On-Ramp at the Intersection of Routes 7 and 95 Has Reopened [Update]

Update 10:40 p.m.:

The planned traffic island at the entrance of the newly opened ramp at West Avenue leading to U.S. Route 7 and I-95 southbound is not meant for pedestrians, a city public works official said.

Michael Yeosock, a senior civil engineer in the Norwalk Department of Public Works, said the traffic island is meant to help guide cars, and not act as a spot for pedestrians to stand as they cross the ramp. The traffic lights to be installed at the intersection should make the spot safer for walkers and bicycle riders, he said.

The traffic island is the arrowhead-shaped figure in the plans Yeosock provided Patch and now posted as a pdf with this article, he said.

More than one pole will be installed for traffic signals at the intersection, he said.

Update 12:50 p.m.:

Installing of traffic signals, more work on sidewalks, as well as the painting of lines and even a traffic "island" remain to be done now that the on-ramp for I-95 and U.S. Route 7 has reopened on West Avenue, according to a city public works official.

The project, under general contractor Deering Construction of Norwalk, is running late, said Michael Yeosock, senior civil engineer for the Norwalk Department of Public Works. The ramp was open again to traffic as early as Thursday.

The on-ramp is now wider than it was before the work on it began, making it more difficult for pedestrians to cross. Comments in Norwalk Patch's story (below) by David Marcus and on Marcus' "Livable Norwalk" blog (linked in the Comments section, below) reflect some criticism of the results of the construction work so far.

"We're aware of the pedestrian concerns, and we're working to get that done as soon as we can," Yeosock said in an interview on Friday. Pedestrians can still use the sidewalk on the other side of West Avenue, he said, although not all of the work on that sidewalk has been completed.

Yeosock said the intersection should be made safer by the rest of the work for the still uncompleted project, part of a larger project by Deering Construction on West Avenue.

The city and Deering are waiting for delivery of the traffic signal for the intersection. At the northern corner, where only a base now exists, a pole with multiple "mast arms" for traffic lights will be installed, Yeosock said. Pedestrians will have a button to push to get a red-light in order to cross the road with more safety, he said.

"Basically, what that does is stop that [...] turn onto the on-ramp when the pedestrian pushes the button," he said.

A "traffic island" will be painted onto the roadway, Yeosock said. That will take a while because painting needs to wait two weeks over fresh asphalt in order to be effective, he said. A pedestrian walkway and traffic lines will also be painted.

The sidewalks on both sides of West Avenue in that area still need additional work, he said, and the city is also waiting for additional work to be done on West Avenue just south of Interstate 95, he said.

Yeosock said he expects to hear more from the contractor next week about when the traffic signal equipment will be delivered.

"We're trying to get this thing wrapped up by the end of August," he said.

Original article, 5:54 a.m.:

At just about the eight-week mark, construction crews have reopened the entrance ramp that serves both drivers headed southbound on Interstate 95 at Exit 15 and those going north on U.S. Route 7.

The ramp roadway is now open, and it's now at somewhat more of a right angle with West Avenue between the I-95 and Route 7 overpasses.

That right angle is supposed to help trucks and other vehicles traveling south on West Avenue to enter either highway at that spot, according to Michael Weosock, a senior engineer in the city Department of Public Works.

Although the road is paved and opened, some other work still remains: Painting lines on the ramp, finishing off work on a sidewalk at the northern edge of the ramp, and the addition of lights.

The project has long been planned in conjunction with the closing of part of nearby Crescent Street, which no longer joins with West Avenue near the I-95 northbound entrance.

Because that end of Crescent Street has been closed as part of the Reed Putnam Urban Renewal Project, trucks can no longer enter West Avenue from there, then drive north to reach the entrance for Route 7 and I-95 southbound lanes.

Trucks and other vehicles from Crescent Street must approach that intersection from the other side. Weosock said the turn there was difficult, especially for larger trucks, because the ramp met West Avenue at an angle.