ROUTE 37 IN NEW FAIRFIELD OVERVIEW

Connecticut's Route 37 originates in Danbury, south of I-84's Exits 5 and 6. It proceeds northerly thru Danbury past major commercial areas, then thru residential areas, entering New Fairfield aside Danbury's scenic Margerie Lake Reservoir.

Route 37 is the most vital intermunicipal route for New Fairfield, for a quick look at a map shows that Route 37 is the prime access for the Towns of New Fairfield and Sherman to reach Danbury and I-84. A 1985 report on Route 37 by the Danbury Planning Department provided some documentation of this dependence; "Approximately 62% of the vehicles entering the southbound approaches of the Golden Hill Road intersection (in Danbury) originate from north of the Danbury border.

New Fairfield's portion of Connecticut's Route 37 extends six and two thirds miles, from the Danbury City Line northerly thru central New Fairfield and on to the Sherman Town Line.

Route 37 through New Fairfield is designated by Conn DOT as a minor arterial route northerly to Patterson Road, (Route 850), after which it is designated as a rural major collector route into Sherman. The route number 37 dates from 1932, before which it was known as Route 136.
 
From the Conn DOT perspective, important intersections on Route 37 will be those at other Conn DOT arterial or collector designated roadways interacting with it. There are three such intersections; in New Fairfield Center at Route 39 which is a minor arterial, at the intersection with Warwick Road which is a collector, and further north at the intersection with Patterson Road which is a minor arterial road into New York State. The local road name applied to the entire six and two thirds miles of Route 37 within New Fairfield is Sherman-New Fairfield Road.

Conn DOT's 2000 average daily traffic volumes show 13,300 vehicles on Route 37 north of the Danbury City Line, then 11,500 from the intersection with Sawmill Road north to Route 39. These are the highest traffic volume segments on any state roadway in New Fairfield.

Route 37 volumes then fall substantially north of New Fairfield Center, with 5,100 up to Overbrook Drive, falling to 4,000 from there to Warwick Road, and down to about 2,800 from there northerly to the Sherman Town Line.

For an understanding of the key traffic safety terms "TASR" and "SLOSSS" that are repeatedly referenced in the discussions below, be sure to review the "Introduction to New Fairfield, CT Traffic" section.

ROUTE 37 IN NEW FAIRFIELD FROM THE DANBURY
CITY LINE NORTHERLY TO NEW FAIRFIELD CENTER
Passing into New Fairfield, Route 37 traverses land that is tributary to Danbury's Margerie Lake Reservoir, a water supply watershed and thus a sensitive environmental area.

The first safety statistic of note is at the intersection with Reservoir View Drive, Route 37's milepost 4.28 and just across from Margerie Reservoir. The Reservoir View Drive westbound approach to Route 37 is on a significant downgrade. Here the TASR ratings are 130% for 1995-97, 15% for 1992-94, and 131% for 1989-91. The 1987-89 rate was 120%, lending evidence to the consistency of an elevated rate.

As for types of accidents here, a review of recent Conn DOT accident data indicates that of the 13 accidents that took place at this intersection during a five-year period from 1995-99, seven of them were rear end collisions and five of them were turning collisions, indicating that speeds on Route 37 are particularly high at this location, resulting in accidents between through traffic and vehicles turning onto or off of Reservoir View Drive.

Proceeding north there are no TASR rates of note from Reservoir View Drive for another .58 miles, until the intersection of Route 37 with Sawmill Road. At this intersection the ratings are 143% for 1995-97, 130% for 1992-94, 125% for 1989-91, and with the 1987-89 rate a hefty 189%. This is ample documentation of a persistent problem spot.

As for types of accidents here, a review of recent Conn DOT accident data indicates that of the 14 accidents which took place at this intersection in a seven-year period from 1993-99, ten involved collisions between vehicles turning onto or off of Sawmill Road and vehicles traveling on Route 37.  According to HVCEO's consulting traffic engineer "this may indicate limited sight lines from Sawmill Road, high speeds of travel on Route 37, or a combination of both."

