1. RIDGEFIELD'S NEAR FUTURE
TRAFFIC IMPROVEMENTS:

ROUTE 7 CORRIDOR NEEDS ASSESSMENT
Ridgefield, in cooperation with HVCEO, SWRPA and CT DOT, is participating in a Route 7 Land Use and Transportation Study between Olmstead Hill Road in Wilton and Route 35 in Ridgefield.

This planning process has established an implementation program for operational, intersection, safety, access management, multimodal and streetscaping enhancements, all within a framework of sensitive design.

Recommendations from the 2011 report include 1) new signal and reconstruction at Route 7 with Old Town Road, 2) additional turn lanes and signal modifications at Route 7 and Route 102, 3) at the intersection of Route 7 with Route 35 geometric modifications to scale down the intersection, improve safety and better accommodate pedestrians, and 4) new signal and reconstruction at Route 7 intersection with driveway to Ridgefield Crossing.

Branchville of the future, as recommended by
the Route 7 Transportation and Land Use Study.

2011 UPDATED ROUTE 7 DRIVEWAY
AND CURB CUT MANAGEMENT PLAN
Continue to administer the Ridgefield Route 7 Curb Cut Management Plan. HVCEO has updated the 1996 Plan to 2011 as part of the above mentioned Route 7 Corridor.

The curb cut plan consists of a series of adjacent maps showing all properties, all driveways, and the recommended reorganization of driveways as properties develop or redevelop. Implementation comes thru use of the maps by planning and zoning commissions and by CT DOT when conditions of approval are set.

A text supplements the maps, giving traffic engineering advice for each property where there is a recommendation for a change of driveway.

These mapped driveway standards are cited as requirements within Ridgefield's zoning regulations. See regional map of completed curb cut plans.

Advance to design and implementation those priority traffic improvement projects endorsed by Ridgefield as part of HVCEO's 2005 Route 35 Traffic Study.

Coordinate Route 35 improvements with the recommendations of the 2009 Ridgefield Center Study.

A view of Route 35 as it may appear after
a future landscaping and enhancement process.

The priority project area for improvement as agreed by state and town officials in January of 2006 is the section of Route 35 from the vicinity of the intersection with Route 102 northerly to the vicinity of Prospect Street.

Specifically, improve the intersection of Route 35 with Bailey Avenue and Catoonah Street, starting with the the preliminary concept Plan of April 2010. A public information meeting on this proposal was held by CT DOT in Ridgefield on 7/29/2010.

Continue to administer the 2005 Route 35 Driveway and Curb Cut Management Plan.

Excerpt from the 6/2005 Ridgefield
Route 35 Driveway and Curb Cut Management Plan,
available as HVCEO Planning Bulletin # 115, and now
incorporated into the Ridgefield Zoning Regulations

CONSIDER IMPACTS
UPON RIDGEFIELD OF I-84 TOLLS
The return of tolls to Connecticut's expressways is under discussion. If tolls are added to I-84 in Danbury in order to raise road improvement funds, then adjacent Ridgefield could be impacted by the diversion of traffic.

Impacts have been identified in HVCEO's research report #141. That report may be utilized by officials and citizens during any future toll plaza planning hearings.

2. RIDGEFIELD'S LONGER
RANGE TRAFFIC IMPROVEMENTS:

According to the 2010 Ridgefield Plan of Conservation and Development "the Planning and Zoning Commission, the town administration, and other town agencies have consistently reached consensus that the formerly proposed Super 7 highway is not appropriate for Ridgefield. The future use of the corridor should be a greenway."

This policy is consistent with regional policy as contained in the HVCEO Route 7 South Policy for Redding, Ridgefield and Danbury.

Also according to the 2010 Ridgefield Plan of Conservation and Development "new roads are not proposed in this Plan, aside from roads in new subdivisions and possibly some improved connections or road extensions in Ridgefield Center."

3. RIDGEFIELD'S OTHER
TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENTS

SCENIC ROADS ORDINANCE
Continue to administer the municipal scenic road ordinance, which well complements those of nearby communities.

TOWN OF RIDGEFIELD BRIDGES WITH SPANS GREATER
THAN 20 FEET PERIODICALLY INSPECTED BY CONN DOT
Cooperate with Conn DOT on proper maintenance of such bridges located on Portland Avenue, Mountain Road, Topstone Road and George Washington Highway.

SUGAR HOLLOW GREENWAY - NORWALK RIVER VALLEY TRAIL
Part of the right of way owned by Conn DOT for a future Route 7 Expressway should be made available for an open space corridor to be known as the Sugar Hollow Greenway which shall also contain the Norwalk River Valley Trail.

4. RIDGEFIELD'S BUS
SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS:

(Excerpts from 2010 Bus Service Improvement Plan)

RIDGEFIELD FIXED ROUTE HART BUS
Ridgefield is served by the Danbury-Norwalk Route 7 LINK bus, which travels the length of the Route 7 corridor between Danbury and Norwalk. The current service provides 4 morning and 4 evening round trips with a significant gap in the midday. The goal is to fill this gap and provide buses hourly throughout the weekday.

