‘Not something we’re going to be quiet about’
Leaders push for increased lighting along Route 7
NEW MILFORD — Multiple accidents in a section of Route 7 have led local leaders to push for a state bill to add lights to the area.
“We’re talking about going from the New Milford High School area, all the way up to Veterans Bridge. We are asking Connecticut DOT (Department of Transportation) to put up lighting, to light up that whole area of Route 7,” New Milford Mayor Pete Bass said.
Toward that end, state Rep. Bill Buckbee, R-New Milford, proposed a bill in the state legislature to require installation of those lights Route 7.
Police say more than 230 crashes occurred last year on the Route 7 business corridor.
Willow Springs condos
Buckbee and Bass want to add lighting in front of the Willow Springs condominium complex, which is across from the Windmill Diner.
Buckbee said it’s difficult to see along that stretch of road.
“If you drive at night from the Still River Drive light on Route 7, all the way down to Stop & Shop, there’s no street lights. It’s very dark,” he said.
When Willow Springs was built 50 years ago, the town didn’t need lights because of a lot less traffic in the area, Bass said.
“Back then, Route 7 was a two-lane road. It’s now expanded into a four-lane highway, very dense, especially that area,” Bass said. “We’ve had people in that area that have been hit and killed.”
He said he knows of at least four fatalities in that area — from Tractor Supply Co. to Savings Bank of Danbury.
Bass said lighting the area would help drivers and pedestrians better see the area.
“We have people that are walking now. They get off the bus and they walk to different stores and they walk to Willow Springs — especially at night, you can’t see (crossing the street),” Bass said. “It’s the perfect setup for someone to get hit. So while we’re working on trying to bring more sidewalks into that area, we need to light it up more so people can see.”
Route 7 corridor
Bass said he would like more lighting along the Route 7 corridor — from New Milford High School to Veterans Bridge — “to light it up so that people can see, especially when driving at night, and especially if we have inclement weather — it makes it more difficult of a drive, especially when you’re now at four lanes, the people are going at a higher rate of speed.”
New Milford Police Chief Spencer Cerruto said 233 accidents occurred on the Route 7 business corridor in 2022.
“That is a level that we would like to see reduced and that’s what we’re working hard on,” Cerruto
said.
He said the police department is improving
safety through a “threepronged plan — enforcement, education and engineering.”
He added lighting falls under the engineering category.
“The engineering aspect involves increasing visibility, doing what we can to slow vehicles down, and that’s where the state DOT comes in,” Cerruto said. “They’re experts, but from my point of view, I’m very supportive of any measures to take to improve traffic safety in that area.”
Next steps
The state’s transportation committee will discuss bringing the proposed bill forward for a public hearing.
“If they do, then we can have public hearing and have New Milford-area people come down and testify
that this is a necessity for the people of the town,” Buckbee said.
He said he won’t give up, even if the legislature declines to bring the bill forward.
“If they’re not interested in doing that, I’ll arrange another meeting with DOT and go back up and talk to them again. It’s not something we’re going to lay off of. It’s not something we’re going to be quiet about. It’s something that has to happen for the safety of anyone traveling that corridor.”
“This is the first opportunity we’ve had to bring (the proposed bill) into legislation, to try to make it a safer area,” Buckbee added.