Town Seeks $500,000 Grant

For Sidewalk Design/Construction

By Andrew Gorosko

Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members this week endorsed the town’s application for a $500,000 grant which, if approved, would provide money to create two key links in a municipal sidewalk network intended to eventually interconnect all the school buildings in central Newtown.

P&Z members at a July 26 session unanimously approved the application through which the town is seeking the funds from the federal Safe Routes to School grant program.

The state Department of Transportation (DOT) would review the town application for federal funds for sidewalk design and construction.

The town is seeking $300,000 for a 3,600-foot-long sidewalk on Queen Street, which would extend southward from Queen Street’s intersection with Glover Avenue to its intersection with Mile Hill Road. That sidewalk would tentatively be constructed along the west side of Queen Street.

Also, funds are being sought for a 300-foot-long sidewalk along the northern curb of Church Hill Road, extending westward from the driveway at 3 Church Hill Road to the northeastern corner of Church Hill Road and Main Street.

The proposed concrete sidewalks would be five feet wide.

George Benson, director of planning and land use, told P&Z members the proposed sidewalks are intended to improve walking children’s access to school buildings.

The relatively high cost of the 300-foot-long sidewalk section on Church Hill Road stems from the need to construct a retaining wall alongside the road to make a sidewalk possible on the steep terrain, he explained.

Mr Benson noted that there has been a divergence of opinion in the past over whether it would be best to construct a sidewalk along the west side or the east side of Queen Street between its intersections with Glover Avenue and Mile Hill Road.

Based on his research, both the Police Commission, which is the local traffic authority, and the Board of Selectmen have endorsed sidewalk construction along the west side of Queen Street, Mr Benson said. However, if the east side of the street is ultimately deemed a better location for a sidewalk, it could be built there, he said.

Also, local officials have discussed improving traffic/pedestrian safety at the Queen Street/Glover Avenue intersection by converting it from its current triangular design to a T-shaped design, Mr Benson said, noting that the topic has been controversial.

However, the $500,000 being sought be the town would not include any funds for such intersection changes, he said.

Mr Benson noted that none of the nine other area towns that belong to the Housatonic Valley Council of Elected Officials (HVCEO) is seeking the federal grant money.

Statewide, approximately $2 million in grants will be available in the competitive program during the current fiscal year.

The intent of the Safe Routes to School program is to encourage more students in kindergarten through Grade 8 to walk and bike to school, fostering a healthier lifestyle, according to DOT. Construction work must occur within one mile of a primary school or middle school. The towns in Connecticut that are awarded grant money will be named next May.

The Concept

The P&Z has been developing a conceptual plan for a sidewalk network that would interconnect multiple school buildings in central Newtown.

Currently, some sidewalk sections exist in the project planning area and some do not. The long-term project’s goal is to fill in the gaps to create a continuous sidewalk network linking the schools. 

The conceptual plan for such a pedestrian travel network includes sidewalks positioned along:

*Church Hill Road between the Main Street flagpole intersection and the intersection of Church Hill Road, Washington Avenue, Riverside Road, and Glen Road in Sandy Hook Center.

*Washington Avenue/Berkshire Road between the Sandy Hook Center traffic signal and the traffic signal at the intersection of Berkshire Road and Wasserman Way.

*Wasserman Way between its intersections of Wasserman Way and Berkshire Road and the intersection of Wasserman Way and Mile Hill Road South.

* Mile Hill Road.

*Queen Street.

*Glover Avenue.

*South Main Street between its intersections with Mile Hill Road and Glover Avenue.

*Country Club Road

*Elm Drive between its intersections with Country Club Road and Sugar Street.

*Sugar Street between its intersections with Elm Drive and South Main Street.

*Main Street between its intersection with Glover Avenue and the Main Street flagpole.

Currently, various types of sidewalks exist along some sections of those roads.

The project’s goal is to interconnect Hawley School, St Rose School, Sandy Hook School, Newtown High School, Reed Intermediate School, and Newtown Middle School. The sidewalk network also would connect to the town-owned core campus at Fairfield Hills, which is adjacent to Reed School.

Town officials expect in would take many years, a decade or more, to complete the sidewalk network.