Waiting Patiently On Orchard Hill Road

To the Editor:

Town residents living off Orchard Hill Road have waited patiently since July 2004 for the completion of a road project that seems to go on forever. Over this time period the site has undergone sporadic tree cutting, digging, and blasting to become a bumpy, dirt road for far too long. To us, the project often seemed to be more of a part-time hobby. All summer long it has been a dustbowl with yellow tape strung up to mark the crime scene.

We did not expect to be abandoned by the Newtown road crew who had been directing traffic in what we dearly hope is the final stage of this project. On Friday, October 7, town employees apparently left the construction site at 2:30 pm, according to contractors who were still grading the road at 5:30 pm in twilight. Consequently, there were no traffic directors or detour signs to mark the severely torn up road. Only one sign said “Road Bump Ahead.” As a result, I drove into the middle of deep ruts and dirt piles being created by huge, fast-moving road graders tearing up Orchard Hill Road. Fortunately, my car was not damaged and the contractors kindly made a path for me to escape.

It is unfortunate that the town is taking so long to complete this project and did not coordinate with the contractors to provide overtime traffic directors to avoid this potentially dangerous situation. In the future, please leave our roads alone, if you cannot see a project through to the end in a reasonable time!

Allan F. Corbeil

8 Monitor Hill Road, Newtown                                October 19, 2005