The town this week opened a rebuilt staircase at the top of the alley that runs between The Playhouse and Le Pain Quotidien, a major step forward in a closely followed downtown project.
The alley between The Playhouse and LPQ on Jan. 5, 2025. Credit: Michael Dinan
Opened Monday, the staircase includes a temporary railing, according to Public Works Director Tiger Mann.
“So you’ll actually be able to use the staircase—instead of the temporary walkway—to access the sidewalk on Elm Street and Playhouse Lot,” Mann told NewCanaanite.com during an interview.
Public Works had put in a temporary walkway just before Christmas after shutting down the alley in October in order to redo it, rebuild the stairs and install a new accessible ramp. The project, which involved working in a very tight area, has seen materials- and weather-related delays, a frustration for some merchants downtown as well as the town.
It was “a very technical ramp, technically difficult to install,” Mann said, adding that the contractor is doing “a nice job.”
“Every time it snows, it hurts,” he said. “It’s tough to pour concrete when there’s snow.”
The ramp, which is on track for completion this winter, is expected to help move delivery trucks off of Elm Street. The town has already reconfigured the Playhouse Lot and moved the large dumpsters there into a new enclosure.
In April, the town plans to redo the Playhouse Lot and put finishing touches on the entranceway to the alley from the lot itself, Mann said.
“But it’ll be open for delivery trucks,” he said. “Once that ramp is open, it will stay open for delivery trucks.”