Date: Fri 18-Aug-1995

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

Fairfield-Hills-truck-bypass

Full Text:

Town Again Presses State For Truck Detour Through FHH

The town is again trying to get the Fairfield Hills campus road network open

to truck traffic to relieve traffic congestion in the town center while sewer

construction is underway there.

First Selectman Robert Cascella said August 16 he recently met with state

Department of Transportation (DOT) officials to discuss allowing the use of

the Fairfield Hills roads as a truck detour around the town center while

sewering is underway on Main Street. Mr Cascella visited the DOT with State

Rep Julia Wasserman and State Sen Fred Lovegrove to promote the truck detour

idea.

It was the third meeting the town had had with DOT on the topic. Initially,

Police Commission Chairman Richard Sturdevant and Police Chief Michael

DeJoseph had had sought DOT approval for the truck detour idea but received a

negative response.

Later, Mr Cascella approached the DOT with Mr Sturdevant and Chief DeJoseph

but the idea was again rejected.

"The DOT was more positive this (last) time even though they had already

turned the town down twice," Mr Cascella said. "They told us to come back with

an engineering plan as to how we would do it, he noted.

"I pointed out to the DOT how dangerous it will be when the sewer construction

begins and why the (detour) really is needed," Mrs Wasserman said.

"The (DOT) concern is the 90-degree turns that the big trucks would have to

make (on the Fairfield Hills campus). Our plans will invovle putting in

asphalt and some curbing to make the corners less constricting. Fuss and

O'Neill is working on it. They will be coming back to me later in the week

with the plans. Then, if it looks good, (Mrs Wasserman) and I will be going

with Fuss and O'Neill to the DOT." Fuss and O'Neill is the town's consulting

engineering firm for the sewering project.

"The other related issue is that the hospital campus is closing down on

December 15...(resulting in) a downsized security force and maintainence crew

at the hospital. There won't be any pedestrians in the area when we need to

use the road as a (truck detour) for about six months while the sewer line is

going in along Main Street," the first selectman said.

When asked when the truck detour will be needed, Mr Cascella said "We were

hoping that late this year or early next year the sewer line would be going in

along Main Street, but now I don't know."

Fairfield Hills was open to truck traffic until a decade ago when it was

closed to such traffic due to safety concerns. Trucks with business on the

campus are allowed to enter and leave the premises, but through-truck traffic

is prohibited.