Date: Fri 11-Sep-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

Route-25-DOT-hearing

Full Text:

Route 25 Widening Plan Draws Criticism At Hearings

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

State Department of Transportation (DOT) officials Tuesday heard a range of

opinions from Newtowners on DOT's proposal to widen Route 25 to improve

traffic flow on the heavily traveled thoroughfare, including doing nothing,

making minimal improvements, or instead, creating a direct connector or

expressway elsewhere to link I-84 to I-95.

About 60 Newtown residents attended a public hearing on DOT's proposal to

widen Route 25 between Mile Hill Road and Route 111 in Trumbull.

On Wednesday, about 60 residents from Monroe and Trumbull attended a DOT

hearing in Monroe.

No money has been designated for DOT road designs or construction. There is no

schedule for road improvements.

Newtown First Selectman Herbert Rosenthal said widening the road would involve

DOT acquiring some properties along the highway. A widening project could

jeopardize a golf green and tees at the Newtown Country Club, he said.

A widening also would affect property owned by the Taunton Press, he added.

"This would do some serious harm to their property," he said.

"Even the limited widening would be harmful to the town," the first selectman

said. DOT is proposing a "limited" widening of the road versus a previously

proposed "full" widening.

Widening the road would make it easier to travel south to lower Fairfield

County and might intensify residential growth problems in Newtown, Mr

Rosenthal said.

The first selectman suggested that the DOT make some minimal improvements to

Route 25, as needed. "This would be overkill to do what you're proposing," the

first selectman said.

Traffic already travels too fast on Route 25; a widened road would tend to

speed it up, he argued. Mr Rosenthal suggested that if DOT doesn't want to

make only minimal improvements to the road, it should build some type of

direct connector road to link I-84 to I-95.

Selectman Joseph Bojnowski urged that the DOT make fewer improvements to Route

25 than it has proposed.

Charles Annett, chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals, said, "I'm not in

favor of any of the particular options."

Mr Annett urged that instead of building the project the DOT has proposed, DOT

should consider improving some intersections and sight lines. Other than that,

he suggested building a direct connector road between I-84 and I-95 as had

been proposed 30 years ago. Such an expressway would be the best option for

Newtown, he said.

Bill Shepherd, facilities manager for the Taunton Press, expressed concerns

that the proposed road widening would physically damage the company's

properties at 63 and 191 South Main Street. Also, the northern terminus of the

widened road would be near the company's 63 South Main Street site, he said.

One woman suggested that changing Route 25 would destroy the town's character.

Widening Route 25 would increase the volume of traffic that cuts through

Newtown, damaging the town's residential quality, she added.

Nathalie Guerrieri of Greenbriar Lane said current traffic conditions on Route

25 are "atrocious." She called for a direct connector between I-84 and I-95,

not a widened Route 25. She termed such a direct connector "something planned,

not a patch-up job." Widening Route 25 would result in new traffic bottlenecks

being created, she said.

Charles Perry of Botsford Lane said that any steep road cuts needed for road

widening should be tapered cuts and not vertical rock faces. Any stone walls

removed to make way for road widening should be replaced, he said. Any

widening of Route 25 should be made with pedestrians in mind, he added.

Russell Picerno, proprietor of Town Line Convenience at the intersection of

Route 25 and Swamp Road, said slowing down traffic on Route 25 is the first

step to improving traffic conditions. He suggested the installation of some

traffic signals to slow down traffic. Pedestrians have nowhere to walk along

the road, Mr Picerno said.

Evelyn Evagash, a former member of the town's Economic Development Commission,

termed DOT's widening proposal "a waste of money." A direct connector between

I-84 and I-95 should instead be built, she said.

Linda Sarafian of Washbrook Road said, "I am for doing nothing."

Traffic on Route 25 should somehow be slowed down, she said. A wider road

would increase traffic speeds, she noted. Ms Sarafian called for improved

intersection safety on the thoroughfare.

Monroe/Trumbull

At the public hearing Wednesday in Monroe, some residents called for an

expressway to be built to link I-84 to I-95.

Others urged that improvements, including the installation of new traffic

signals, be made immediately to alleviate severe traffic congestion on Route

25.

Monroe First Selectman Karen Burnaska said, "Route 25 needs improvement. ...

My goal is to have DOT work with Monroe to improve the safety of Route 25. ...

We live here. We work here. We want to see the best for the residents of our

town."

Several residents called for the construction of a direct connector, saying

such an expressway would be an environmentally better solution than a widening

of Route 25.

Jerome Rookasin, a Monroe Parks and Recreation Commission member, said DOT's

road widening proposal would make for a "nightmare" that would cause "an

extreme hardship" on businesses along Route 25. Widening Route 25 would simply

aggravate congested traffic conditions, he said.

Marian Callo called for construction of a direct connector or expressway,

saying a widened Route 25 would worsen heavy traffic conditions.

Monroe resident Matthew Capozziello urged that more traffic signals be

installed on Route 25 to better control traffic flow.

Mike Sippin, president of the Monroe Chamber of Commerce, spoke in favor of

DOT's widening proposal, saying retailers on that road would be financially

hurt by the creation of a direct connector. Mr Sippin asked how businesses

would be compensated for parking spaces they would lose if Route 25 is

widened.

Affected Properties

The state has developed a tentative list of seven properties in Newtown it may

have to acquire for the widening project to proceed. As the conceptual plans

evolve into design plans, the list of properties may change.

The seven Newtown properties the state may have to acquire are: occupied

houses at 70, 126, and 350 South Main Street; an abandoned house at 312 South

Main Street; Gene's Signs at 178 South Main Street; Black Swan Gifts at 182

South Main Street; and Town Line Convenience at 365 South Main Street.

Besides the seven properties, there's an unspecified number of properties that

would be affected by severe reductions in lot size and parking area.

The widening work proposed by DOT would cost approximately $82.5 million in

current dollar value, Mr Hall said. Acquiring rights-of-way for road widening

would add to that price.

A more extensive road widening project that was considered but turned down by

the DOT would have a $144.3 million construction cost.

Route 25 improvements are needed due to current inadequate road geometry,

inconsistent speeds, inadequate access control, expected growth in the

corridor leading to higher traffic volumes, and safety problems, according to

DOT.

Route 25 would be widened on its existing alignment to two through-lanes in

each direction between Mile Hill Road and Route 111 in Trumbull. The road

would have four 12-foot-wide travel lanes and two, two-foot wide outside road

shoulders. The road's right-of-way would be 75 feet wide. Auxiliary turning

lanes would be added at major intersections.

DOT states that, at a minimum, exclusive left-turn lanes would be added on the

Route 25 approaches to four existing intersections with traffic signals. These

are: Route 111 in Trumbull; Purdy Hill Road/Judd Road in Monroe; Route 59 in

Monroe; and Bradford Drive in Monroe. "The intersection of Route 25 and Mile

Hill Road in Newtown ... will also require additional turning lanes beyond

those provided as part of the widening of mainline Route 25 itself," according

to DOT.

Edgar Hurle, DOT's director of environmental planning, said comments made at

the two public hearings will be assessed by DOT and a final recommendation on

whether to proceed with the Route 25 widening project won't be made until all

issues are fully and fairly considered.