Improvements To Buckland Hills Intersection Working: Officials

MANCHESTER, CT — Improvements to a high-traffic area of Manchester's Buckland Hills retail district seem to be working, officials said this week.

In January 2021, the town of Manchester completed construction on the project to replace the traffic signal, remove the channelizing islands and install other safety improvements at the Buckland Street-Buckland Hills Drive-Pleasant Valley Road intersection. The project was primarily funded with federal aid through the Local Road Accident Reduction program administered through the Connecticut Department of Transportation.

Officials said the program provides funding for safety improvements to local roads with a high crash history.

In the one- year period since the project was completed, the overall number of crashes at the intersection has been reduced by 40 percent from the previous 3-year annual average of 42 to 25, officials said.

Rear-end collisions have been reduced by 70 percent from 29 to 9, officials said.

"We will continue to monitor the data over the next few years, but the first year results are very encouraging," Manchester Town Engineer Jeff LaMalva said.

A similar project for the Buckland Street-Adams Street-Tolland Turnpike intersection, funded through the same program, is scheduled to begin construction this summer, he said.

More information on the upcoming project at Tolland Turnpike and Buckland Street can be found online at:

• http://engineering1.townofmanchester.org/index.cfm/construction-projects/buckland-st-at- tolland-turnpike/