Winter Approaching— 

Queen Street Crosswalk Project Pending

By Andrew Gorosko

The town public works director said this week the town has not yet received all the materials needed to install a raised crosswalk on Queen Street, near Newtown Middle School.

And apparently, the longer it takes for those items to arrive, the less likely it becomes that the town will be able to install the device before the winter sets in.

In September, the town installed a raised crosswalk on Glover Avenue, near its intersection with Meadow Road.

The highly visible device combines a broad speed bump, known as a speed table, with crosswalk markings. It serves both to slow motorists and to provide a safe place for pedestrians to cross the street. State law requires motorists to yield to pedestrians who are standing in crosswalks.

Raised crosswalks are portable structures that are bolted to the pavement for use, as needed.

Public Works Director Fred Hurley said this week that unless the town gets the materials needed for a raised crosswalk on Queen Street fairly soon, it may need to delay that device’s installation until the spring.

The town could install a raised crosswalk as late December 15, provided that all conditions are favorable, he said. Area asphalt plants typically close during the first half of December, he said, noting that some asphalt trim paving near a raised crosswalk is a required element of the installation.

The town has learned from its installation of the Glover Avenue raised crosswalk, Mr Hurley said. When the Queen Street structure is installed, a milling machine would be used to create cavities in the pavement into which the edges of the structure would be inserted. That technique would provide smoother transitions for motor vehicles rolling over the raised crosswalk.

To install  a raised crosswalk, conditions should be dry and above 40 degrees, Mr Hurley said.

Mr Hurley said the public works department is facing many projects that it wants to accomplish before winter weather arrives. He said he hopes the town is able to install the Queen Street raised crosswalk before winter comes.

The structure would be located somewhat north of the existing conventional crosswalk near the school on Queen Street. It would replace the existing crosswalk.