Greenwich Seeks Alternate Route For Section Of East Coast Greenway

GREENWICH, CT — The Greenwich Department of Public Works is seeking to come up with an alternate route for the town's section of the East Coast Greenway, which is a walking and biking route that stretches 3,000 miles from Maine to Florida.

The path is for non-motorized users for recreation, and it also stops at points of interest. Much of the overall route, where possible, is located on protected pathways, and where not possible, on existing streets.

Michael Kiselak, a traffic engineer from DPW, went before the Greenwich Board of Selectmen on Thursday asking for the board's endorsement of a new route. While the selectmen didn't take a vote, they offered support and will likely take action at the next regularly scheduled meeting on Sept. 8.

Once the board endorses the new plan, the East Coast Greenway Alliance, the non-profit organization that manages the system of routes, has to review the change and ultimately grant approval.

The ECG currently routes through Greenwich from Port Chester to Stamford between U.S. 1 and the coast, through Riverside and Old Greenwich.

The existing alignment enters Greenwich from Stamford on Brownhouse Road and continues to Sound Beach Avenue onto Lockwood Avenue. There's a connection on U.S. 1 over the Mianus River, Kiselak said.

Stamford wants to make a modification to its route, and Greenwich wants to follow suit so there's continuity and a more comfortable path for users, Kiselak said. DPW believes Stamford wants to move its starting point from Brownhouse Road to Shore Road.

DPW worked with the Greenwich Bicycle Task Force and Pedal Greenwich, a bike coalition in town, to consider alternate routes, and everyone came to a consensus that Alternate Route 3 was the best option.

The new route would come in on Shore Road and go up Sound Beach Avenue through Old Greenwich. Then it would turn left if you're going northbound onto West End Avenue and continue from there onto Riverside Avenue. The route would eventually go up past the Riverside Train Station and onto U.S. 1.

"We felt out of the alternatives we considered, this had the lowest traffic volume, slowest speeds and the easiest terrain for people that are trying to navigate," Kiselak said.

The board supported the suggestion and wanted to wait to vote to allow for public feedback.

"It's pretty clear what the differences are [between the routes], and this is something that would work for the majority whether you walk or cycle," Selectwoman Lauren Rabin said.

Camillo asked if DPW received feedback from residents in the area of the proposed options. Kiselak said Pedal Greenwich put out a general questionnaire that had over 100 respondents, and 67 percent of people were in favor of Alternate Route 3.

Camillo also asked about signage. Kiselak noted the EGC would install wayfinding signage to match the route once it's approved.

Jan DeAngelo, a Greenwich resident, spoke briefly at Thursday's meeting and said she's in favor of extra signage so more people, especially children, are aware of the route and take advantage of it.