Date: Fri 03-Nov-1995

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

bypass-FHH-DOT-Route-25-34

Full Text:

Bypass Road Work Pushed Back Again

B Y A NDREW G OROSKO

The bypass road intended to alleviate traffic congestion in the town center by

allowing through-truck traffic to travel across the Fairfield Hills grounds is

now planned to start construction in the late summer or early fall of 1996,

according to a state Department of Transportation (DOT) official.

William Colacrai, a transportation supervising engineer in DOT's construction

office in Newington, said Tuesday that current planning for the approximately

1.5-mile bypass road calls for design work on the thoroughfare to be completed

by next April. He said he expects competitive bids for the project to be

opened late next spring.

The section of the road which will extend from the intersection of Mile Hill

Road and Mile Hill Road South to the intersection of Nunnawauk Road and Mile

Hill Road has been designed by the state Department of Public Works (DPW), Mr

Colacrai said.

The section of the bypass road extending from Interchange 11 of Interstate 84

to the intersection of Nunnawauk Road and Mile Hill Road is being designed by

the DOT, he said. That road section includes a new bridge which will cross the

Pootatuck River on Mile Hill Road near the red brick pump houses for Fairfield

Hills' underground water supply.

Town officials view the bypass road as "pressure valve" to alleviate some of

the heavy truck traffic that passes through the town center. That truck

traffic makes for vehicular congestion and occasional traffic tie-ups. The

bypass road is planned to provide an east-west link-up south of the town

center for truck traffic traveling between Route 25, Interstate 84, and Route

34. Through-truck traffic currently isn't allowed at Fairfield Hills. The

bypass road will include wide travel lanes and hill climbing lanes to

facilitate through-truck traffic flow.

The state initially had planned to build the bypass road in two separate

sections. The state's inclination now is to have one construction company

build both sections of the road as one construction project, Mr Colacrai said.

Having one contractor build the road as one project would make it much easier

for the state to administer the road building project and would probably

result in a lower overall price, he said. Mr Colacrai administers construction

projects for the DOT.

Mr Colacrai estimated road costs at between $4 million and $5 million.

Construction work on the bypass road may begin at the intersection of Mile

Hill Road and Mile Hill Road South and work its way eastward across the

Fairfield Hills grounds, he said. But the firm which is eventually chosen to

build the road may decide to proceed differently, he added.

The DOT's scheduling for the project has changed during recent years, with the

start of construction postponed several times.

The state agreed to build the bypass road on the Fairfield Hills grounds as

part of a settlement to a lawsuit. In the case, the town sued the the state

over the state's plans to build Garner Correctional Institution, the

high-security prison on Nunnawauk Road. In settling the suit out of court, the

state agreed to build the road as well as donate some property at Fairfield

Hills to the town.

If construction on the bypass road starts late next summer or early next fall,

the road and bridge might be completed by July 1998, Mr Colacrai said. It may

be possible for traffic to use sections of the bypass road before it's

completely built, he added.

DOT construction seasons run from April 1 to December 1 of each calendar year.

Mr Colacrai noted that one of the most difficult aspects of getting a road

project done involves acquiring the required permits for the work. The state

Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) requires the DOT to obtain a host

of permits for construction work. Because the DOT is performing a state road

building project, the project is subject to state environmental reviews, not

local reviews.

Whether DOT will build a DOT regional garage for road maintenance and

equipment storage on Fairfield Hills property is now unclear, Mr Colacrai

said. DOT has been considering building a regional maintenance and storage

facility at the site of the Fairfield Hills sewage treatment plant. The state

plans to shift its Fairfield Hills sewage disposal to a new plant which will

be built for state and town use near the end of Commerce Road.