Some Hope For Madison Residents Seeking Crosswalks Downtown

By Jack Kramer, Correspondent

MADISON, CT – Anyone who drives in the busy downtown area of Madison knows to keep one eye out for pedestrians cutting across the road trying to make it quickly to the other side without using crosswalks on either end.

Selectman Al Goldberg, who is the board’s liaison to the Board of Police Commissioners, reported at the last selectmen meeting that a solution to that safety problem may finally be near.

The downtown, Route 1, is a state maintained, not town road. Because of that it is the state that has control over traffic issues for the downtown area.

“Historically the state has said we couldn’t build a crosswalk in the middle of Main Street,” Goldberg told his fellow selectmen.

But Goldberg said that in recent meetings that Police Chief Jack Drumm has had with state officials, there seems to be some sense that the state may be changing its mind on that position.

“For the first time in a long time there is optimism that the state will approve this,” Goldberg said.

He said a crosswalk in the middle of the street would make the downtown area safer for pedestrians “and easier to navigate.”

Goldberg noted the timing couldn’t be better, if the state does relent, because the town is in the final stages of its downtown beautification project.

Officials state that over 11,500 vehicles pass through downtown Madison on an average day.

The downtown project got underway in July of 2015.

Once completed the following work will have been completed:

--- replacing sidewalks with brick pavers;

--- remove overhead utilities;

--- install new energy efficient LED lighting;

--- install new center median with irrigation and electrical service;

--- install new granite curbing;

--- replace street trees

Officials said the work badly needed because the downtown had been neglected for decades; sidewalks, median and lighting was outdated and crumbling.

The town secured over $1.8 million in grants for the project.