, by the way, there are low overpasses up here." So out of staters that are directed onto a major road by their nav unit may not be aware that the road HAS low overpasses.

[WakusPakus]

I grew up in Washington state. There was no such thing as a parkway there. That's a mostly northeastern thing, and the signs for the road when getting off of 287 in NY really don't say, "oh, by the way, there are low overpasses up here." So out of staters that are directed onto a major road by their nav unit may not be aware that the road HAS low overpasses.

i've been on almost all of them...the sprain, the BX river, the saw mill, the taconic, the merritt, wilbur x, all of them have signs that say "vehicles restricted bla bla bla"...LONG before you hit an over pass. if you're too dumb to not realize that you're the ONLY non-passenger car on the road...you shouldn't have a license. lol

edit: besides...get off 287 and take it to 95.

[Sporin]

IF there is adequate signage, then yes, it's just driver error. People make errors, this is not news.

But I had no clue "Parkway" was any different then any other synonym for highway (I live in Vermont). And I wouldn't have guessed the difference was based around low heights at all. Maybe all that is clear to in-staters, maybe it's on your driving test or whatever, but in NH and VT, we don't have that distinction, and states WITH that distinction MUST adequately sign it... you can't expect out of staters to know that.

And I don't see how my GPS would make a distinction about HEIGHT limits, I've never seen it mentioned on a GPS.

All that being said, when I rent a UHaul, I'm super-vigilant about the height of the truck and overpasses. I also know that my Father in law who is a full time RV'er with a big 5th wheel is constantly planning routes around low bridges and stuff.

But again, if you don't know the area, and signage is thin, I can totally see how a traveler might make the mistake and get themselves into a sticky situation.

[WakusPakus]

i don't see VT having enough traffic to have vehicle-restricted roads lol

[MatchStick]

there are specialized GPS units where you can input your vehicle dimensions and other restrictions and it then uses that info to determine if you're on a road that can accommodate you.

I imagine this includes bridge/hazmat/lpg restrictions, the last bit there somewhat important to RV drivers.

so maybe my uninformed and self-admitted annecdotally supported hypothesis from the opening post is inaccurate and should be "RV drivers are equipped with insufficient GPS tech".

[Sporin]

i don't see VT having enough traffic to have vehicle-restricted roads lol

Oh we do, but they are Class IV–VI dirt roads, with low RR bridges or other such things and GPS is notorious for sending flatlanders down these roads.

[Chris_V]

i've been on almost all of them...the sprain, the BX river, the saw mill, the taconic, the merritt, wilbur x, all of them have signs that say "vehicles restricted bla bla bla"...LONG before you hit an over pass. if you're too dumb to not realize that you're the ONLY non-passenger car on the road...you shouldn't have a license. lol

edit: besides...get off 287 and take it to 95.

Why would you be all the way over on 95 instead of 287 when coming from PA or lower upstate NY?

BTW, the Merritt/W. Cross doesn't have a sign like that untill you've been on it for a while. I get on it in Meriden and there isn't a sign like that there. There's one for no commercial vehicles, but nothing about RVs. I know the road, so I wont' use it for RVs anyhow, and instead use 684 to 84 or 95 to 91 depending on if I came across PA or came up through Jersey. But I can see how out of staters might get told to use 15 to get around traffic on the interstates.

[Sporin]

I'll add this about RV drivers... many.... MANY... are ill equipped to handle their rigs. My in-laws have been on the road for about 10 years now and work in RV parks seasonally. You'd be shocked at the number of people driving half-million dollar pusher's who can't back them up. Literally NEED a pull through slot or have someone from the park back their rig into it's space. These same people are thundering down the open road every day.

[simple]

I just did a week long trip in NY & VT last week in a rented 25' RV Motorhome.

They don't have Parkways in Colorado. Luckily my buddy in NY let me know about the restrictions and I reprogrammed the Tom Tom to remove the parkway suggestions.

My lady and I are a little smarter than the average tourists so we did well. It is easy to make that mistake in a rented RV if you are unfamiliar and/or first time. If you own the RV you really have no excuse.

[MatchStick]

BTW, the Merritt/W. Cross doesn't have a sign like that untill you've been on it for a while. I get on it in Meriden and there isn't a sign like that there. There's one for no commercial vehicles, but nothing about RVs. I know the road, so I wont' use it for RVs anyhow, and instead use 684 to 84 or 95 to 91 depending on if I came across PA or came up through Jersey. But I can see how out of staters might get told to use 15 to get around traffic on the interstates.

the signs do not state the dimension requirement - it'd be like trying to read fine print on a road sign. they are geared toward keeping tractor trailers off, which is a much bigger and more common problem.

it does pretty clearly state trailers prohibited - that's in any capacity. but it should say NO RVs in a separate sign maybe.

[WakusPakus]

Why would you be all the way over on 95 instead of 287 when coming from PA or lower upstate NY?

BTW, the Merritt/W. Cross doesn't have a sign like that untill you've been on it for a while. I get on it in Meriden and there isn't a sign like that there. There's one for no commercial vehicles, but nothing about RVs. I know the road, so I wont' use it for RVs anyhow, and instead use 684 to 84 or 95 to 91 depending on if I came across PA or came up through Jersey. But I can see how out of staters might get told to use 15 to get around traffic on the interstates.

because im in a big rig and im not allowed on the parkways

also - to be technical, the Wilbur Cross is not height restricted if i remember correctly. It's restricted because most don't know to get off @ exit 53 - right where the merrit starts with it's 10' bridges.

