Driving through town has been more complicated than usual during recent months as a half-dozen road projects have been underway, creating challenges both for those doing the road work and for motorists traveling through the construction areas.

Among that construction work are three bridge replacement projects — two sponsored by the town and one by the state Department of Transportation (DOT). Also, the DOT has made roadway improvements in two high-traffic areas in seeking to reduce the accident rates there. A water company is installing a large-diameter water pipeline beneath local roads, as well.

DOT spokesman Kevin Nursick said that the plans to create a four-way signalized intersection of Church Hill Road (US Route 6), Commerce Road, and Edmond Road had called for completion of the $2.85 million project by mid-November. Project completion, however, is now projected for May 2019. That work involves shifting the southernmost section of Edmond Road to the west.

The approximately 1,000-foot-long new section of Edmond Road is planned to be open to traffic flow by December 15. That road section, which lies between Newtown Pizza Palace and Wheels gas station/convenience store, connects to Church Hill Road at Church Hill Road’s signalized intersection with Commerce Road. The existing southern section of Edmond Road, which lies between Wheels and a retail center now under construction, will be demolished.

The project is intended to improve traffic flow in the congested area and enhance travel safety in the spot, which has the highest local accident rate.

In another matter, Mr Nursick said that the $970,000 DOT project to shift the northern intersection of South Main Street (State Route 25) and Pecks Lane about 250 feet to the south is expected to be substantially completed in early December. A supervisor at the scene said November 30 that when work crews are not laboring at the scene, traffic is free to drive through the newly-paved intersection. The relocated intersection is intended to improve traffic safety in an area with a high accident rate.

Also, Mr Nursick said the $1.9 million DOT project to replace an antiquated 1929 bridge on Sugar Street (Route 302), near its intersection with Main Street, South Main Street, and Glover Avenue, was substantially completed by November 19. That project also involved the widening of Sugar Street in an area that has often became a traffic bottleneck.

Other Projects

Fred Hurley, town public works director, said that the ongoing replacement of the bridge on the northern end of Toddy Hill Road, near its intersection with Berkshire Road (State Route 34) is expected to be completed in the spring of 2019. The state is covering the construction costs for the $2.8 million project in the form of Local Capital Improvement Project grant.

The new bridge will be located adjacent to the existing Toddy Hill Road bridge. When the new bridge is completed, the existing bridge will be removed.

The new span will be an arch-style bridge that is 32 feet long. Toddy Hill Road’s northbound approach to Berkshire Road will be flattened to make it simpler for large trucks to navigate the intersection. In the past, some tractor-trailer trucks have gotten hung up on the steep road geometry in that area. The intersection will get new traffic signals. Northbound traffic on Toddy Hill Road will have designated turning lanes. The bridge and road improvements in that area are intended to alleviate traffic congestion that occurs during rush periods.

The Toddy Hill Road bridge project is being done in conjunction with a planned $17.7 million state project to improve traffic flow and enhance travel safety in the general area near Exit 11 of Interstate 84.

Concerning another town bridge project, Mr Hurley said the completion date for the ongoing approximately $3 million project to replace an outdated span on Walnut Tree Hill Road, just north of its intersection with Glen Road (Route 816), is now May 1, 2019. The town is covering about one fifth of project costs, with federal grant money covering the remainder.

The new bridge is being built to replace an antiquated, nearly 100-year-old span. The wider new bridge will be easier for motorists to navigate. The new 60-foot-long bridge will have a sidewalk on one side. Mr Hurley said the temporary traffic signal at the bridge that regulates alternating one-way traffic over the bridge under construction will continue operating through the winter.

On November 30, construction workers on Walnut Tree Hill Road continued resealing with asphalt trenches which were dug to allow the Aquarion Water Company to install a 16-inch-diameter water pipeline. That pipeline is being extended from Church Hill Road’s intersection with Walnut Tree Hill Road northward to a property at 13 Old Green Road, where Aquarion will construct a one million gallon water storage tank for its local public water supply system.

A supervisor at the construction site said November 30 said that the 4,000 linear feet of pipeline installation beneath local roads is expected to be done by late December. Workers will then extend the pipeline another 1,000 feet on the 13 Old Green Road property where the water tank will be positioned.

Police stood by along Walnut Tree Hill Road, allowing alternating traffic to pass by as the pipeline installation project progressed.

The Planning & Zoning Commission approved the Aquarion water tank/pipeline project last April. The project is intended to improve the water system’s reliability and the availability of water at fire hydrants.