NORWALK — After hearing from hundreds of frustrated Norwalk commuters, Sen. Chris Murphy is recommending improvements to Exit 16 and East Avenue, adding parking for the city’s two stations and expediting replacement of the Walk Bridge.

“My goal is to marry the voice of commuters with real data and use both to propose and advance a set of policies to improve commutes in Connecticut,” wrote Murphy, D-Conn., in an introduction “Fed Up,” a survey which he launched to hear commuters’ concerns.

In Norwalk, motorists are frustrated with congestion at Exit 16 along Interstate 95, Metro-North Railroad riders want shorter rides to Stamford and Grand Central Terminal, and parking at the city’s two train stations is “nearly impossible” for those without a permit.

Those are among the key findings of the Norwalk portion of “Fed Up” a campaign launched by Murphy.
“The response was overwhelming,” Murphy wrote. “I heard from over a thousand people who spend hours in traffic each day.”

The “Fed Up” Norwalk campaign included an online survey that brought more than 450 responses, Murphy holding “office hours” at a Merritt Parkway gas station, Murphy live-streaming himself stuck in traffic on Interstate 95 and at town hall meeting at Norwalk Library.

Bethany was among the Norwalk respondents.

“Being away from home 12 hours a day (to work an 8 hour day) does have an impact on any family,” she wrote. “The aggravation of driving I-95 or the Merritt Parkway is immeasurable.”

The report measures commuters’ grief in minutes. From Exit 14 in Norwalk, the average rush-hour travel time to Stamford is 24 minutes, to Fairfield 32 minutes and to Bridgeport 43 minutes. Overall, 145,200 cars use Exit 14 each day, according to the report.

The Norwalk portion of the report also addresses the century old Walk Bridge, which carries Metro-North Railroad’s New Haven Line over the Norwalk River.

“The too-frequent malfunctions of the bridge leave people stranded for hours and sometimes require emergency busing,” the report said.