Dangerous Road Pegged For Large Overhaul In Avon

AVON, CT — Town officials hope voters will agree with a massive road relocation project involving the town and Avon Old Farms School that proponents say could improve motorist safety in town.

On Oct. 6, the Avon Town Council voted to scheduled a town meeting for Monday, Nov. 7, and a voter referendum for Wednesday, Dec. 14, to reconfigure Old Farms Road in town.

To be decided is a formal appropriation of $5.46 million in state dollars to relocate, construct and reconstruction portions of Old Farms Road, which would constitute the first phase of a two-phase project.

Essentially, plans call for the shifting and widening of Old Farms Road onto property currently owned by Avon Old Farms School.

The hope is doing so would improve the geometry and widen the frequently-traveled roadway to avoid accidents in the area.

According to town officials, 91 percent of accidents on that stretch of road are due to the roadway's issues.

"The area experiences a large number of accidents when compared to similar corridors in the state," reads a town-created question-and-answer document about the project.

"Analysis has shown that the roadway’s geometry (the dimensions and arrangements of the visible features of a roadway), narrow lanes, and other roadway conditions contribute to the majority of the accidents."

In addition, town officials say large vehicles like trucks, buses and fire engines, have difficulty navigating the narrow roadway.

To facilitate the project, Avon and the school would have to swap some land, something town officials said the school has already agreed to.

Also included in this phase is the creation of a roundabout and crosswalks at the intersections of Scoville and Thompson Roads, as well as creation of a multi-use pedestrian/bike trail along Scoville and Old Farms Roads.

For this phase, the state is funding the full construction costs and no impact is expected on local taxpayers, town officials said.

If approved by voters in December, the town plans to go out to bid in early 2023, with a contractor hired by February or March 2023 and work starting in April or May 2023.

Once a shovel hits the ground, Avon officials said the project could take 18 months to complete.

Town officials said much of the new road work would be away from the current Old Farms Road and traffic impacts would be minimal compared to if the work was on the existing roadway.

The second phase of this project involves additional Old Farms Road re-alignments and the replacing of two bridges to widen lanes and improve safety.

No price tag has been finalized for this phase, but town officials said its likely this will not be fully covered by the state and town bonding would be required.

For the town's Q&A on the Old Farms Road project, click on this link.

For the approved legal notice of the Old Farms Road project, click on this link.