Date: Fri 19-Jul-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

street-names

Full Text:

with cuts: Newtown Street Names Leave Some Running In Circles

B Y S TEVE B IGHAM

What's in a street name? Well, when it comes to Newtown, oftentimes a lot of

confusion.

The town of Newtown has nearly 500 roads winding through its 60.38 square

miles of land, from Abbots Hill Road to Zoar Road. Some of the roads are major

thoroughfares, others are cul-de-sacs, and a handful are little more than

paths through the woods.

Among the town's long list of roads are a number of them that have similar

sounding names, which can make it difficult for motorists to find their way

around one of the state's largest towns.

For example, in the Taunton Lake area of town, there's Taunton Lake Road,

Taunton Hill Road, Taunton Lane, Taunton Lake Drive and Taunton Ridge Road.

Newtown's big on castles too. You've got Castle Hill Road, Castle Lane, Castle

Meadow Road, Old Castle Drive and Old Castle Hill Road.

Dispatcher Jim Crouch said the town's penchant for similar sounding road names

can be more than just a headache for out-of-towners looking for a particular

street, it can also cause added pressure in times of emergencies.

"In certain emergency situations, every second counts," he explained. "If

there is a delay, it can cost a life."

Mr Crouch recalls several situations where EMTs from the Newtown Volunteer

Ambulance Corps have responded to the wrong road because it sounded much like

the one where the emergency was taking place.

According to the dispatcher, there was once an emergency call on Timber Mill

Road off Riverside Road, but emergency personnel responded to Timber Lane,

miles away off Mile Hill Road.

He recalled similar situations where emergency workers were called to Old

Castle Hill Road, but arrived late because they first responded to Old Castle

Drive.

After being built, the town's roads and streets are titled by their developers

who present the names to the first selectman. Carol Ross of the first

selectman's office said the road name idea is checked with emergency services

and the highway department to make sure there are no other roads with similar

sounding names.

"If they say it's OK, then it goes to the Board of Selectman for approval,"

she explained.

Today, the town keeps close tabs on what names are given to its roads, but it

apparently wasn't always that way. There have been attempts to change some of

the more confusing road names, but, as Mrs Ross explained that's no easy task.

In order to change the name of the road, all properties on the road must be

researched and all deeds, mortgages and titles must be changed. Modifications

must be made to maps and all emergency personnel and utility companies must be

notified. Also, some residents do not wish to have the name of their road

changed.

Newtown's confusing road names become magnified because of the town's immense

size. As Mrs Ross points out, she can get to the ferry in Bridgeport from her

home in the Hattertown section of town quicker than she can get to the Lake

Lillinonah area off Hanover Road.

"Fortunately, most of our emergency personnel know the roads," she said.

Mr Crouch believes an even bigger problem involves roads in Newtown that have

impassible sections. In other words, roads that are split into two. For

example on the Old Road, one half can be reached off Mount Pleasant and the

other off Currituck Road. They do not connect.

Other impassable roads include George's Hill Road and Head O' Meadow Road,

which actually has three separate sections.

Mr Crouch said most map companies incorrectly print the proper route that

George's Hill Road takes off Currituck Road. In fact, he recently found an

updated Hagstrom map of Newtown's roads and made nearly 100 corrections to its

routes, several of which he said were critical.

Mr Crouch has also observed an even more serious problem in that many street

signs are missing, often leaving EMTs and fire department personnel uncertain

about which road is which.

Director of Highways Joe Tani said he received a call last week to put up a

road sign on Tamarack Road because emergency personnel were called there but

had difficulty finding it because the sign was down.

Mr Tani said the signs are being taken down by vandals constantly.

"They take them down as fast as we can put them up," he explained. "It's not

just expensive, it's dangerous."

Mr Tani said some road signs, including those on Budd Drive, Brandywine Lane

and Joan Drive, have to be replaced five or six times a year.

Newtown Hook & Ladder Volunteer Fire Company chief Steve Murphy said he can't

get over the number of road signs down in town. He and his wife were out tag

sale shopping last weekend and counted more than 20 signs down.

"There's so many roads in town and we can't possibly know where they all are.

Especially the new ones," he said.

Among Newtown's many roads that have similar names are Alpine Drive and Alpine

Circle, Birch Hill Road and Birch Rise Drive, Crown Hill Road and Crown View

Drive, Driftway Drive and Driftwood Drive, Prospect Drive and Prospect

Terrace, Great Ring Road and Great Quarter Road, Sawmill Road and Saw Mill

Ridge Road, Toddy Hill Road and Toddy Hill Drive, Laurel Road, Laurel Trail.

Others include Cedar Circle, Cedar Trail, Cedar Hill Road and Cedarhurst

Trail, Echo Valley Road, Valley Field Road and Valley View Road.

Ridges and turkeys are also popular. There's Possum Ridge Road, Saddle Ridge

Road, Arlyn Ridge Road, Concord Ridge Road, Farm Field Ridge Road, Hunting

Ridge Road, Horseshoe Ridge Road, Patriot Ridge Road, Pheasant Ridge Road,

Smoke Rise Ridge, Stonewall Ridge Road, Storm Ridge Road, Teachers Ridge Road,

Thunder Ridge Road, West Farm Ridge Road, Turkey Hill Road, Turkey Hill

Terrace and Turkey Roost Road.

US Presidents mentioned in Newtown road names include Lincoln, Roosevelt,

Madison and Washington, while animals include Bears, Beavers, Chipmunks, Deer,

Foxes, Horses, Leopards, Owls, Oxen, Possums, Birds, Turkeys and Wildcats.