Construction/Roadway Projects

The Town maintains 217 miles of roadways and averages 8.5 miles of paving each year including reconstruction and repaving projects.  This year we paved 9.8 miles.

The Engineering Division annually performs visual pavement condition assessments at the end of each year. The following link shows the 2021 Pavement Condition Map. This map displays the pavement conditions by colors for either Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor, or Extremely Poor. In 2021, 18 miles of roadways were rated in Extremely Poor condition, while 38 miles of roadways were rated in Poor condition.

Each year, the Town focuses its paving resources toward the Extremely Poor roadways. As part of the repaving effort, the Engineering Division meets with the utility companies to review its tentative list of roadways to be repaved.

The following roadways were reconstructed in 2021:

• Arapahoe Road
• Cornell Road
• Fennbrook Road
• Owings Road
• Princeton Street
• Ridgewood Road (Tunxis Road to Sedgwick Road)
• Walbridge Road (Farmington Avenue to Fern Street)

Roadway reconstructions are more complicated than re-paving and therefore take longer to complete, about one to two months. The work generally includes the replacement of existing curb with granite curb, the replacement of existing driveway aprons with concrete aprons, selective sidewalk and drainage structure replacement, re-establishment of the roadway base material, and paving.

North Main Street Road Diet Study

The Town continues its efforts to construct the Trout Brook Multi-Use Trail from Asylum Avenue to New Park Avenue in phases.  The Trout Brook Multi-Use Trail is a predominantly off the road trail.  Some sections are complete while others are nearing construction or design.  Most of the trail will include a 10 foot wide paved surface that is restricted to non-motorized users, such as bicyclists and pedestrians.

Phase 3  -  Park Road to Jackson Avenue
The Town has funding for this project and has started the design.

Phase 5  -  Fern Street to Farmington Avenue
The Town received grant funding for this phase from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection through the federal Recreational Trails Program. The project has been awarded to a contractor, Giordano Construction of Branford, Connecticut, and is actively under construction. The Town anticipates construction to be completed in May 2022. For more information, please contact the Engineering Division.  

Phase 6  -  Duffield Drive to Fern Street
The Town received grant funding for this phase from the Connecticut Department of Transportation through the Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program. Final design for this phase is complete. The Town anticipates construction to start in 2022.  

Phase 7  -  Asylum Avenue to Duffield Drive
The Town plans to use its capital improvement program funding to construct this phase in conjunction with phase 6. 

Please see the Overall Concept Plan.

The North Main Street Bridge is located just north of Wyndwood Road and Linbrook Road.  The bridge was originally constructed in 1901 and is in need of a major rehabilitation. Construction began in the Spring of 2020 and the majority of the construction has been completed. The contractor will return in the Spring of 2022 to complete minor remaining work including landscaping. 

The Braeburn Road culvert is located on Braeburn Road just east of the Braeburn School driveway. The culvert was installed in 1960 and consists of two corrugated metal pipes (6 feet high by 9.5 feet wide) that convey the West Branch of Trout Brook under the roadway. The corrugated metal has voids under, before and after it, which makes the culverts unstable.

The rehabilitation includes the installation of scour protection on the culvert inlets and outlets. Installation of reinforced concrete along the bottoms of both culvert pipes. Several unanticipated issues were encountered during construction which have led to extended delays. The Town is working with the design consultant and contractor to develop solutions and resume construction activities.

The intersection of Mountain Road and Albany Avenue is heavily congested and experiences excessive vehicular delays. The proposed improvements will reduce the Mountain Road queues and better accommodate motorists and bicyclists. The project will focus on the Mountain Road approaches, where the roadway will be widened to provide a left turn lane, thru lane, and a shared thru/right lane in each direction. The project will also include: traffic signal replacement, sidewalk repairs, bicycle lanes, and an extension of the culvert under Mountain Road serving Mountain Farms Brook. The project is being designed and utility coordination work is ongoing. Construction is expected to begin in the Spring of 2022 and is expected to be completed by Fall of 2022.

