Traffic Growth

Traffic on the Route 3 corridor is expected to grow 20% to 30% in the next 20 years, according to a traffic study.

A consultant team lead by Tighe & Bond presented their findings on traffic on the Route 3. The team studied Route 3 from the Cromwell town line to New Britain Avenue and the feeder streets.

The purpose of the study is ensure safety for vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists, address any short and long term deficiencies and make recommendations on alternative solutions to the problems.  

Christopher Granatini of Tighe & Bond said that in general, their review showed that current traffic operations are pretty good in 2010, but in the next 20 years, conditions will get worse as the traffic continues to grow. 

The study cited that current  problem "hotspots"  are the New Britain Avenue and Cromwell Avenue intersection, France Street, West and Main streets intersection and to a lesser degree Cold Spring Road. There are also safety concerns with the I-91 interchange area.  

In 2030, the poorest traffic conditions will extend from the I-91 interchange northwest to New Britain Avenue. West and Main street intersection will also have traffic issues. The study determined that waiting in lines and traffic capacity will increase and physical improvements will need to be made in the area. 

The traffic study is expected to take about 15 months to complete. The steering committee will work with the consultant team, which is Tighe & Bond, Fitzgerald and Halliday and Susan Jones Moses and Associates, to develop alternatives to address the problems discovered by the study. 

"We are going to put together a set of alternatives that will allow you to manage the growth," Granatini said. 

Another public hearing will be held in the fall to discuss the possible alternatives. No date has been set at this time. 

Residents can go the Capitol Region Council of Governments website, crock.org, for updates on the study, to sign up for the mailing list and submit comment on the project. The slideshow presentation of the study is expected to the website in the next two weeks. 

Residents are asked to attend economic development subcommittee meetings. They can email questions to Town Manager Barbara Gilbert at bgilbert@ci.rocky-hill.ct.us and the project manager Robert Aloise at raloise@crcog.org.