Residents Push Back On 'Road Diet' Trial Proposed For Tricky Greenwich Roadway

GREENWICH, CT — Greenwich officials are hoping to address a dangerous portion of Route 1 in Byram with a temporary project involving lane reductions that could help bring longer term solutions for pedestrians and drivers alike.

However, some residents, notably those involved with the Byram Neighborhood Association, criticized the proposal during last week's Board of Selectmen meeting.

Greenwich DPW civil engineer, Michael Kiselak, appeared before the selectmen last Thursday for a "first read" of the agenda item.

A "quick-build trial project" and "road diet" is being proposed in the vicinity of Byram and Pemberwick Roads from some time in August through Oct. 31.

Kiselak said the trial project would feature temporary materials, such as paint and tape on the roadways, flexible posts, plastic crash barriers and signage.

The trial project does not include pedestrian improvements, Kiselak noted, but it would help inform officials on a future pedestrian safety improvement plan.

"This is really to get a sense of traffic operations. When we get to doing a final plan, we would obviously look to make pedestrian improvements. We can't be building temporary sidewalks and things like that for a two-month period," Kiselak said. "What we want to do is get a sense of, is it viable to really be reducing or modifying the lanes for traffic on Route 1. That's really the goal of the two-month trial."

Kiselak said any eventual plans should be coordinated with the looming Byram River Bridge project.

The temporary materials would be used to implement a "road diet" where Route 1 would be reduced to a single through lane in each direction at potential crosswalk locations at Byram and Pemberwick Roads. There are two options being considered for Route 1 Northbound.

Kiselak said the lane reduction would substantially reduce the crossing distance for pedestrians and would likely calm traffic on Route 1 and side streets, and it would reduce the number of variables that pedestrians and drivers deal with.

"We're looking to do some safety and mobility improvements in this area. It's an area we've gotten some frequent inquiries about over the years, including from people with disabilities who use the area that look to get across Route 1," Kiselak said. "There are CTTransit bus stops on both sides, and there is some pedestrian infrastructure in the area, but right now there's not really a way to cross Route 1 in what we consider a reasonable walking distance."

Crash data from a Safe Streets Analysis shows there were 92 crashes in the area from 2019 to 2023.

Of those crashes, 60 of them were at Byram Road, seven at Pemberwick Road and 25 in the circle toward the Port Chester border, Kiselak noted.

Ten of the crashes caused injuries, including to one pedestrian, Kiselak said. A pedestrian was killed in the area around 15 years ago.

"It's definitely somewhere that's been noted as worthy of a little attention," Kiselak said.

Other ideas DPW looked at included installing Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons in the area, but because of the speed and width of Route 1, they wouldn't be a strong enough signal to get vehicles to yield to pedestrians, Kiselak said.

"Signalization is another thing that's come up, but given the Byram River Bridge project it's not really something that in the near term we can implement, so we're trying to find something in the next couple of years, ideally even sooner, to give some relief to pedestrians that are trying to get across here," Kiselak said.

Kiselak also spoke about some potential negative impacts of the proposal.

He acknowledged there's "a fairly short weaving distance" coming across from New York into Connecticut, "so that's something we'd want to keep an eye on."

"Going down from two lanes to one, there might be a bit of a capacity reduction, so it's something we want to be honest about," Kiselak said. "But it's not really the goal of this project. We're not trying to increase capacity, we're trying to make it safer for people to get around in different ways."

The trial project can be removed at any point over the two-month period if issues crop up, Kiselak said.

A $450,000 grant was provided to Greenwich through the Urban Action Grant Program to make improvements, Kiselak said.

Several residents spoke during last week's meeting, saying the proposed trial project would actually reduce safety. Some also said the plans were devised without public input.

Former state Rep. Rachel Khanna (D-149), who is now running for the Board of Selectmen in Greenwich, helped secure the $450,000 grant money along with state Reps. Steve Meskers (D-150) and Hector Arzeno (D-151).

"I understand that this is a two-month trial, but I think it would be helpful for the public to have a bit more clarity on how this proposal addresses the pressing need for safe pedestrian crosswalks at the intersection of Route 1, with Byram and Pemberwick Roads," Khanna said. "I hope you and DPW ensure that the funds from the state are used for the purposes they were intended for, which is to create a safe pedestrian crosswalk."

Another resident, Alex Popp, said "it's highly likely" the proposed trial project would increase the number of crashes and hazards in the area.

"My quick view is that traffic coming from Port Chester down the Post Road will bottleneck into a single lane heading both south and north, and that's going to create one long, single flow of vehicles that would make merging from Byram Road or Pemberwick Road almost impossible," Popp said. "I would expect congestion on Byram Road to be even worse."

Al Shehadi, an officer with the Byram Neighborhood Association, said he appreciated the focus on the area, but he urged DPW to go back to the drawing board.

He encouraged officials to follow a Road Safety Audit that was completed several years ago, which recommended a HAWK signal in the area or full traffic lights.

"I don't think this is going to work. A road diet at this busy of an intersection is problematic," Shehadi said.

First Selectman Fred Camillo stressed that it would only be a trial project.

"If we find it doesn't work, we can yank it right away. But there's also some opportunity here, because whenever there's been lots of accidents and some deaths, and near deaths, it's incumbent upon us to do something, to try something," he said.

"I understand going down to one lane could cause a little bit of a bottleneck and slow down traffic, but we have to figure that out. My only main concern there is if a public safety vehicle needed to move through there, and not to slow them down," Camillo added. "Other than that, the whole point is to slow traffic down."

The Board of Selectmen typically holds two "reads" of an agenda item before a vote is taken. Camillo indicated the board could hold several reads in order to gain as much feedback as possible on the proposal.

Greenwich DPW needs to get final approval from the Connecticut and New York State DOTs on the proposal, something Kiselak said could be squared away by August.