Francis P. Lynch
Changes in Transportation in Connecticut 1950 to the Present
Objective:
To allow students to work out for themselves how railroad mileage has shrunk in Connecticut since 1950, and to show the expansion of the Interstate and limited access state highways.
Materials needed:
Teacher information for Connecticut showing railroads and commercial airports in 1950 and today. Blackboard space for group work or blank sheets of paper for students to work on as individuals.
Strategies:
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a. Have students draw in major rail lines (include passenger lines), commercial airfields, and limited access highways which existed in Connecticut in 1950. (Merritt and Wilbur Cross Parkways).
Questions:
Suppose it is 1950, and you wanted to go to a ball game or a concert in Boston or New Haven or New York. How would you get there? How long would it take? How likely would you be to try?
b. With a new piece of blank paper, have students trace in the approximate routes for the following:
Connecticut Turnpike
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I-91
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I-84
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I-86
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I 95
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c. With the same map, have students trace in Connecticut
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Routes # 2, #8, #9, # 11, #52.
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d. When were all these roads built?
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e. How would you get to Boston or New Haven or New York now? How long would it take? How would you get to Hammonasett? To Misqusmicot?
f. Can you get to any of these places by train? By bus?