Overview:

The purpose of this study was to estimate the possible traffic and air quality impacts of the development of a casino in Bridgeport. The study also quantified the costs associated with the increased traffic resulting from such a development.

Study activities included the following:

• Review and analysis of the traffic generation characteristics of existing casinos in Connecticut and New Jersey.
• Development of the likely transportation characteristics of a casino in Bridgeport including traffic generation, transit trips and times of travel.
• Analysis of the potential traffic impacts of a casino on major roadways in southwestern Connecticut, such as Interstate 95, the Merritt Parkway, Route 1 and Route 7. This analysis includes information about roadway volumes, average travel speeds, accident rates and air quality.
• Recommendation of strategies to mitigate casino-related traffic impacts.

The study concluded that the development of a casino would have a significant impact on traffic congestion in southwestern Connecticut. The study distinguished casino-related traffic from other destinations such as shopping malls, tourist attractions and office parks, by emphasizing the following characteristics:

• Casino traffic is not seasonal; the number of trips to and from casinos is relatively consistent from month to month.
• Casinos operate 24 hours per day; there is no peak travel period to and from casinos thus traffic impacts of casinos may be experienced at all times of day.

The study further noted that the target markets for patrons of a casino in Bridgeport will travel from points to the east (Long Island), the west (New York state) and the immediate south and southwest (greater New York City), thus the greatest traffic impacts are likely to occur on some of southwestern Connecticut’s most congested roadways such as Interstate 95, the Merritt Parkway and Route 7.

The study recommends that any plan for the development of a casino in Bridgeport include provisions for the implementation of new and expansion of existing transit services connecting the casino’s target markets and Bridgeport; implementation of aggressive marketing campaigns and financial incentives to encourage casino patrons to use mass transportation to reach the casino, and good faith collaboration between developers of a casino and public officials that leads to strategies and programs to help mitigate the traffic impacts of casino development.

Study Products:

Final Report:

• Executive Summary (HTML)
• Full Report (PDF, size 378 kb)

Project Team:

Sponsors:
South Western Regional Planning Agency

Co-sponsors:

Prime Consultants:
Buckhurst Fish & Jacquemart, Inc.

Subcontractors:
Urbanomics

Contact Us
If you have comments or would like additional information, please contact:

Dr. Floyd Lapp
Executive Director
SWRPA
888 Washington Boulevard
Stamford, CT 06901

Phone: 203-316-5190
Fax: 203-316-4995
Email: lapp@swrpa.org

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