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Could Confuse a Lot of Drivers

Please write more articles about the effects of renumbering highway exits in Connecticut. “What’s Behind Those Matching Old/New Exit Numbers” (June 16) reprints the government’s poorly explained reasoning for renumbering.

The Department of Transportation tells us that the exit numbers will match the mileage from the beginning of the route within Connecticut—from which direction? Route 9 is wholly within Connecticut. What will a visitor who meandered onto Route 9 in Higganum, heading south, understand about the numbers? Probably nothing. I suspect that many drivers are like me. We don’t think about stuff like mileage from the beginning of the route. We just want to know where to get off, and now that’s changed.

So perhaps what we need is some help. Would you write more articles quoting experts on how people cope with this stuff in their daily routines? Locals have a whole language for referring to the highway. “We’re off exit 5, turn right,” will mean a completely new experience very soon.

The exit changes require drivers going a long distance to perceive their progress in a new way. No more will one think how many exits are left in the trip. Instead, they will need to start thinking how many miles they have left, but only if they can remember which end of the highway is supposed to be mile 0.

All in all, exit renumbering is convenient for highway engineers and emergency personnel. That’s fine. But it could confuse a lot of drivers. That will create some scenarios ranging from hilarious to dangerous.

Christine Woodside

Deep River