Date: Fri 04-Oct-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

DOT-bypass-road-Pootatuck

Full Text:

Bypass Road Work Set To Begin In April

B Y A NDREW G OROSKO

The state Department of Transportation's (DOT) principal engineer on the

Fairfield Hills bypass road project said this week the road construction

project remains on schedule to begin in April.

Engineer Carl Bard said the plans for the project are virtually complete and

the DOT is filing requests for environmental permits required for road

construction work in wetland areas.

Unless some unusual twist occurs, road building is slated to start April 1,

the beginning of DOT's next construction season, he said.

Mr Bard cautioned, however, that if the upcoming winter season is severe,

construction might be delayed somewhat.

Based on the size of the project, it is expected that work on the new bridge

across the Pootatuck River likely will start first, Mr Bard said.

The Fairfield Hills bypass road will be a connector road designed to improve

east-west traffic flow through town. The bypass road will provide improved

access for motorists between Route 25, Interstate-84 and Route 34. Town

officials see the road as a means to alleviate heavy truck traffic through the

town center.

The $3.6-million bypass road has been designed for heavy truck traffic. Truck

traffic is now banned on the Fairfield Hills grounds.

Michael Osborne, president of the Pootatuck Land Company, said whether the

land company seeks a formal public hearing on the environmental aspects of the

DOT's bypass road depends on the content of the final plans for the road

building project. The company owns the fish and game club property located

along part of the proposed route of the bypass near I-84 Exit 11. Mr Osborne

said it's unclear when such plans will be available for review.

The land company owns the Pootatuck Fish and Game Club which is adjacent to

the area planned for the bypass road.

Land company members have met with DOT and state Department of Environmental

Protection (DEP) officials about bypass project plans. The company hopes to

resolve any environmental concerns which remain before construction starts, Mr

Osborne said.

The land company wants to protect water quality in the Pootatuck River and

near the company's wellheads, according to Mr Osborne. The company sells its

underground water supplies to the state for Fairfield Hills and Garner

Correctional Institution and to the Nunnawauk Meadows elderly housing complex.

The wells tap the Pootatuck Aquifer, the designated sole source aquifer for

Newtown.

"If we're going to do this, let's do it right. We want it done right," Mr

Osborne said. Land company members realize that a bypass road will be a vital

transportation link for Newtown, he said.

The town's future is tied to protecting water quality in the Pootatuck

Aquifer, Mr Osborne said.

Cheryl Chase, a DEP senior civil engineer who administers DEP's wetlands

permits, said DEP is awaiting information on the project from DOT. She hopes

final plans for the project are soon available.

If a public hearing on environmental aspects of the bypass road project is

petitioned by the public, it could postpone the start of construction by one

year, according to Ms Chase.

Advanced erosion control measures will be used during bypass road construction

and special contamination traps will be installed because the area is above

the Pootatuck Aquifer. The bypass road project is environmentally significant

because it is unusual to build a major connector road in a place containing an

area's designated sole source aquifer.

The new bridge crossing the Pootatuck River will be 40 feet wide. The

Pootatuck River will have a 60-foot-wide area to pass beneath the new bridge,

compared to the 20-foot-wide opening on the existing narrow, deteriorated

bridge.

One-half of the new bridge crossing the Pootatuck River will be built at a

time, requiring the need for a temporary traffic signal there to regulate

alternating one-way traffic flow.

A combination of state and federal funds will cover project costs. The new

road will bypass the core campus of Fairfield Hills and link the intersection

of Mile Hill Road South and Mile Hill Road to the area where Mile Hill Road

intersects with Oakview Road.

The section of Mile Hill Road that now crosses Fairfield Hills doesn't meet

current road design standards. About 7,500 vehicles cross the grounds daily.

By the year 2010, it is estimated that 11,000 vehicles will cross the grounds

daily, according to DOT.

A 1991 agreement, which resolved a lawsuit filed by the town against the state

over the state's construction of Garner Correctional Institution, provided, in

part, that the state build a bypass road across the Fairfield Hills grounds to

alleviate traffic congestion in the town center.