Determine if there is a market for expanding the Ridgefield to Katonah, NY commuter shuttle service to the midday hours, as no service is provided at present between 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

But expanding the Katonah Shuttle is complicated by a parking shortage along the route. Additional parking locations are thus a high priority, and may be necessary even without major expansion.

Day-long service on the shuttle provides an ancillary benefit to travel between Danbury and Ridgefield. The current Ridgefield-Katonah schedule allows for a limited direct service between the two municipalities as buses leave and return from the HART facility in Danbury.

Additional buses on the shuttle route will provide more opportunities for transit connections between the central business districts of Ridgefield and Danbury.

An additional policy, outside of the 2010 Bus Service Improvement Plan, is found in the 2010 Ridgefield Plan of Conservation and Development; "Encourage additional shuttle or bus service to meet the needs of residents and workers, including service between Ridgefield Center and Branchville."

RIDGEFIELD SWEETHART BUS
Provide a second bus during the peak morning and afternoon period Monday Through Friday to increase the service span to 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. from 8:45 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. and provide better coverage for senior and disabled riders. Provide Saturday Service between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

For the long term, reduce costs by establishing a new regional SweetHART service that would serve Ridgefield and nearby towns in a more efficient manner than the town by town approach at present.

5. RIDGEFIELD'S NEAR TERM
RAIL SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS:

CENTRAILIZED TRAIN CONTROL THRU RIDGEFIELD
For better passenger train safety and management, outdated manually operated train signals will be replaced by an electronic system.

CT DOT's Centralized Train Control (CTC) signal modernization project will allow for remote control of Danbury Branch passenger trains directly from Grand Central Terminal.

Centralized train control viewing screen.

Communication cables will be mounted on poles from Norwalk to Wilton and then buried in the ground along the tracks further north thru Ridgefield and on to the system terminus in Danbury. This project is fully funded and in design.

6. RIDGEFIELD'S LONGER TERM
RAIL SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS:

RIDGEFIELD COMMUTER RAIL
The current CT DOT Danbury Branch Line study will develop recommended options to improve passenger rail between Danbury and Norwalk. Improvements will increase service frequency on the Branch Line from the current 11 round trips per week day/6 per Sunday and expand peak period, through train and reverse commute rail service.

Branchville, CT Railroad Station

If warranted, implement a subscription shuttle bus to the Branchville Station after the Phase Two Danbury Branch expansion to further ease parking supply and congestion, and investigate the possibility for shuttles to employment from the station.

Note also that the 2010 Ridgefield Plan of Conservation and Development states "A new commuter rail station is proposed nearby in Redding and concerns have been expressed that this could lead to a reduction of service at the Branchville Station (or even closing).

It is understood at this time that the State intends to keep the Branchville Station in operation. The Town should continue to work with the State to ensure this commitment. Increasing ridership and making improvements at the train station can help to maintain activity at the station."

Also in regard to the 2011 Route 7 Transportation and Land Use Study, note that the Ridgefield Planning and Zoning Commission requests that its environmental concerns, as noted below, be given full consideration in any further study of the Branchville Station parking expansion concept:

The Commission has studied the proposed southerly extension of the Branchville Station parking lot. The location suggested was unanimously viewed by the Commission as not suitable for parking lot development. This Commission finding is based upon the parcel’s characteristics as a flood plain in a narrow valley, function as a riparian plant community, and provision of a needed small forested enclave within a dense village.

In addition the proposed “high density housing” to the east of the Railroad Station on the Branchville Enhancement Plan Map should be relabeled on that map as simply “housing” to avoid future conflicts with applicants over definitions.

BRANCHVILLE TRANSPORTATION CENTER
As part of a comprehensive municipal improvement plan for the Branchville Village section of Ridgefield, the Ridgefield Planning and Zoning Commission developed a concept plan to enhance the parking facilities at the Conn DOT Branchville Station.

In its 2002 Branchville Village Plan, the Commission suggests the construction of a decked parking structure, designed with an attractive facade reminiscent of an historic mill building, to augment parking supply at the Station. This conceptual improvement was updated and relocated in the 2011 Route 7 Transportation and Land Use Study:

It is recommended that the feasibility of constructing a municipal or public/private parking structure be pursued on the west side of Route 7 to serve overflow station parking needs as well as the parking needs within the village.

Earlier studies suggested the construction of a two-level parking deck on the train station parcel. When earlier concepts were evaluated as part of this study, there were concerns about the feasibility, efficient layout, and cost effectiveness of a deck on the station site.

Specifically, the long and narrow footprint of the site would result in a poor circulation and inefficient ramping system; likely resulting in a very high price per space. Also, the earlier idea to access the upper level of the deck from the rear required bridging over the railroad tracks, another challenging and expensive approach for a relatively small structure.

When taking into account the constraints at the existing site as well as the community's vision of the Branchville village, this study recommended an alternative location for a potential parking structure to serve multiple needs in the village and takes advantage of a more cost-effective layout for such a structure.

The concept plans for Branchville (Option 2) illustrate the possible location of such a structure on the southwest corner of Route 102 and Route 7. It is envisioned that such a structure would include a small amount of ground floor retail and that its design would be carefully planned to fit within the village context and aesthetics.

v

Downtown Stamford, CT is a significant
draw by rail for Ridgefield's commuters.