News

‘People Could Have Been Killed’: Mill Road Residents Voice Concerns about Speeding Motorists

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Residents of Mill Road on the eastern side of town say speeding motorists are a major hazard for the many young families that walk and cycle in the area. 

Saying it’s only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or worse, residents are calling for the town to implement traffic calming measures on Mill, a narrow roadway of 31 homes that runs east off of Silvermine Road and then hooks to follow the river toward Norwalk. 

“Ever since we’ve moved in there, the level of speeding is unbelievable,” Neil McMorrow told members of the Police Commission at their Sept. 18 meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “The volume of traffic when we first moved in was not that great. And maybe in 2015 or ‘16, I contacted New Canaan Police, I have contacted Norwalk [Police]. New Canaan put a solar[-powered] speed [sentry]—unfortunately, under a tree canopy, so it really didn’t work.

Government

Town Approves $65,000 To Reconstruct Heavily Used Trail at Waveny

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The Board of Selectmen at its most recent meeting approved an approximately $65,000 contract to reconstruct a pedestrian trail at Waveny. The trail that runs near a southwestern corner of the park—from where the road that runs through Waveny meets Lapham Road, along the stone wall toward the Merritt Parkway— “doesn’t have the preferred surface that we have in certain areas,” according to Public Works Director Tiger Mann. Instead, it has larger crushed stones and would serve the public better if it had the same surface as the pedestrian trails that run along the Waveny road on the South Avenue side of the park, officials said. “It’s what we’ve been utilizing on all the new trails in Waveny,” Mann told the selectmen during their Sept. 10 regular meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference.

Government

Town Officials Approve Request To Demo ‘Audubon House’ at Nature Center

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The New Canaanite 2024 Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates. Town officials last week approved a request to demolish a long-disused town-owned building at the New Canaan Nature Center. During the Aug. 6 meeting of the Board of Selectmen, officials discussed the future of the “Audubon House,” a deteriorating 15-by-30-foot structure located across from the Oenoke Ridge nonprofit organization’s Visitor Center. 

Department of Public Works Senior Engineer Joe Zagarenski asked the Board of Selectmen for authorization to enter into a contract with Fuss & O’Neill, a civil and environmental engineering company. 

The contract, in the amount of $4,355 plus a contingency of $800 (a total of $5,155), is required to perform the demolition of the rectangular structure, Zagarenski told the Board at its regular meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. 

Director of Public Works Tiger Mann said the cost is funded in the fiscal year 2024-25 budget in a $50,000 line item. The building originally served as a laundry facility for the late Susan Dwight Bliss, a New Canaan resident and philanthropist.

Hardesty & Hanover

Officials Weigh Possible Third Stop Sign at 106-Carter Street Intersection

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The New Canaanite 2024 Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates. Motorists are speeding along a busy stretch of Route 106 in New Canaan and officials now are looking at possibly adding a stop sign to an already complicated intersection. During the July 17 meeting of the Police Commission, a representative of New-Haven-based Hardesty & Hanover presented officials with various ideas to remedy the skewed intersection of Carter Street, state Route 106 or Silvermine Road, and Canoe Hill Road. After hearing numerous proposals for possible solutions, Police Chief John DiFederico questioned why the traffic consultant had not considered placing a single stop sign in the westbound direction of the intersection – creating a three-way stop. Veronica Prezioso of Hardesty & Hanover said she thought this was a “good point” and that she would have to further “look into it.” 

She told town officials at the meeting—held at Town Hall and via videoconference— that the addition of the third stop sign could be a viable solution but added that it would invite more signage earlier on, likely with blinking lights to indicate to drivers that there would be a stop. 

DiFederico noted that it was a much cheaper solution and could be implemented much quicker. 

Director of Public Works Tiger Mann said that officials had already looked into a four-way stop at the intersection and even the installation of a traffic light, but those ideas were vetoed earlier on.

Government

Police Commission Discusses Traffic Woes at Gerdes, Conrad

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The New Canaanite 2024 Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates. Traffic engineers say the motor vehicle backup and speeding problems that New Canaanites are seeing in the “South of the Y” neighborhood during commuter hours are due to two main issues. The town has been grappling with backed-up vehicles on Gerdes Road, and a related problem of speeding on Conrad Road, for more than one year. In the morning, especially, southbound Merritt Parkway commuters are skirting traffic between exits 38 and 37 as directed by navigation apps such as Waze and Google Maps. Drivers either queue up for the Gerdes Road/South Avenue light to re-enter the Merritt at exit 37, or else swing out wider to Conrad and Whiffle Tree Roads, officials have said.