The state Department of Transportation’s four-year construction project on Route 44 west of the town village took on a dramatic appearance this week as trees were cut and removed above the deteriorating retaining walls.
The $37 million DOT project includes replacing three dry rubble masonry retaining walls, widening the road and shoulders to create12-foot travel lanes; reconstructing the drainage system in the slope below Center Cemetery, and reconfiguring the steep hillside to stabilize it.
Center Cemetery sits directly above the work area and care will be taken not to disturb the historic burial ground.
The DOT informed First Selectman Matt Riiska Thursday that Route 44 will be reduced to one-lane in the work area beginning the week of Nov. 18. This summer, alternating traffic has been controlled by flaggers during work hours while water lines and utility poles were moved, but temporary lights will now be installed.
Riiska reported that about a half mile of sewer pipe must be laid on the south side of Route 44 and traffic will use the lane closest to the retaining wall while that work is done. “They will move the lane as needed,” he said.
Prior to the lane closure, on October 28, a heavy crane and the beams for the River Place bridge replacement will be moved into place so that work can continue.
River Place bridge was supposed to have been finished in November 2022, but the project stalled when it was discovered that one headwall foundation was unsound, and the project was redesigned. Work is now expected to end next spring.