This has to be filed under foreshadowing your future. For the longest time Wilton has stood in the way of Super 7, the continuation of the 4 lane highway to Danbury. And now Wilton has been given the alternative, a widening of the existing route 7 which, when done will be about the size of the post road. And we all know how that road has maintained its quaint New England charm. oday’s Advocate reports:
Wilton police are asking the state to lower the speed limit near a Route 7 construction site because a number of officers directing traffic there have been hit by cars, though none was seriously hurt.
In a letter sent last week to Department of Transportation Commissioner Ralph Carpenter, Wilton Police Chief Edward Kulhawik said lowering the speed limit from 35 mph and 40 mph to 30 mph could make the site safer for officers.
“There has been nothing life-threatening, but the fact that this is happening right now is of great concern to us,” Kulhawik said. “As we go through this, we’re starting to notice things and we’re trying to be proactive about it.”
Since the state began the $35 million widening project between Wolfpit Road and the Ridgefield-Wilton border in the fall, three officers have been struck by vehicles and others have had “close calls,” according to the letter.
All of the injuries were minor, though one officer missed a few days of work with an injured shoulder, Kulhawik said.
DOT officials said they referred the matter to the State Traffic Commission, a panel of representatives from the DOT, the Department of Public Safety and Department of Motor Vehicles.
“It is something we will look at,” DOT spokesman Kevin Nursick said.
The traffic commission meets monthly, but the DOT could not guarantee the Wilton request will be placed on the July agenda.
It is the only written complaint the DOT has received about the Route 7 construction, Nursick said. No DOT workers have been injured, he said.
What they don’t say, is that for most of the day, route 7 is a bumper to bumper traffic jam of cars making the daily commute to affordable housing in the greater Danbury area and jobs in the greater Norwalk area. Speeding is hardly yhe issue. No, the issue is too many cars, and Wilton will now enjoy the development of its portion of route 7 into what they said they were opposed to, a 4 lane strip mall lined commercial mess.
source: Norwalk Advocate, Wilton police concerned about Route 7 safety, By Mark Ginocchio, July 2 2007
