The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
New route for a ‘scenic treasure’
State officials aim to resolve flooding woes on Rt. 146
The state will soon start the process of creating a management plan for Route 146, officials announced this week.
State Rep. Sean Scanlon said the plan for the future of the 13-mile state-designated scenic roadway came as the result of a discussion with Guilford First Selectman Matt Hoey, Branford First Selectman Jamie Cosgrove and state Department of Transportation Commissioner Joseph Giulietti.
Hoey said he and Cosgrove used funding from South Central Regional Council of Governments to conduct a corridor study on Route 146 in 2019. He said the study will help inform the management plan for the roadway.
On Wednesday, Scanlon said the state’s original plan in 2019 was to replace the bridge in Guilford on Leetes Island Road, colloquially known as the crabbing bridge, which has been designated as
structurally deficient and in need of replacement.
Scanlon pointed out local residents opposed those plans because they felt the proposed bridge seemed out of character with the roadway and community. Scanlon said he and local officials convinced Guilietti to pause the bridge plans in favor of something with more community participation.
“The proposal they put forward for the crabbing bridge was perceived by many, including me, to sort of be very out of character with that road,” he said. “It looked like a fancy bridge that you’d put over the Hudson River or something. It was not in keeping with the character of a quaint, scenic roadway.”
But Scanlon said it is important for the state to consider elevating the roadway, which frequently floods and could be impacted by rising sea levels.
Hoey said there are times when the road isn’t usable because of high tides and floods. Taking into account studies that indicate there will be 20 inches in sea level rise by 2050, work will need to be done to “preserve access to that scenic treasure.”
“There are four or five very low-lying areas that will need to be addressed at some point,” he said.
Hoey said there are also concerns about the width of the road and its ability to accommodate cyclists, as it is a designated bike route, as well as its speed limits.
Therefore, Scanlon said, he and the two first selectmen advocated for holistic plans to address the issues the entire roadway is facing, while also incorporating the community’s feedback.
“It’s a collaborative process,” he said. “There’s only one other road in the state that has a management plan, and that’s the Merritt Parkway. So this is a very unique thing, but this is a unique road.”
According to a release from Scanlon, a group comprised of state and local officials as well as members of the community will be created.
Scanlon said the group will attend workshops and public involvement meetings, aiming to “solicit feedback on the needs and desires of the traveling public as well as the communities through which the corridor passes.”
Scanlon’s statement said the group will “collaboratively work toward completion of the Management Plan Framework over a period of 12 months,” noting a draft would be released in the next six months and a final plan issued two months after that point.
Hoey said Route 146 had a management plan created in the 1980s that is no longer followed, so the new one creates an opportunity for more public input and preserving the history and natural beauty of the road.
“We’re thrilled that the Department of Transportation understands what a treasure that road is for both Guilford and Branford
residents,” he said. “We look forward to working with them to develop that management plan.”
Scanlon said a local
advisory committee will be empowered to work with the DOT to figure out these issues.
“I feel like this is a very
exciting thing for people like myself who grew up here and love that road and want to see it preserved for our kids and
their kids,” he said. “I think this management plan is how we’re going to be able to get that accomplished.”