NEW - Draft of Transportation Improvement Plan Available - click links below!

Project Overview

The Housatonic Council of Elected Officials is undertaking a study to prepare a Traffic Improvement Plan for Route 35 through Ridgefield. Fitzgerald & Halliday, Inc. (FHI), a transportation planning consulting firm based in Hartford, Connecticut, has been selected to conduct the study.

The study corridor stretches from the New York state line through the center of Ridgefield to the intersection of Route 35 with Route 7, a distance of approximately 6 miles. The study goal is to produce a corridor plan, which will include recommendations for traffic operational and minor roadway improvements to optimize capacity and improve safety. Proposed improvements recommended for Route 35 will encompass “context sensitive” solutions to maintain or enhance the character of this historic corridor, which is rich in aesthetic features. The Ridgefield Planning and Zoning Commission intends to utilize this plan to guide future development. Other entities such as the Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) and the State Traffic Commission will also be able to utilize this study in the assessment of requests for curb cuts and future development approvals in the corridor. The plan will also provide a guide and support for funding applications.

Public outreach is a key element in preparing a plan that can be embraced by the citizens of Ridgefield. The study’s public involvement program includes the formation of a Project Technical Committee (PTC) made up of representatives from the community. In addition to regular PTC meetings, the project will host three public meetings, distribute project fact sheets (newsletters), and maintain this project website. The three public information meetings scheduled throughout the study will seek broad-based input and will work toward building consensus for study recommendations. Public information meetings will typically be scheduled over a three hour period, e.g., 6 P.M. to 9 P.M., and will include a period where the Ridgefield citizens can view posted material and interact with project team staff one on one. There will also be a presentation aspect of these meetings, and a group comment and question and answer period. You can view a summary of Existing Corridor Issues, a presentation that was made on 11/20/03 at the first public meeting.

Study tasks include data inventory, an origin and destination survey, and traffic analysis, development and evaluation of improvement strategies including roundabout evaluation and ITS assessments, development of a driveway curb cut plan and parking plan, and screening of environmental resources. The traffic analysis includes capacity analysis, queue analysis, signal progression, and signal warrant analysis. Other modes of travel, including transit and bicycle and pedestrian trips, are of great concern in the corridor and will be part of the study evaluation and recommendations. (The complete Scope of Work can be found on the Project Library Page).

Webpage was last updated on 12/06/2004.