EDITORIAL

Round and round in Apponaug

Posted 7/22/14

It’s started – the grand scheme to improve Apponaug traffic flow.

Of course, this is not the first attempt to relieve congestion at what is a bottleneck between traffic from east and west and …

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EDITORIAL

Round and round in Apponaug

Posted

It’s started – the grand scheme to improve Apponaug traffic flow.

Of course, this is not the first attempt to relieve congestion at what is a bottleneck between traffic from east and west and north and south, that is further restricted by the two-lane West Shore Road underpass.

The Post Road Extension was part of those efforts, although it never went far enough. It should have intersected with West Shore Road. And, of course, the current system, implemented in the 1970s, also sought to improve conditions. That was meant to be a “temporary” fix while planners and engineers came up with the ultimate solution.

The cure, aimed at segregating those motorists looking to do business in the village from those trying to get around it, will involve five roundabouts. As there won’t be traffic signals, traffic will supposedly slow down – driving into a roundabout at high speed is not recommended – while increasing the overall traffic flow.

We’ve driven roundabouts in other parts of the country and they can be daunting at first, but they do work. Whether they will work here, with so many in close proximity, remains to be seen.

What we do know is that this experiment will not come cheaply or without agony. The Apponaug Circular project is costing $29.9 million. That’s just the construction contract, not what has already been spent on design and the acquisition of properties, and we know the work is scheduled to take three years.

The Department of Transportation has taken the inconvenience factor into consideration. Lane restrictions are being limited to times of the day before and after commuter traffic. Starting this week, there will be night construction.

But, “It is what it is,” which is Apponaug’s “Big Dig.”

What can we suggest?

Well, if you’re trying to get from point A to point C and Apponaug is in the middle, find an alternative route. On the other hand, if you need to visit City Hall, the police or fire departments, the Apponaug churches, the Chamber of Commerce, the Museum of Art, the library and some wonderful businesses, be patient, and dream of the day it will all be done. Three years isn’t that long.

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  • markyc

    We'll see if the timetable is met. Remember the Greenwood Bridge project.

    Thursday, July 24, 2014 Report this