Town officials will close access to through traffic on Old Colony Road within the next three weeks. First Selectman Matt Riiska said the closure will be completed when the road foreman returns from vacation and signage is in hand.
Many motorists use the steep, narrow town road as a bypass rather than waiting in line for the lights to change on Route 44 on either end of a major DOT road project just west of town. The multi-year project is replacing a deteriorating retaining wall on the north side of the road, at the same time modestly increasing the width of the road. Work should be complete in September 2026.
Last year, the state closed the eastbound lane and installed temporary lights. The lights detain motorists by at least two minutes, and it often takes two or even three tries to make it through the narrow passage that locals call “the chute.”
To avoid delay, motorists often detour over Old Colony between routes 272 and 44. This concerns residents, the crew at the town garage and construction workers at the new affordable housing complex.
“People don’t slow down, and the visibility is not good,” said First Selectman Matt Riiska.
Riiska said signage and barricades will be installed on the Route 44 end informing motorists that Old Colony is closed, as well as on the Route 272 end.
He noted that the state will soon be working on top of the ridge off Old Colony Road. “When they are not working there, they will put cones out to block the road to through traffic,” he said.
GPS is one reason that motorists are using Old Colony, according to Amy Hare, project manager for the DOT, explaining that Waze or Google Maps see the detour taken repeatedly and then incorporate it into their recommendations.
Hare tried to report the road was closed at the beginning of the project, but to no avail.
The Fire Department said it can work with the closures if the barricades can removed by hand in case of emergencies. “We may have to use Old Colony to respond to emergencies if the traffic at the light is super backed up,” wrote Fire Chief Brian Hutchins.