A 1996 HVCEO traffic study indicated that of the northbound Route 37 P.M. peak hour traffic flow, about 37% makes a right turn onto Sawmill Road. Much of the motivation to use this local road is its function as a short cut over to Route 39 in Candlewood Corners and from there to points north on Route 39.

The reverse of this same pattern is indicated by the split in Sawmill Road's westbound morning peak hour volume approaching Route 37. At that time  a very high 80% make the often difficult left turn onto Route 37 to travel southbound towards Danbury. 

The distance traveled from Route 37 northbound by using Sawmill Road to reach Candlewood Corners is about six tenths of a mile, as opposed to proceeding north to the signal in the Center and then traveling easterly on Route 39 to Candlewood Corners, a distance of about one mile. Thus the time savings of using Sawmill Road and the importance of its intersections with both Route 37 and Route 39, both significant safety problem points.

At present Sawmill Road's westbound approach to Route 37 has a traffic island in the middle of the pavement and no lane striping. There are also no turn lanes in either direction on Route 37 for left turn movements onto Sawmill Road.

The 1996 HVCEO traffic study stated that "current geometric conditions at this intersection indicate that the Sawmill Road approach is too wide. Proposed improvements include restriping the Sawmill Road approach to accommodate left and right turning vehicles."

HVCEO's 1996 Route 37 traffic study further advised that "Existing traffic volumes and anticipated future peak hour traffic volumes on Sawmill Road warrant a signal at the intersection. Installation of a traffic signal will improve the Level of Service for the Sawmill Road approach from F to B. It is recommended that this signal be coordinated with the Routes 37 and 39 traffic signal for traffic progression."

The 1996 report also advised that this coordination would also improve traffic operations northerly from Sawmill Road to the Routes 37 and 39 intersection.

Moving in that direction from Sawmill Road, Route 37 proceeds on a gentle downgrade towards its intersection with Route 39, the New Fairfield Center Area coming into view. Route 37 now intersects with Cottontail Road on the east. A landmark is the Village Green Shopping Center on the southeast corner.

The intersection with Cottontail Road has TASR ratings of  32% for 1995-97, 109% for 1992-94, 17% for 1989-91 and 48% for 1987-89, not evidence of a significant problem pattern. The vicinity of Cottontail Road is also notable as a drainage divide where Route 37 passes out of the area tributary to Danbury's Margerie Lake Reservoir, a water supply watershed, and into the drainage area for Candlewood Lake.

But then just to the north on Route 37, the one tenth mile commercial district from Cottontail Road northerly to the signalized intersection with Route 39, there was a TASR rating of 194% for 1995-97 and 181% for the 1992-94 period, then rates for 1989-91 and 1987-89 were even higher at 273% with a SLOSSS designation and 266%, again SLOSSS, respectively.

As for types of accidents here, a review of recent Conn DOT accident data indicates that twenty-three accidents occurred in this area during a seven-year period from 1993-1999. Four of the accidents were rear end collisions, one accident was a side-swipe collision, and the remaining eighteen accidents involved turning vehicles. 

Three collisions took place at the Citgo gas station driveway, five were at the entrance to the New Fairfield Shopping Center, five were at the entrance to the Fieldstone Shopping Plaza, and four occurred at the Mobil Gas Station driveway. Two accidents occurred near the intersection of Route 37 and Route 39, and four accidents took place at the commercial driveways near Cottontail Road.

The traffic volumes and the high number of commercial driveways in such close proximity to each other contributed to the accident rate in this area.  Of the eighteen collisions that involved turning vehicles, nine of them involved vehicles turning left into or out of a commercial driveway. Six of the collisions that involved turning vehicles occurred between a vehicle turning right into a commercial driveway and a vehicle trying to pass the turning vehicle on the right.

