Grumman Hill Road project expected to improve Route 7 traffic
A number of improvements, including street widening and the installation of two traffic lights, are being planned for the intersection of Grumman Hill Road and Route 7 in Wilton.
“The purpose of the project is to improve the overall safety and operation of Route 7,” according to James Therrien, project engineer from the state Department of Transportation.
Lengthy traffic queues frequently build up at this intersection along Danbury Road (Route 7). “There is also a significant amount of rearend crashes on Route 7 in both directions,” Therrien said.
Traffic problems stem from the intersection’s design, according to Therrien.
Route 7, along with Grumman Hill Road and the commercial driveway to ASML, form a “fourlegged signalized intersection,” Therrien said.
Route 7 has two lanes in each direction at the intersection with no left turn lanes.
Left turn volume is not very high on Route 7, Therrien said, but given the limited gaps in opposing traffic, the turning vehicles cause queues in the northbound and southbound left through lanes. The heavy traffic volume contributes to rearend crashes.
Improvements on Route 7 at the intersection of Grumman Hill Road will include roadway widening to accommodate northbound and southbound left turn lanes and a minimum of fourfoot shoulders.
The widening will take place on the west side of Route 7 and will include new sidewalks from the termination at Westy Self Storage and continue to the main ASML driveway.
Sidewalks will also be installed on the east side of Route 7 from the termination of the existing sidewalk through the rest of the project.
The roadway will also be widened on the east side of Route 7 to allow for bypass capability in front of 88 Danbury Road, according to Therrien.
The traffic signal for the intersection of Route 7 and Grumman Hill Road will be replaced to better accommodate the proposed leftturn lanes.
The traffic signal at the Route 7 and Wilton Corporate Park intersection will also be replaced to incorporate safety improvements for pedestrians. Short, left turn slots will also be installed on Route 7, south of the Grumman Hill Road intersection, at Hollyhock Road and the commercial driveway opposite to Hollyhock Road.
The state anticipates starting utility relocations this fall and starting highway improvement work next spring. The estimated construction cost is approximately $4.1 million, paid through state and federal funds.
Plans for the project are available for review in the town clerk’s office at Wilton Town Hall, 238 Danbury Road.