State and city officials gathered to break ground on a project aimed at creating two miles of brand new sidewalks in an area near schools.
NORWALK, CT — State and local officials gathered Wednesday afternoon at the corner of West Rocks Road and St. Mary’s Lane to break ground on a long-awaited sidewalk improvement project in the area.
Those in attendance included Mayor Harry Rilling, Congressman Jim Himes, Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, Common Council President Barbara Smyth, Director of Transportation, Mobility and Parking Jim Travers and Common Council At-Large member Josh Goldstein, who also serves as chair of the city’s Economic and Community Development Committee.
Rilling said he was excited to start work on the project aimed at making it easier for kids to walk to and from schools in the area, including West Rocks Middle School and All Saints Catholic School.
He also noted the city is currently poised to install 10.9 miles of new sidewalks in Norwalk, in many cases near Norwalk schools.
“That’s really one of the priorities of this administration…a priority of the city of Norwalk, a priority of our Board of Education, of our Common Council,” Rilling said during the event, “for making sure that we do have these safe routes to school in areas where young people can walk to school, get healthy and reduce our carbon footprint.”
The project aims to prioritize pedestrian safety by creating fully ADA-compliant connected sidewalks for the entirety of West Rocks Road.
According to additional press materials provided by the city, this effort was identified in the city’s Pedestrian and Bikeway Transportation Plan and listed as a “priority 1 corridor” due to the presence of schools, the vibrancy of the adjacent neighborhoods and the need to create ADA accessible sidewalks on West Rocks Road.
The project also includes the installation of three raised crosswalks in the vicinity of the schools to ensure safe crossings for pedestrians in the surrounding neighborhoods.
According to the city, the raised crosswalks will have flashing beacons, along with school zone flashers with speed feedback signs, which will serve as traffic calming measures to reduce vehicle speeds in the corridor.
“I don’t know how many times I’ve gotten calls about speeding on West Rocks Road,” Rilling said, “and it’s always happening, and it’s a shame because there are schools and a lot of children [in the area], so this is also going to help slow people down.”
Funding for the project was made possible through federal, state and city funding.
Rilling thanked Himes, who secured a $1.4 million federal grant for the project, according to the city.
The city’s Department of Transportation, Mobility and Parking also received a $1 million Local Road Accident Reduction Program grant through the state Department of Transportation to provide safer crossings at key intersections in the corridor.
The combined funding of $2.7 million will create approximately two miles of asphalt sidewalks with concrete curbing installed along the west side of West Rocks Road from Creeping Hemlock Drive to Adams Avenue, according to the city.
“I always say that you put together a good team of professionals, people who are dedicated to their work, and this is what happens,” Rilling said, “the results of something like this.”
Himes said he was happy to see shovels going in the ground for the project, as the improvements made will help keep students safe as they make their way to schools in the area.
“This is taxpayer money,” Himes said, “so it is about the state and the federal government coming together to say this is a worthy use of taxpayer funds, and could there be a more worthy use than making sure our kids can walk to school safely?”
He also thanked Rilling for his leadership of the city, which Himes noted was “really on the move in a major way.”
“It’s just a remarkable transformation that we’re seeing here in Norwalk,” Himes said, “and that’s in large part due to the leadership of the mayor, and to all of you who come together to make these things happen.”
Duff, who lives in the area, noted the concept of the project has been discussed for a number of years.
“I see a lot of people who run and who walk themselves as adults, but I don’t see a lot of school kids walking to school,” Duff said, “and I think that’s because these sidewalks are not really safe for kids to be able to walk to and from school safely. After these sidewalks are done, I think that’s going to change.”
Smyth said she also lives in the area but was always nervous to let her children walk to West Rocks Middle School from their home.
“I think it’s important to remember that we have a lot of condominium units around here,” Smyth said, “and there’s a lot of seniors who walk…so we’re creating a safe street, safe walkability for our seniors as well.”
Throughout the project’s development, the city’s Transportation, Mobility and Parking team held public information meetings to gather community feedback on the plans, according to the city.