North Stamford fights to protect trees CT plans to ax
Project would clear-cut section along High Ridge Road, but DOT says they will replant
STAMFORD — Caryn Cosentini calls the stretch of High Ridge Road that runs under the Merritt Parkway and up towards the suburbs a gateway to Stamford.
“When you come off of that ramp on the Merritt Parkway, there’s a sign that says ‘Welcome to Stamford,’ ” she said. “If you go to the left, it’s North Stanford. If you go to the right, you’re going downtown. But either way, it’s sort of a gateway.”
Under that bridge, the scenery transitions from the strip malls and traffic signs omnipresent on sections of High Ridge into something softer: residential properties, hedges, and trees. But now, Cosentini — among other North Stamford residents — wants to protect the trees from being razed by the state amid fears her complaints won’t be heard.
A state Department of Transportation project plans to rebuild a 90-yearold road bridge. The project comes with a hefty price tag: about $4.6 million, most if it funded through federal and state funds. Residents, however, are more focused on the environmental costs, namely the two patches of trees next to the Merritt Parkway exit ramp being clear-cut in its name.
Clearing vegetation for DOT projects is nothing new. The department trimmed some trees near the parkway in 2019 due to safety concerns, causing a tug-of-war between the state and some environmentalists. Utility company Eversource announced on Thursday that it would trim hundreds of miles across the state to protect power lines. In Stamford, that includes about 90 miles across town, according to spokesman Mitch Gross.
The DOT project in question hardly registers as a bridge. The sliver of road runs over the Rippowam River, guarded by steel railings on either side. When construction starts in spring 2021, the DOT wants to replace the existing structure with an entirely new bridge, complete with 11-foot travel lanes and sidewalks on either side.
The transportation department expects to complete the project in 2023.
The two patches of trees slated for removal straddle the bridge on either side — one right next to the highway exit, the other abutting Wire Mill Road. Cosentini noticed the tree tags on the former in late February, and reached out to the city to ask about the work being done after recruiting the help of North Stamford Association President Tom Lombardo, himself a self-proclaimed tree hugger.
“I’ve always been a tree hugger,” Lombardo said with a laugh. “I spent 11 years on the Parks and Recreation Commission. So, I was a resident a tree hugger there, and I realized with this project, they’re going to have to remove some trees.”
Both the city and state DOT argue that vegetation management is an important part of facilitating construction projects. Plus, DOT expects to replant a majority of the trees lost in building the new bridge.
“Our project to replace the existing deteriorated bridge built in 1931, with a new structure which is both wider and longer than the original, necessitates the removal of some trees and vegetation (including invasive species) in the direct vicinity of the project to allow for staging of equipment and materials, and to allow for space adequate for assembly and pre-assembly activities of new bridge components,” said department spokesperson Kevin Nursick in a statement.
“The Department is sensitive to concerns related to tree removal, and as such, our project plans have always included remediation activities, including the planting of approximately 98 trees and shrubs as the project nears completion in 2023,” he said.
But to Consentini, the questions still stands: “Are you doing what’s expedient here? Or are you doing the best for retaining what’s going to be left of this landscape?”
To determine how the remaining trees might fare, the city plans to hold a public hearing on the matter. A hearing was initially set for Tuesday at the Sound End Community Center, but city hall opted to reschedule after concerns that residents wouldn’t be able to attend via Zoom.
In turn, the public hearing was moved to April 1 at the Government Center — a space fully equipped for virtual hearings.
But the city might not be out of the woods yet.
As Lombardo was quick to point out, the new hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Holy Thursday — when many Christian houses of worship hold services.