The Common Council will be voting on authorizing money to be spent on road improvements to Crescent St and West Ave. This is largely a good thing. Currently, with the 95/7 site fenced off awaiting construction, Crescent St has become home to illegal dumping. The problem, as it is with moth crimes of opportunity, is because of a lack of activity. Having construction crews working in the area will improve that. And, adding sidewalks to Crescent St will perhaps indicate to the tractor trailers that park there overnight, that the area is not a rest stop.

The bigger news is the completion projection of the Reed St underpass connection to West Ave. That project links North Water to West Ave. The Hour is reporting that it should be completed in September. Details:

The Common Council will be asked to vote tonight on a $4,745,287 contract with Deering Construction Inc. for West Avenue Roadway Improvements, as well as on $621,053 and $609,583 contracts with the Norwalk-based company for upgrades to Crescent Street and North Water Street, respectively.

“It includes widening up West Avenue, new signals, new sidewalks, new decorative historic street lighting,” said Richard Linnartz, principal engineer in the Department of Public Works. “It includes improvements to Crescent Street and to North Water Street, which is the road that will be (continued) from the railroad bridge west to West Avenue.”

Pending council approval and final approval by the state Department of Economic and Community Development, the infrastructure work likely would begin in late July or early August. West Avenue will remain open and traffic movement will be maintained “at all times,” according to Linnartz.
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The West Avenue infrastructure improvement contract will widen West Avenue up to seven lanes, including turn lanes, and add new traffic signals, curbs and wider sidewalks. The road will be repaved to Butler Street.

The Crescent Street contract will widen Crescent Street and add sidewalks, north of Interstate 95. The area near Pine Island Cemetery, for now, will remain the same width.

The North Water Street contract will widen what is now known as Reed Street, between West Avenue and the railroad bridge.

The roadway will become the primary artery into the area, linking West Avenue and North Water Street via the underpass. The contract also calls for new curbs, sidewalks and streetlights, Linnartz said.

source: The Hour, Improvements for West Avenue awaits council vote, by Robert Koch, June 9, 2009