Speed Limit Reduction Proposed For One Of Greenwich's Curviest Roads

GREENWICH, CT — A speed limit reduction is being proposed for one of Greenwich's curviest roads as officials look for ways to increase safety for residents and drivers alike.

Greenwich Department of Public Works Commissioner Jim Michel went before the Board of Selectmen on Thursday to request support to lower the speed limit on Porchuck Road and North Porchuck Road in the Backcountry from 25 mph to 20 mph.

The request is part of a larger effort to find traffic calming measures for Porchuck Road, which is often used as a cut-through from the Merritt Parkway over to Westchester County Airport.

Porchuck Road carries approximately 2,000 vehicles per day, and ranges from 18 to 25 feet wide, documents submitted to the selectmen state. North Porchuck Road carries less than 500 vehicles per day on average, and is as narrow as 14.5 feet in at least one location.

DPW officials have been working with the Porchuck Road Neighborhood Association and the Round Hill Association to improve driver speeds in the area for a number of years, and improvements have included new signage and improved visibility.

A questionnaire was recently circulated to residents to gauge interest in center-line rumble strips, and there have been some internal looks at modifying different intersections in the Porchuck Road/Round Hill area.

Michel said he hopes to meet with residents around September and October to discuss those plans before a substantial amount of time is put into the Municipal Improvement and approvals process.

"There's a lot of things we're trying to do with this neighborhood group as well, but one of the things that did come up is the request for lowering the speed limit to 20 mph," Michel said.

Any speed limit change would need to be approved by the CT Office of the State Traffic Administration (CT-OSTA). The state generally considers 25 mph to be the lowest realistic limit for most public roads, but roads with "severe geometric conditions or unique roadway/roadside characteristics" may warrant a lower speed limit.

Approximately 58 percent of the 1.33-mile length of Porchuck Road is covered by a 15 or 20 mph advisory speed, according to road geometrics and existing curve advisory signage reviewed by DPW. About 64 percent of North Porchuck Road, which is 1.16 miles long, is similarly covered.

"That's kind of our justification in asking for 20 mph for this road. We're hopeful the state will potentially agree with us on this," Michel said.

The selectmen did not vote on the request as this was a first read, but First Selectman Fred Camillo expressed support.

"It is one of the curviest roads we have. I know the state usually doesn't do this, but I think if we show just how curvy it is and how dangerous that can be if somebody is not paying attention and they're going 25 or 30 [mph], you could have an issue on one of those curves. Some of those curves actually have houses right there, too," Camillo said.

Brandon DeSimone, president of the Round Hill Association and a Porchuck Road resident, said his group plans to include police crash reports from the area in its application to the state.

"There's a lot of blind curves and narrow hills. We see it on a regular basis," DeSimone said.

DeSimone said this situation was "a one-off," and he addressed concerns that residents on other streets in town could make similar requests to lower speed limits.

Many Uber drivers come off the Merritt Parkway at Exit 28 and go onto Porchuck Road and then over to Cliffdale Road to get to the airport, according to DeSimone.

"We're trying to combat that; out of state drivers going through our local roads," DeSimone said. "This is a one-off thing we're trying to prevent this from happening."

Citing research done with a traffic engineer, DeSimone said lowering the speed limit would change routes suggested by apps like Waze and Google Maps.

"It would be quicker to stay on the Merritt Parkway by one minute, in many cases," he said. "By going down to 20 mph, we potentially could get some of the cars off the road. We still won't stop the cars who have learned about it, the drivers who know the back way, but at least we would be able to get some cars off the road."

On the potential for adding center-line rumble strips, DeSimone said the traffic calming measure was not the first choice for many residents.

"As much as we appreciate the offer, I think some of the residents are nervous that it's not exactly what we wanted," he added.

The selectmen are expected to discuss the proposed speed limit change at the next regularly scheduled meeting.