EDIT: also - don't you have to hit the hutch to get to the merrit from 684? i dunno about you, but i'd be a little leary if i was on a F1 style highway....in a RV. Something isn't right here guys...lol.

my .02 - if you get on the Wilbur S/B and make it to the merrit and STILL don't realize it...ok, sure, i'll let it slide until you hit Trumbull. But if you're coming N/B from the Hutch and don't think you have a slight issue...then you shouldn't be driving in this area. Common sense to be on a roadway with no shoulders thats 3/4 lane-wide with cars doing 85 in insane traffic.

[SSLByron]

That's a mostly northeastern thing

It's really just CT and NY for the most part. Even the D.C. parkways are fairly modernized.

[Chris_V]

EDIT: also - don't you have to hit the hutch to get to the merrit from 684?

You don't hit the Merrit from 684. You do from 287. 684 goes north from 287 before you hit the Merrit if you're coming from the Tappan Zee. The Hutch starts south of 287 where it meets the Merrit, so you really never have to be on the Hutch.

my .02 - if you get on the Wilbur S/B and make it to the merrit and STILL don't realize it...ok, sure, i'll let it slide until you hit Trumbull. But if you're coming N/B from the Hutch and don't think you have a slight issue...then you shouldn't be driving in this area. Common sense to be on a roadway with no shoulders thats 3/4 lane-wide with cars doing 85 in insane traffic.

You'd never see the Hutch unless you were coming from NYC. If you're coming across from the Tappan Zee as if coming in from northern PA or northern Jersey, you simply take the exit for the Merrit off of 287 and you're heading north. No signs that say no RVs. Since I know the Merrit already, I'd take an earlier exit off of 287 and go north on 684 to 84, thus staying on interstates (and missing the traffic on 95 which comes later).

[2.0T_Convert]

I can't say I've ever while living in CT seen anything more than a small camping trailer being pulled by an SUV on the Merritt.

[driggity]

And I don't see how my GPS would make a distinction about HEIGHT limits, I've never seen it mentioned on a GPS.

Additionally there are some GPS units that have a bus setting but it doesn't take height into account. This apparently was part of the issue with a bus that ran into a low bridge in Seattle a few years ago.

[MatchStick]

You don't hit the Merrit from 684. You do from 287. 684 goes north from 287 before you hit the Merrit if you're coming from the Tappan Zee. The Hutch starts south of 287 where it meets the Merrit, so you really never have to be on the Hutch.



You'd never see the Hutch unless you were coming from NYC. If you're coming across from the Tappan Zee as if coming in from northern PA or northern Jersey, you simply take the exit for the Merrit off of 287 and you're heading north. No signs that say no RVs. Since I know the Merrit already, I'd take an earlier exit off of 287 and go north on 684 to 84, thus staying on interstates (and missing the traffic on 95 which comes later).

287 crosses the Hutch, never the merritt. it's all the same road though: whitestone -> hutch -> merritt -> w. cross. -> berlin tpke.

the hutch just turns into the merritt at the state border. the merritt turns into the w. cross at the ffld. county line. the w. cross turns into the berlin tpke. at the I-91 interchange.

[Veedub_junky]

I'll add this about RV drivers... many.... MANY... are ill equipped to handle their rigs. My in-laws have been on the road for about 10 years now and work in RV parks seasonally. You'd be shocked at the number of people driving half-million dollar pusher's who can't back them up. Literally NEED a pull through slot or have someone from the park back their rig into it's space. These same people are thundering down the open road every day.

I drive charter buses that are 45' long, 8' wide - as big as any RV out there - and can get myself in and out of just about anywhere forwards or backwards. I don't think I'm the greatest by any stretch, and it kind of scares me how other drivers will comment on how I do things. You'd be surprised/terrified how many "professional" drivers in buses have similar issues. I see it all the time and usually all I can do is

Give me a trailer and I'd be hopeless But a straight vehicle is a piece of cake when you understand the angles, your "pivot point", and how to properly set mirrors.

[Chris_V]

287 crosses the Hutch, never the merritt. it's all the same road though: whitestone -> hutch -> merritt -> w. cross. -> berlin tpke.

the hutch just turns into the merritt at the state border. the merritt turns into the w. cross at the ffld. county line. the w. cross turns into the berlin tpke. at the I-91 interchange.

Ahh. The roadway changes so much at the 287 interchange that it feels like it's different. And the signage on 287 says Merritt, not Hutchinson, at the offramp from 287, IIRC.

[WakusPakus]

You don't hit the Merrit from 684. You do from 287. 684 goes north from 287 before you hit the Merrit if you're coming from the Tappan Zee. The Hutch starts south of 287 where it meets the Merrit, so you really never have to be on the Hutch.



You'd never see the Hutch unless you were coming from NYC. If you're coming across from the Tappan Zee as if coming in from northern PA or northern Jersey, you simply take the exit for the Merrit off of 287 and you're heading north. No signs that say no RVs. Since I know the Merrit already, I'd take an earlier exit off of 287 and go north on 684 to 84, thus staying on interstates (and missing the traffic on 95 which comes later).

as said above, all the same road...but, no, you're wrong. the Hutch starts at the CT/NY state line...so yes, you do have to take it to get to the merritt. the Merrit is not in NY...technically. but roads aside, OH well lol. i still don't see how someone wouldn't notice that the road is very much different from an interstate..but that's just me.

[robr2]

true. BUT.

if you drive and have a license....you should know the difference between a HIGHway and a PARKway.

What the Hel@ is a parkway?? We don't have those in MA.

We do have height restricted roads that use SIGNS to tell you how tall you can be and don't expect non-locals to understand some silly word we use. And that Truckers use Highways not Parkways sign is kind of useless for RV drivers!! They aren't driving trucks.

Here in Boston is Storrow Drive. It's height restricted and buses and trucks can't make it under the overpasses. There are signs. There are signs with bells you hit before the overpasses. Yet every Labor Day weekend when the college kids are moving in, we get crunched U-Hauls stuck.