'You Can't Find Much Better of a Deal to Improve Pepper Street'

An ambitious project to reconstruct Pepper Street may not have prevented the truck rollover that closed the north end of the road there last Friday (police say the driver was going too fast), but it is expected to improve sight lines, curbing, add turn lanes at the intersection with Route 25 and improve pedestrian safety by taking sections of the Housatonic Rail Trail off the road. The installation of new drainage and of a larger box culvert carrying water from the Pequonnock River under the street is also planned.

Land Use Dir. Scott Schatzlein and Eric Jarvo, project engineer for project development for the Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT) led a public information session on the plan last week. Public Works Dir. Douglas Arndt was also on hand to answer questions.

The $5,051,500 project would be 80% funded by the federal government with 10% coming from the state and 10% from the town. It is not expected to be completed until 2017. Monroe's share would be $505,150.

Schatzlein said the initial project was estimated to cost $2.5 million before the DOT increased the scope — and price tag — by adding in the multi-use trail and larger box culvert.

However, the town will be getting a more extensive reconstruction of Pepper Street for a fraction of the cost.

"It's a great deal," Schatzlein said. "You can't find much better of a deal to improve Pepper Street."

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He credits the Greater Bridgeport Regional Council with helping him to put in an application for the funding amid strong competition from other municipalities.

Details, Details ...

The Housatonic Rail Trail used by joggers, hikers and bicycle riders currently crosses Pepper Street in two areas. The road reconstruction project includes a multi-use trail along Pepper Street — from Grant Road to Northbrook Drive — that will get trail users off the street, Schatzlein said.

A fence will be installed to prevent trail users from going into the roadway and Schatzlein said it would be something that adds value to the trail, like split-rail.

"I feel very strongly that it needs to be a good environment, look nice and feel safe," he said.

Pepper Street will be rehabilitated and drainage will be installed from Jockey Hollow Road to Cambridge Drive. The sightlines at the Pepper Street intersections with Garder Road and Cambridge Drive will be improved.

Two sloped areas of Pepper Street will be lowered, making the road more level.

At the intersection with Main Street, by Tollgate Plaza, two turn lanes will be added and Pepper Street will be widened to 32 feet (two 12-foot travel lanes with two four-foot shoulders). Schatzlein said traffic lights there are expected to be replaced with new equipment.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency determined that an existing concrete box culvert carrying water from the Pequonnock River under Pepper Street is too small, Schatzlein said, adding it will be lengthened.

The Timeline

The pavement will have a 20-year life cycle, according to Schatzlein, with pavement preservation treatment every five to seven years to avoid cracking.

Schatzlein anticipates right-of-way impacts for 28 properties with three partial "acquisitions". Property from a house on the corner of Grant and Pepper streets and another house beside it will account for 2,600 and 1,000-square-feet respectively, he said.

The third acquisition would be a 19,000-square-foot "sliver". "It sounds big, but when you look at the frontage it's not a lot," Schatzlein said.

The project will need approvals for different aspects from town and state inland wetlands, FEMA and Planning & Zoning.

Schatzlein said the state and federal governments will want to see a letter from the first selectman saying the town is committing to the project and will come up with its share of the funding.

Most of the money the town would spend would be $364,550 in fiscal year 2016-17, according to Schatzlein's presentation.

He said the Town Council should be voting soon on whether to support the project.

The town must hire an engineer to do the design. Schatzlein said candidates will be interviewed and a fee will be negotiated in a fair and closely watched process that would open in the fall of 2012.

A project design and state reviews would most likely take place in the spring of 2013 and 2014. Then a second public information meeting will be held.

The state will contact property owners and handle the right-of-way process. Then there is the DOT permitting process and state and town approvals.

Bidding to do the work should be in August of 2015, according to Schatzlein, and most of the construction should be completed in 2016, with clean up and landscaping in 2017.

To control costs of the project, the road will be closed with a detour during construction, according to Schatzlein.

"I think people in town have been looking forward to the development of Pepper Street for a long time," he said.

Public Input

During last week's public information meeting, Steve Kirsch pointed out that Pepper Street is in bad shape right now and, considering the project would not be completed until around 2016, he asked if any improvements will be made in the meantime.

Arndt said the town plans to pave it with a one to one-and-a-quarter inch overlay this paving season. "It will look like a new road to anyone who didn't know better," he explained.

Bob Bohm, president of Northbrook Condominiums, said there is a problem of traffic cutting through the condo complex to get to Route 25, including trucks whose GPS systems lead them on that route

"We know we can't stop it, but we can do some things to discourage it," he said. "We would like to be part of that."

Bohm also expressed concern about having a thick enough buffer to allow homeowners to have privacy.

Information on the project was well-received by members of the public who attended last week's meeting.

"If you intend to fix the road, this is a no brainer," Kirsch said.

Aside from the next public meeting, Schatzlein welcomes input leading up to it. He said, "There will be an opportunity, formally or informally, to contact me anytime."