Rockville HS Sidewalk Project Wrapping Up After Concrete Delays

VERNON, CT — The Rockville High School sidewalk project, delayed because of trouble obtaining concrete, should be ready by the start of school next week.

School is slated to begin locally on Sept. 1.

Vernon Superintendent of Schools Joseph Macary said Thursday the project had been idle for several days while crews awaited the balance of the concrete.

The finishing touches on the remaining work at the Route 83-Loveland Hill Road intersection and crosswalk were in full swing Thursday.

The project is the final phase of a multi-year effort to "make the routes children take to school" safer, he said. It is funded by the federal Safe Routes To Schools Grant. The program, initiated in 2012, is also designed to encourage students to walk and bike to school, though the sidewalk from the RHS campus to Dart Hill and Regan roads along Route 83, had a clear emphasis on the safety aspect.

The initial focus of the grant was on Skinner Road School school, but "careful management of construction costs" left enough funding for improvements to the sidewalks that lead to Rockville High School, officials said.

"By being careful stewards of the taxpayers' dollars, we are able to do more with this project than initially planned," Vernon Mayor Daniel Champagne said last spring. "These sidewalk improvements will benefit everyone, but especially our community's school children."

The final phase included replacing existing asphalt sidewalks with concrete sidewalks in three locations:

• Along Dart Hill Road, west of Skinner Road, toward the bridge over the Hockanum River
• Along both sides of Route 83 from Regan and Dart Hill roads to the Loveland Hill Road intersection
• Along the east side of Loveland Hill Road to the southern entrance to Rockville High School

The Skinner Road School work includes a new parking lot, a new walking path on school grounds, a walking path connecting Hayes Drive with Barbara Drive, improved crosswalks and signage along Skinner Road, all of which were done by Vernon Department of Public Works crews.

The contractor for the sidewalk work is Wiese Construction of Norwich. The collective cost has been projected at about $500,000. Milone and MacBroom consultants of Cheshire prepared the specifications and plans and will inspect the work.