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B Y A NDREW G OROSKO

Construction on the Fairfield Hills bypass road which started in June but then

ceased, in slated to resume in mid-August, according to the chief inspector on

the project.

David Anderson, chief inspector for the bypass for the state Department of

Transportation (DOT), said Wednesday the need to coordinate various aspects of

the project has delayed work for several weeks.

Also, the completion date for the bypass road has been moved back to September

1999. Until now, the completion had been slated for December 1998.

In June, workmen began preliminary construction on the bypass road planned to

link Route 25 to Exit 11 of Interstate 84, and to Route 34 to improve local

east-west traffic flow and reduce congestion in the town center.

Workers cleared trees along Mile Hill Road, cut brush near the intersection of

Oakview Road and Mile Hill Road, and lined the course of the planned road with

erosion-control fencing.

But after that initial activity, the workers departed, leaving behind huge

piles of wood chips, logs, and some machinery.

The work has been delayed by a need to coordinate various aspects of the

project, Mr Anderson said.

Utility poles owned by the telephone and electric companies must be moved to

allow construction to proceed, he said. Organic additives must be located to

create about one acre of wetlands to replace wetlands which will be destroyed

by the road project, he said. Also, the installation of a temporary traffic

signal to allow alternating one-way traffic to cross a bridge over the

Pootatuck River must be coordinated, he added.

Although good weather might allow the project to be completed a bit sooner,

the target date for completion is now September 3, 1999, Mr Anderson said.

Traffic will continue passing over Mile Hill Road while the bypass road

project is under construction, he said.

Construction work will start in the area where a new bridge will cross the

Pootatuck River, he said.

Tree crews will be returning to the site to grind up stumps which were left

behind after trees were cut down, Mr Anderson said.

State Rep Julia Wasserman said this week she wants the DOT commissioner to

tell her why the completion date has been moved back.

In a July 15 letter to DOT Commissioner James Sullivan, Mrs Wasserman writes

"This project was initiated in the June 1991 Garner (Correctional Institution)

agreement, a full six years ago. I understand that your department did not get

involved until June 1994 and ultimately took responsibility for the entire

roadway/bridge project."

"Although the advertising and award of the contract were delayed slightly, I

have been assured on numerous occasions by your staff that the construction

schedule would not be impacted. I was told construction would begin in the

early spring of 1997 and two construction seasons would be required to

complete construction, thus, putting the completion date (at) 1998," she adds.

"I found the September 3, 1999 (completion) date completely unacceptable and

would like to know what your department will do to get this project back on

schedule," she writes.

Mrs Wasserman said Tuesday she awaits a response from Mr Sullivan.

"I want to see it finished as soon as possible, " Mrs Wasserman said.

It's the DOT commissioner's responsibility to see that the bypass road gets

built in a timely manner, she said.

"There's no excuse for that," First Selectman Robert Cascella said of the

delay in getting the road finished.

"It's just been too long...There's no excuse here," he said.

The overall cost of the project is estimated at $4 million, including

construction and design expenses. The low bidder for the project is Dayton

Construction Company, Inc, of Watertown, which was awarded the construction

bid at $3.2 million.

Advanced erosion control measures will be used during bypass road

construction. Special contamination traps will be installed because the area

lies 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.

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

road will bypass the core campus of Fairfield Hills. The road will extend from

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

Mile Hill Road intersects with Oakview Road.

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.