You may have seen the construction update yesterday. So did I, and thought it was worth reaching out for a bit of clarity.
The official update says there will be an "alternating traffic pattern" from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. from April 30 – May 2. However, when I reached out to Ben Boucher from CT DOT, the chief inspector on the Main Street project, he said, "There will be police officers regulating the flow of traffic. We will have one traffic lane on Main St. and the Officers will stop traffic to let one side through and then alternate to let the other side through. We are hoping that this traffic pattern is only for today."
This is necessary, says Boucher, "to run trenches with electrical conduit and wires across the road for the flashing crosswalk signs that were requested by the Stafford First Selectman."
Another piece of the current construction puzzle is drainage work happening around Town Hall May 1- 2. Boucher says, "This will be primarily in front of the Town Hall parking lot and into River Rd. Access will be maintained for cars to get in and out of the parking lot."
"Right now the drainage system from the Paradiso law office down the Town Hall parking lot all feeds into a 10” clay pipe underneath the railroad tracks by the thrift store," says Boucher. "This pipe is not strong enough or large enough to handle that water long-term, so we are extending the pipe across the road and tying into an existing 18” reinforced concrete pipe that is currently abandoned underneath the railroad tracks. This will allow water to flow without issue. The 10” clay pipe under the railroad tracks will be filled with cement and plugged so that there is no risk of it ever collapsing."