According to HVCEO's traffic engineer "to help address these situations, consideration should be given to the provision of a center two-way left turn lane or a wider roadway with separate left turn lanes.  Designation of lane use on a widened section of road or restriping to provide a central two way left turn lane would remove the opportunity of motorists passing on the right side of thru traffic. Consolidation of adjacent driveways should also be considered to reduce the number of conflict points and better define potential areas for turning vehicles."

In addition, HVCEO's 1996 Route 37 Traffic Study had stated that "The high accident rate between Cottontail Road north to Route 39 could be mostly attributed to rear end collisions. Signalization of the Sawmill Road intersection to the south supplemented with curb cut improvements in this section should help reduce conflicting movements thereby reducing the number of accidents. These opinions can serve as a starting point for any future roadway redesign planning in this area. "

For Route 37 in the Town Center Area, a New Fairfield Center Beautification Plan prepared by HVCEO in 1998 was in 1999 incorporated by the New Fairfield Planning Commission as an amendment to its 1992 New Fairfield Plan of Development. As such it may be utilized as the standard for zoning permit related parking, driveway and road improvements on and near both Routes 37 and 39 in the New Fairfield Center Area. It is recommended that the 1998 Beautification plan be carried over into the upcoming Town Plan update.

At the signalized intersection of Route 37 with Route 39 TASR ratings are mostly below the 90% used to define a problem level, with 86% for 1995-97, 73% for 1992-94, 58% for 1989-91 and 101% for 1987-89.

But TASR rates assigned to the two Route 39 approaches to this intersection are somewhat higher. Route 39 statistics at this intersection show a 1995-97 TASR rate of 135%, for 1992-94 126%, for 1989-91 88% and for 1987-89 69%, a pattern of consistently rising rates. The first traffic signals at this  key central location were installed by Conn DOT in 1973.

Conn DOT stated back in 1986 that the construction of exclusive left turn lanes on both Route 39 approaches were justified, and that this expansion would necessitate the removal of the traffic islands on these approaches. In the early nineties this improvement concept proceeded into the design stage.

The Routes 37 & 39 intersection was then reconstructed by Conn DOT in 1997 by the removal of the grassed median islands on the two Route 39 approaches, making way for the addition of an exclusive left turn lane on each.

Also added in 1997 on the Route 39 eastbound approach was an exclusive right turn lane onto Route 37 for turns south towards Danbury. The result is that the  Route 39 eastbound approach now offers exclusive left, thru only, and exclusive right, with advance green arrows for both turn lanes.

On the Route 39 westbound approach there are now two lanes, one for exclusive left with advance green towards Danbury, and the other westward towards the Town Hall striped for combined thru and right turn movements.

It is worthy of note that a 10/8/1996 letter from Conn DOT to the First Selectman stated that "based on the year 2004 projected volumes in the 1996 HVCEO Route 37 Traffic Study, it would be desirable, at some time in the future, to provide left turn lanes on both Route 37 approaches." On the Route 37 northbound approach a left turn lane with an advance green arrow has since the 10/8/1996 letter been added.

However, on the southbound Route 37 approach to the intersection, there are neither right nor left turn lanes. Traffic counts in the HVCEO's 1996 Route 37 Traffic Study show that for this Route 37 southbound approach, the percent of traffic continuing on across the intersection without turning either left or right is considerably higher than on the other three legs of the intersection, all of which have higher percentages making turning movements.

For the present AM peak, left turns from Route 37 southbound on to Route 39 are only 6% of the total, right turns 16%. For the PM peak, left turns are only 1%, and right turns 29%. Thus the future need for turning lanes on the Route 37 southbound approach remains to be determined. But as of this writing there is some indication that a southbound left turn to Route 39 easterly may be added as part of the nearby shopping center redevelopment project.

Also of not here, a traffic study dated 11/3/2000 for the proposed Dunham Pond Elderly housing development to the north documented that this intersection is operating at Level of Service C, during all peak hours, an acceptable level.

TASR accident rates at this most important intersection, the highest volume location in New Fairfield, will be monitored to determine if the Conn DOT improvements since 1997 halt or reverse rising TASR statistics on the Route 39 approaches.