In 2017, the Town completed a Complete Streets Study for the New Park Avenue Transit Area and obtained two State of Connecticut grants to fund the recommended improvements. The project will enhance New Park Avenue for all users between New Britain Avenue and Oakwood Avenue. Project elements include: decorative streetlights, buffered bike lanes, pocket parks, landscaped medians, street trees, wayfinding signage, enhanced mid-block crosswalks, and traffic signal improvements. In between major intersections, the roadway will be resurfaced and reduced from four travel lanes to three: one travel lane in each direction and a center two-way left turn lane. Survey and design have begun, with an expected construction start of mid-2022. The approximate construction cost is $3.8 million, grant funding ($3.7 million) and matching Town funds ($100k).

For more information, visit the project facebook page below or e-mail the project team at NewParkAvenue@westhartfordct.gov. 

MDC Projects

• New Park Avenue (Talcott Road to Prospect Avenue) - Water Main Improvement Project - The project will install new water main to replace old, existing, infrastructure and services will be renewed/installed to the property line. This project was awarded to Coastline Construction who plans to begin work the week of November 29^th . Construction work will start at the intersection with Talcott Road and progress north to Prospect Avenue.  View the construction notice and a map of the project area. The Work hours are Monday through Friday, 7:00 AM – 3:30 PM. No work will occur between the Christmas and New Year holidays. During construction work hours, traffic lanes will be shifted around the work zone to accommodate traffic and allow for at least one travel lane each way on New Park Avenue. Access to local businesses will be maintained. For your safety, please adhere to all posted signage and traffic control personnel.  The MDC’s website has a traffic page which is updated each morning and will show traffic impacts due to this project. The project is anticipated to be completed by the fall of 2022.
   
• South Hartford Conveyance and Storage Tunnel (SHCST) is a four-mile long deep rock tunnel constructed to convey and temporarily store wastewater from portions of Hartford and West Hartford during storm events.  The tunnel will extend from the Hartford Water Pollution Control facility in the South Meadows of Hartford to Talcott Road in West Hartford.  When completed, the tunnel will minimize sewer overflows into the local waterways, the Connecticut River and Long Island Sound during major storm events.  The SHCST project is the largest infrastructure component of the MDC's Clean Water Project and the largest contract ever awarded by the MDC.  For more information visit:  https://www.thecleanwaterproject.com/.
   
• Webster Hill Neighborhood (Crestwood Road to Bentwood Road) - Water and Sewer Main Improvement Project involves the replacement of 11,900 feet of water main on Webster Hill Boulevard, Rumford Street, Rockledge Drive, Greystone Road, Carleton Road and Ledgewood Road. The sanitary sewer main will be replaced on Crestwood Road and Bentwood Road and other areas will be lined. This project was awarded to VMS Construction Company out of Vernon, CT. Work will begin in Summer of 2020 and is expected to continue through the Summer of 2022. This project will impact traffic flow. Lane closures or detours should be expected during construction and motorists are encouraged to seek alternate routes. The MDC’s website has a traffic page which is updated each morning and will show traffic impacts due to this project.

DOT Safety and Operational Improvements on I-84

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has contracted with O&G Industries, Inc. to construct a $54 million roadway improvement project. The purpose of this project is to provide safety and operational improvements to address concerns with congestion and traffic operations on I-84. Improvements include adding an additional lane on I-84 WB between Exits 39A and 43, and between Exit 40 and 41 on I-84 EB. Bridges over Berkshire Road and Ridgewood Road Westbound will be widened or replaced. The project began on March 2, 2020 and is anticipated to be completed in the summer of 2023.

More information can also be found at www.I84westhartford.com.

Written questions or comments should be directed to: 

Ms. Susan M. Libatique, P.E.
Transportation Principal Engineer
Connecticut Department of Transportation, P.O. Box 317546
Newington, CT 06131-7546
Email Susan.Libatique@ct.gov