Submitted by Richard Schulze, Northeast Greenwich Association Board Member
Letter to the Editor :
Tuesday evening The Town of Greenwich Dept. of Public Works held a hearing asking for feedback on their plan to rebuild the North St. Bridge. The meeting was very well attended.
Three issues got the most attention:
* Continuous closing of North St. for 18 – 24 months, with traffic flow controlled by a timed traffic light.
* Traffic Diversion Plans.
* Water flow under the bridge and what is causing the flooding problems up and downstream from the bridge.
While the DPW held the required hearing, it was clear from the responses of the staff that it was pro forma, and that there would be no changes in their approach.
Specifically:
* When the question was asked about reducing the construction time by working 24/7, the response was that those are our working hours. Also that the neighbors would complain. What is the priority, inconvenience a few neighbors or paralyze traffic for up to two years?
* When asked about traffic diversion plans, including changes of signage, the continuous response was that a traffic study will only say how many people will be inconvenienced. When asked how they would establish signage to divert traffic, the response was that that was not their responsibility. They also refused to consider police enforcement of the current four-ton capacity limit on the bridge, especially during
construction.
* Significant complaints were made about flooding along the stream’s path, and resolving that should be an important priority. The DPW seemed to not be interested to address that issue.
I would hope that the DPW would pay attention to those issues and not continue “business as usual”!
See also:
Residents Share Strong Concerns about Traffic during North St Bridge Replacement