PROPOSED LONG RANGE IMPROVEMENTS AT
ROUTES 37 AND 39 INTERSECTION IN NEW FAIRFIELD
In 1998 the "New Fairfield Center Beautification Plan" was completed by HVCEO for the New Fairfield Planning Commission. The Center Plan was designed to provide improved pedestrian access among several core facilities in the Town Center Area, to improve the efficiency of roadway use, and to enhance the scenic beauty of the roadway vicinity.
 
A key feature of the 1998 Center Beautification Plan, approved as an amendment to the New Fairfield Plan of Development in 1999, was the future consideration of a single lane modern "roundabout?, an advance upon the old rotary concept, as a long range redesign option for the Routes 37 and 39 intersection.

Such a design would add greenery, charm, and a focal point for the New Fairfield Center Area, replacing the conventional lane arrangements at the Routes 37 and 39 intersection.

Roundabouts are an emerging design concept in the United States, recognized by the HVCEO Regional Transportation Plan and the Federal Highway Administration. Roundabout plans have emerged in nearby Bethel, Redding and Ridgefield. These have become very popular in Europe and are becoming popular here. While they look something like rotaries, roundabouts are much smaller and slower, avoiding the high speeds and accident rates of the rotary concept, now in disfavor.

The modern roundabout has yield at entry control. It can move more cars more safely than a modern signalized intersection such as exists at Routes 37 and 39 today. From a traffic safety expert's point of view they have only one fourth as many potential crash contact points as a conventional intersection. The most serious type of crash, head on, is no longer possible with the roundabout design. Importantly for smaller towns like New Fairfield, their circular centers can be attractively landscaped to complement the surrounding area. 

The yield at entry feature allows drivers to slip into traffic gaps in the slow moving circle, optimizing timing better than a computer managed traffic signal. While with a signal only one or two movements can enter the intersection at a time, with a roundabout all legs can enter simultaneously.

Roundabouts are good traffic calming devices, avoid ugly signals, and are increasingly favored by landscape architects, preservationists and citizens groups. The use of this new design feature is appropriate to some of the moderate volume intersections in the Housatonic Valley Region, such as at the Routes 37 and 39 intersection. Of interest are the views of the Federal Highway Administration on roundabouts and also the nation's insurance industry on this topic.

The proposed roundabout at the Routes 37 and 39 intersection would have an outside diameter of 110 feet, a circulating lane width of 17.5 feet, and an internal island diameter of 55 feet. Traffic projections in the 1998 Plan showed that the roundabout would offer an excellent level of service for this key New Fairfield intersection. As a single lane roundabout here would have a smaller footprint than the existing intersection, the space gained could be used for extra parking, pedestrian pathways and greenery.

However, traffic volumes have not reached the point where a detailed evaluation for a roundabout here should be undertaken. The roundabout for the Routes 37 and 39 in New Fairfield remains in the HVCEO and New Fairfield Plan as a long range option, to be considered when future capacity constraints and related safety problems have mounted to a more frustrating level. 

 
ROUTE 37 IN NEW FAIRFIELD FROM NEW FAIRFIELD
TOWN CENTER TO THE SHERMAN TOWN LINE
Continuing on with this HVCEO survey of Route 37 traffic issues, northbound between the intersection with Route 39 and the south end of the Common, at the intersection with Old Route 37, TASR ratings are  201% for 1995-97, 40% for 1992-94 and then 0% for both 1989-91 and 1987-89, a rising rate. Landmarks here are the New Fairfield Family Practice building on the east side and the Candlewood Pharmacy on the west.

Then on the next and adjacent segment alongside the Common, between the two entrances to Old Route 37, (the length of Old Route 37 forming the western boundary of the New Fairfield Common) TASR ratings are 67% for 1995-97, 80% for 1992-94, 155% for 1989-91, and 145% for 1987-89, a declining pattern. An important roadway feature here on the east side of Route 37 across from the Common is the driveway into the former Grand Union Shopping Center.

