Working on the Apponaug Circulator

Posted 10/16/14

Depending on circumstances, traffic can be a blessing or a curse.

Businesses like to locate where there is traffic. But they also shun places where people can’t get to because of frequent …

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Working on the Apponaug Circulator

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Depending on circumstances, traffic can be a blessing or a curse.

Businesses like to locate where there is traffic. But they also shun places where people can’t get to because of frequent delays.

Some Apponaug businesses are experiencing that now, since construction started on one of the state’s major road projects – the Apponaug Circulator. More than $11 million has already been spent on designing and buying land for the project; another $30 million will be spent to build it.

When finished in three years, five roundabouts designed to enable the free flow of traffic around and through the village without traffic signals will be in place. A key component of the plan is to make the village core a “pedestrian-friendly” environment, with a small town feel for shops, offices and homes. The city has taken some major steps to “prepare the canvas” for this vision of the future.

Village zoning enables property owners to use existing buildings or to build new ones for multi-uses. For example, retail, office and residential uses can all be legal under one roof. Other provisions of the zoning relax standard parking and setback requirements. With the restoration of the bell tower, City Hall has undergone a major facelift, and private developers are staking their investments on the village concept, with plans for a boutique hotel overlooking Apponaug Cove east of the West Shore Road underpass, and a Cumberland Farms that will replace the by then demolished former Gulf station and an abutting building at Four Corners.

That’s all good, but for those looking to get through Apponaug now, circulator construction can be a pain. Cardi Construction has taken that into consideration, scheduling the closing of lanes to not conflict with the heavier commuter traffic. There are still going to be some delays, but work is progressing. This promises not to be the “Greenwood Bridge” of Apponaug, where work on the bridge was stalled for more than a year.

Apponaug has a wide selection of small businesses, from coffee shops to restaurants, salons, specialty stores, convenience stores, repair shops, a credit union and an auto dealership. The village is also home to a number of churches, non-profits and office-based businesses.

As the village traffic pattern is transformed, let’s not forget that these businesses are the lifeblood to the future vitality of Apponaug, and we need to be prepared for a few delays in our daily routine to ensure they remain here.

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