The Road to Safety

    Main Street will have a new look in the upcoming years as the Department of Transportation (DOT) and East Haven work together to make the street as safe as possible for both pedestrians and automobiles.

    East Haven has plans to replace the traffic signals at Main Street and Boston Avenue, Main Street and Charter Oak Avenue, Main Street and Forbes Avenue, and the Messina Drive-High Street intersections.

    Plans also involve improvements to Main Street, including adding more left-turn-only lanes, said Town Engineer James Staunton, who attended a Nov. 13 town meeting between the DOT and East Haven.

    Roughly a dozen people turned out for the meeting, including American Disabilities Act Commission (ADAC) Chairman Robert Hoff.

    Hoff said the ADAC wants to see that every aspect of this project is ADA-compliant, especially the crosswalks and sidewalks.

    “This is looking at it from an ADA perspective,” said Hoff. “It’s a good step in the right direction…but… I would have to question why they chose the fourth district to begin with and not something like Route 80…We don’t have sidewalks all the way up the road and people with disabilities have to walk onto Route 80.

    Hoff said some ADA-compliance projects were forgotten about under the previous administration.

    “With the ADA being put back together and brought back to life, we are seeing what we can do,” said Hoff.

    The project has an initial projected cost of $918,000, 80 percent of which will be funded by the Federal Highway Administration. The remaining 20 percent will be funded by the state.

Do you know of an area in town that is a traffic hot spot–a place that needs revised traffic light timing or better pedestrian access? Join in the conversation in the comments section below. We will share your feedback with the town.