Following its review of a request from the Police Commission for the installation of a traffic signal at a hazardous Sandy Hook intersection, the state Department of Transportation (DOT) has decided that a traffic signal is warranted and will be installed at the four-way intersection of Berkshire Road (Route 34), Bennetts Bridge Road, and Grays Plain Road. A 2005 proposal to install a traffic signal there was not approved by the DOT.

Travel is hazardous for motorists who are entering Berkshire Road from both Bennetts Bridge Road and from Grays Plain Road. A pronounced dip in Berkshire Road, just east of the intersection, makes it difficult for motorists to see approaching vehicles due to limited sight lines.

According to police department statistics, there were 19 motor vehicle accidents there from calendar year 2012 to 2015 inclusive.

In April 2015, former police chief Michael Kehoe, on behalf of the Police Commission, asked that DOT install a traffic signal there as a safety measure.

At an April 2015 session, commission members agreed to pursue installing such a safety feature there after being presented with an internet petition signed by about 430 people who want a signal there to improve traffic safety.

A group of Sandy Hook residents who use the intersection on a regular basis attended the April 2015 Police Commission session to push for traffic signal installation.

At that time, Joanne Amante of Clapboard Ridge Road termed the location a "worrisome intersection," which has serious visibility and sight line problems.

Po Murray of Charter Ridge then said that she is "petrified" when she drives through the intersection. She also feared for her children's safety, noting that they are drivers.

Drivers experience many "close calls" at the intersection, according to resident Richard Stein. "The sight lines are terrible," he has said.

Rhonda Cullens of Founders Lane said the area has experienced an increase in traffic over the years.

Ironically, several residents noted that the intersection is safer at night than in the daytime for drivers entering Berkshire Road from Bennetts Bridge Road and from Grays Plain Road, because those drivers are able to see the headlamps of vehicles on Berkshire Road approaching the intersection from the east.

William Monaco of Beckett Village has told Police Commission members that the sight lines at the intersection are so poor for drivers entering Berkshire Road that they need to pull into the intersection in order to judge whether it is safe to proceed. Then, after deciding to enter Berkshire Road, those motorists must drive quickly and hope that they made the right decision, he has said.

A Future DOT Project

In an August 29, 2016, letter to Police Chief James Viadero, Charles Harlow, DOT's manager of traffic engineering, wrote, in part, that the DOT's traffic engineering unit has "reviewed the intersection, traffic counts, roadway conditions, and crash experience for the ... location," finding that a signal is warranted there.

The signal's design and installation will be included in a future DOT project, Mr Harlow added.

DOT spokesman Kevin Nursick said September 8 that the project likely would cost between $150,000 and $200,000, with the large majority of funding provided by the federal government. The planned signal would control all four legs of the intersection, Mr Nursick said.

"Installation won't likely be until [the] 2021 time frame, based on current project programming," Mr Nursick said. DOT projects often involve long lead times, and are sometimes repeatedly delayed before the work actually starts.

The intersection now holds blinker signals to caution motorists that it is a hazardous area. Also, the intersection currently is controlled by stop signs posted on Bennetts Bridge Road and on Grays Plain Road.

Police Sergeant Aaron Bahamonde, who heads the police department's traffic unit, said September 9, "We're happy that the state listened ... We're just glad [the safety issue] going to be addressed."