Greenwich Casts A Wary Eye Upon Plan to Build Merritt Parkway Trail

A state plan to build a multi-use trail that would span the entire 37.5 miles of the Merritt Parkway, stretching from the New York State border in Greenwich to the Sikorsky Bridge and Housatonic River in Stratford is raising concerns among Greenwich residents and town officials.

According to the Connecticut Department of Transportation, the trail would primarily be located within the undeveloped highway right-of-way, utilizing the wooded buffer that exists between the road-way and abutting properties. According to Greenwich First Selectman Peter Tesei, the trail would be located on the south side of the northbound lanes of the highway.

ABout 100 residents and town officials attended the ConnDOT public informational meeting on the project at Greenwich Town Hall on Sept. 16. ConnDOT is planning to conduct an 18-month feasibility study on the proposal, a copy of which can be found here.

“There is a lot of concern about this in town. From a practical point of view, the estimated cost is $200 to $250 million, which I think is a rather conservative estimate,” Tesei said at last week’s selectmen’s meeting.

“It is an extreme amount of funds to establish a new infrastructure. Our (existing) infrastructure isn’t in great shape when our existing rails or highways need more (repairs),” Tesei said. What is of even more concern, Tesei said, “is that it will affect local governments — they’re (the state) not going to cover maintenance costs, the removal of trash and debris. … There’s security issues. It’s bringing activity closer to people’s property.”

Another issue of concern to town officials is the impact upon Greenwich emergency personnel who will need to respond to calls. “If someone is hurt, who’s going to respond — Greenwich PD, GEMS (Greenwich Emergency Medical Service), Greenwich Fire? How are you going to respond? How do you get in to access to assist people?” Tesei said of the remoteness of the trail location.

Tesei said urged residents to file comments about the proposal. ConnDOT has set an Oct 16 deadline for public comments and the town has posted a comment form on its website, which can be found here.

What do you think? Is creation of the trail a good idea? Would you use it? Tell us in the comments section.

Photo credit: www.alps.net

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