The legislature and governor ignored too many areas of Connecticut in a transportation plan approved earlier this year, according to a report by a group that represents cities and towns.

The report said the state's plan, which devotes $1.3 billion over 10 years to improving Interstate 95 and rail transportation, focuses too much on coastal Fairfield County and ignores greater Danbury and other areas.

"Interstate 84 between Waterbury and the New York border is all too often a multi-lane truck and car parking lot," said the report, completed by the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities and the Central Connecticut State University finance department.

The report goes on to say that $1.3 billion is not nearly enough to solve Connecticut's gridlock problems, and that the state should spend $4.7 billion more.

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It's obvious that the money approved by the legislature was insufficient to deal with statewide transportation needs, said Newtown First Selectman Herb Rosenthal, president of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities.

He served on a task force concerning highway improvements from the New York state line to the Housatonic River region.

"That was roughly 10 miles of road, and it had projected costs of $280 million. So $1.3 billion (for the whole state) clearly isn't enough," Rosenthal said. "If traffic stands still on I-84, or 95, it strangles off economic growth. If there is a wreck on 84, Main Street in Newtown gets backed up."

Undeterred by its rejection from the city, Stew Leonard's dairy store is pressing on in its quest to build a liquor store right next to its Federal Road store.

This month, Stew Leonard's representatives will go to court to argue in favor of a zoning change that would allow them to build right next door to the dairy store.

Stew Leonard's has a wine shop, but in a different building on another part of Federal Road almost one mile away.

Stew's lawyer, Ward Mazzucco, said that shopping would be more convenient for customers if the wine shop were located right next to the store.

"It's one-stop shopping that everyone likes," Mazzucco said. "It's natural that when people buy food, they want to select wine for their meals."

A Superior Court hearing on Stew's request had been scheduled for Monday, but has been tentatively continued to Nov. 28.

Back in October of 2004, Danbury's zoning commission denied Stew Leonard's request to change zoning laws to allow liquor stores within 2,000 feet of one another.

Discount Liquors is within 2,000 feet of the Stew Leonard's dairy store.

Those against the Stew's proposal say that the law should stay as it is because it protects the quality of life.

Tom Saadi, a city councilman who testified against the proposal before the Danbury Zoning Commission, said that the regulations are there for a reason.

The only people complaining about the rules are the people who want to change them to make a profit, he said.

Saadi said that studies have shown that between the 1920s and 1960s, when the liquor stores were concentrated in certain areas, those areas went downhill.

"You had issues of crime, issues of loitering," Saadi said.

The city's lawyer could not be reached on Monday.

One Danbury liquor store owner, Rocky Patel, said he thinks Stew's should follow the city's rules. "It's a quality of life issue," Patel said. "How many more things can you put on Federal Road?