According to the 1998 Beautification Plan the crossing of Ball Pond Brook here should be made more attractive as a distinctive "gateway bridge? to the adjacent Town Center, using funding from a future federal Enhancement grant.

Route 37 now passes several intersections without problematic TASR histories, such as with Overbrook Drive (56% for 1995-97), the two entrances to Croix Hill Road ( 0% and 28% respectively for 1995-97), and with Hillside Drive (0% for 1995-97). The cemetery on the east after Hillside Drive is a landmark, to the rear of which is the New Fairfield Public Works complex.

Proceeding northwesterly, there is noted a slight elevation to a TASR rate some years ago at Beaver Bog Road (0% for 1995-97, 34% for 1992-94, 129% for 1989-91 and 29% for 1987-89) but not a problematic pattern. A landmark here is the United Methodist Church on the west side of Beaver Bog Road.

It should also be noted that, at the slight peak in the Route 37 roadway at the intersection with Beaver Bog Road, Route 37 passes out of the Candlewood Lake Watershed and into the water supply watershed for New York City. It then remains in this water supply watershed area until passing back into the Candlewood Watershed at a point well into Sherman.

A variable TASR rate phenomenon is found between the intersections with Bigelow Road northerly to Pine Hill Road: 30% for 1995-97, 128% for 1992-94, 32% for 1989-91 and 30% for 1987-89. Such occasional TASR rate spikes are neither unusual nor unexpected; it is the pattern over time that most indicates the need for future traffic safety research. A landmark here is the attractive grassed island separating the two entrances off of Route 37 to Pine Hill Road.

A Conn DOT TASR statistic of particular note is found on the nine tenths of a mile between the intersections with Elwell Road (its second junction, across from Warwick Road) up and down the hill to end at the intersection with Quaker Road.

This segment is notable for its topography, for over its course Route 37 ascends from an elevation of about 650 feet to a hill top at 740 feet, then down again to about 560 feet at the intersection with Quaker Road. A landmark on the descent on the south side is the Locust Grove Garden Center. Checking the TASR for this segment of Route 37 we find a 134% rate with a problematic SLOSSS designation for 1995-97.

But earlier statistical periods for this segment showed 19% for 1992-94, 29% for 1989-91, and 19% for 1987-89.  TASR reports earlier than 1995-97 broke out the intersection of Route 37 at Elwell and Warwick Roads separately, with rates at that single point at the beginning of this segment modest except for the 1987-89 period where it reached a high 215%.

While anytime Conn DOT assigns a SLOSSS designation to a segment of state roadway as has been done here, planning and public safety officials should take notice. But in a case like this where the high rate has no history it may be a one time anomaly. Continued monitoring by HVCEO will be  needed to determine if the spike of accidents and the SLOSSS designation for 1995-97 is due to a roadway deficiency.

At the intersection with Quaker Road itself, recent TASR rates are 46% for 1995-97, 154% for 1992-94, 0% for 1989-91 and 146% for 1987-89, a mixed pattern. the Quaker Road approach meets Route 37 on an upgrade, while the roadbed of Route 37 itself at this point is both graded and curved.

Moving along to the quarter mile segment between Quaker Road and Patterson Road (also known as State Route 850), TASR rates are 96% for 1995-97, 0% for 1992-94, 53% for 1989-91 and 50% for 1987-89. Patterson Road intersects with Route 37 via a grassed and treed triangular island, an attractive rural feature.

From Patterson Road north to the Sherman Town Line, a highly scenic segment  thru attractive open land largely in institutional ownership (YMCA's Great Hollow Wilderness School and Conference Center), there are no TASR rates of note for about 1.6 miles, until the intersection with Hardscrabble Road. That intersection, with the Hardscrabble road approach on a downslope to Route 37, has TASR rates of 127% for 1995-97, 68% for 1992-94, 0% for 1989-91 and 1987-89, a pattern of rising rates to be monitored.