Road Closures, Detours Planned For Old Greenwich Drainage Improvements

GREENWICH, CT — Several weeks after work on the Sound Beach Avenue bridge was completed, a new construction project is set to begin in Old Greenwich that's aimed at improving water drainage.

The Greenwich Board of Selectmen on Thursday unanimously approved plans for the work on Harding Road, Tomac Avenue and Forest Avenue.

The town's flood and erosion control board has identified a number of areas in town that are in need of drainage improvements, and this area was one of them.

Approximately 350 linear feet of 2-by-4 concrete box culverts, new junction chambers, manholes, and catch basins will be installed. Additionally, the headwall associated with the channel parallel to the train tracks will be modified.

Construction is slated to begin the week of May 15 at the Eastern Greenwich Civic Center parking lot. The majority of work will occur during normal construction hours, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and traffic impacts are expected. The roadway is expected to reopen at the end of each work day.

This project will be broken into two phases: phase 1, which will last a few weeks, will move from the EGCC parking lot onto Harding Road. Daytime single alternating lane closures are expected.

Phase 2 will commence on Tomac Avenue and move to Forest Avenue. During this period, partial to full daytime road closures are expected, and detours will be in place. The total detor time frame is approximately three months.

The project was first presented to the selectmen two weeks ago by DPW engineer Ian Brown. The board did not take any action then, and instead decided to wait for public feedback.

Brown went before the selectmen again on Thursday, and said DPW heard from several residents in the neighborhood who asked why a full road closure is necessary, and why is the project taking place now at the beginning of what will likely be a busy beach season?

"The pipe network being worked on is located directly in the center of the roadway. We felt it was safest to close the road while construction is taking place, since contractors will need room on both sides of the road to use excavators and other construction equipment," Brown explained.

"This work needs to be completed now, as to avoid impacting construction of the opening of the new civic center. We don't want to delay any opening of the brand new, beautiful civic center which is being built," Brown added.

On if there will be significant impacts to traffic in the area, Brown said comprehensive detour signage will be posted.

Two weeks ago, Brown highlighted two detour routes. The detour for road closures on Tomac is approximately two miles and utilizes Sound Beach Avenue, Harding Road, Forest Avenue and Lockwood Avenue.

The detour for Forest is about .85 miles, and uses Sound Beach Avenue and Harding Road.

"While this may have a small initial burden on traffic in the area, we do believe that residents will adjust their daily commutes in a way that's most comfortable to them," Brown said. "This was the case for the nearby Sound Beach Avenue project, whose detour route was operated successfully despite being a permanent road closure of a major thoroughfare... We understand that road closures are an inconvenience to drivers, but we believe that the work we are doing here will make Old Greenwich better."

Brown noted that residents have voiced concerns over speeding caused by detours. DPW will coordinate with the Greenwich Police Department to monitor driver behavior, Brown said.

Selectperson Lauren Rabin supported DPW's coordination with the GPD.

"When we peel back the onion on one thing, a lot of peripheral issues come to the forefront that existed regardless of the project being done or not," she said.

First Selectman Fred Camillo thanked Brown and DPW for their work in planning for the project.

"We know this has to be done and it's something that needs to be done," he said.

Selectperson Janet Stone McGuigan, an Old Greenwich resident, said the community appreciates the project, and she hoped sensitivity can be shown that the area is highly trafficked with people looking to shop, dine or head to Greenwich Point.

In order to keep the public informed, Greenwich DPW will post updates on the project's progress on the town website.