Westfield Street Resurfacing Project Is Underway

The road project to resurface Westfield Street between Nejako Drive and Camp Street has begun. This stretch of road has not been addressed for quite a while, and it has cracks and potholes in abundance.

The asphalt of the existing sidewalks on Westfield from Ridgewood to Nejako, as well as a short portion of Camp Street, are crumbling and encroached with weeds, they will be replaced with new concrete sidewalks as part of this project, according to Robert Dobmeier, Assistant Director of Public Works. Dobmeier said that the sidewalks would not be extended beyond where they are now, "We don't generally put in new sidewalks where there were none, unless we get a petition from the residents. A lot of people don't want sidewalks in front of their houses."

The complete paving project will cost $479,155, with financing from the 2005 Road Improvement Bond. Storm sewers will be installed, and the existing roadway will have full depth pavement reconstruction. Dobmeier expects construction to last through September.

Washington Street Delays Expected

From the State DOT

Revised Operations Plan for Route 66 Intersection and Drainage

The Department of Transportation announced today that beginning Monday, August 24, 2009, operations will be altered for work associated with the reconstruction of Route 66 (Washington Street) between the streets of Bernie O’Rourke Drive and Plaza Drive in the city of Middletown [this is between the Walgreens and the Foodmart]. Route 66, (Washington Street), may be reduced to one lane in each direction between the hours of 6:00 am and 2:30 pm. This change in operations is to allow ample time for construction operations while maintaining existing roadway conditions for the evening rush hour.

Work on Route 66 will continue through the 2009 -2010 construction seasons and extend into the Spring of 2011.

The anticipated completion date for the reconstruction of Route 66 is April 25, 2011. This $4,005,989 project was awarded on May 26, 2009 to Simscroft – Echo Farms, Inc. of Simsbury, CT.

Motorists are urged to obey the posted speed limit and precede with caution through this and all other construction work zones. Schedules may change due to weather conditions.

Road Construction in Middletown

Wadsworth Street and Country Club Road are slated to have major paving projects this summer, according to Bob Daubmeier, at Middletown Public Works.

The Country Club Road project is to re-surface and straighten a series of curves between the 4-corners intersection at Ballfall, and Knox Boulevard. This project went through Inland Wetlands nearly 2 years ago, because this section of the road crosses wetlands, in fact it passes between two detention ponds in the course of this long block. Work began last summer, with the felling of large trees and the installation of a few storm drains, but was delayed because of buried fiber optic cables owned by SNET. Daubmeier told me that the project should start again within a month. Country Club is considered a major artery between I91 and Rte 217, and thus the State is footing the bill.

The Wadsworth Street project is to resurface the entire stretch from Rte 157 to Pine Street. This is part of the same project as last year's Farm Hill and Russell Street repaving; this project is paid for by the City of Middletown. The DeRita construction firm is doing this project, DeRita's on-site construction manager told me that the total cost of the project was around $800,000.

The Country Club Road and Wadsworth projects will improve storm drainage, and the Country Club Road project will straighten the road somewhat. Neither project will otherwise change the character of the streets, which will remain without sidewalks or bicycle lanes.

Below are some pictures of the Wadsworth project: