OLD FARMS ROAD
2nd Public Input & Info Session re: Old Farms Road - Phase II East/West Section: Monday, June 10, 2024 @ 6 PM
Please click here for more information for the meeting.
For Design Document Alternative 1 click here, for Design Document Alternative 3 click here.
Two design alternatives are available for public viewing in advance of the June 10 public input meeting via the links above.
The primary difference between the alternatives is the inclusion of what is called “formal drainage” within sections of the Alternative 3 design. What this refers to is incorporating curbing, catch basins, piping and associated infrastructure to capture storm drainage run off and piping it to outfalls downstream. While this has been a standard method of stormwater run off for decades, it is now generally considered undesirable from an environmental perspective. The current “best practice” within environmentalists is to incorporate Low Impact Development (LID) techniques with the general goal of allowing rainwater to infiltrate into the ground within the general vicinity where it lands.
Alternative 1 works to do that by eliminating curbing and formal drainage where possible and providing roadside swales and employing “sheet flow” techniques. The primary downside to this method is that it will require a wider roadway to accommodate the swales.
In both alternatives the designs incorporate a significant number of retaining walls to attempt to reduce the width of the roadway corridor.
*Note that Alternative 2 was a previous preliminary alternative that has been superseded by Alternative 3
Old Farms Road Project - Anticipated Road Closures
In order to perform the contracted work on Scoville Road as part of the Old Farms Road Project, the portion of Scoville from the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail to the intersection of Scoville and Old Farms Road will be closed to thru traffic beginning on June 17, 2024 at 7:00 AM through August 9, 2024 at 5:00 PM. Scoville Road west of the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail will remain open as will the entirety of Old Farms Road during this closure.
Immediately following the reopening of Scoville Road, the portion of Old Farms Road from the intersection of Old Farms and Scoville Roads to the intersection of Old Farms and Thompson Roads will be closed to thru traffic beginning of August 12, 2024 at 7:00 AM through October 11, 2024 at 5:00 PM. The remaining portions of Old Farms Road from the intersection with Scoville Road to the north and from the intersection of Old Farms and Thompson Roads to Route 10 will remain open to traffic during this closure.
Please click here to see maps illustrating the closures and anticipated detours. A detour map is being worked on and will be posted here in the near future. Signage will also be installed notifying traffic of the closures in advance and indicating the recommended detours.
Old Farms Road - Phase II (East/West Section) - May 2024 Update
The consultant, WMC Engineers, has progressed the preliminary design of the East/West Section of Old Farms Road to a point that we would like to present to interested residents and seek further input. The Town plans to hold a second public information meeting; details will be posted on the Town's web site and Facebook page. Like the first public information meeting, it will be held in-person and will be recorded for future viewing via YouTube video by Nutmeg TV. The consultant will review the design criteria and challenges and provide graphic representations to help visualize the proposed design. Interested residents are encouraged to attend and provide respectful input.
Old Farms Road (North/South Section) – May 2024 Update
Construction on the project is going well with the contractor, Spazzarini Construction, having rough graded nearly all of the new roadway and trail areas. They are working on installation of formal drainage systems and screening topsoil and have hauled several thousand cubic yards of excess soils to Sperry Park to be used as fill material in support of construction of a new future softball field. Work in the coming weeks will include installation of processed stone road base materials and continuing to screen topsoil and install drainage. They may also work on the tie-in point at the north end of the project where the new roadway intersects the existing roadway, weather dependent. The Town will provide additional information as it becomes available.
OLD FARMS ROAD EAST/WEST SECTION PUBLIC INFORMATION AND INPUT MEETING - January 3, 2024
The links below provide access to the slides presented at the Public Information and Input meeting:Please click this link to access the Nutmeg Network recorded video of the meeting:
Old Farms Road East/West Section Public Information and Input Meeting
NO THRU TRUCKS INFORMATION FROM THE AVON CHIEF OF POLICE
At the Public Information and Input meeting on January 3, 2024, several residents asked about the possibility of prohibiting thru truck traffic on Old Farms Road. The Chief has provided the following to explain difficulties with enforcement of no thru trucks prohibitions:
A "Thru Truck" is a truck which travels from a point outside of the limits of a city, town, or borough in Connecticut through such city, town, or borough without any scheduled stop in such locality. Any truck originating or having a destination within a city, town, or borough where any through truck prohibition has been established is not subject to such prohibition within that city, town, or borough where the truck originates or has a destination within. Therefore, a truck merely being on such a prohibited road, in and of itself, does not constitute a violation or grounds for the vehicle being stopped.
Residents who have additional questions concerning this are encouraged to contact Officer Karolina R. Staszewski at krs2158@avonct.gov
Old Farms Road - January 2024 Update
This link below provides access to the Purpose and Needs statement that in some form has been the basis for the Old Farms Road projects for decades.
Old Farms Road Projects Purpose and Needs Statement
Old Farms Road (North/South Section) – October 2023 Update
The administrative process for the construction of the North/South section has been completed and Spazzarini Construction will begin performing field work immediately. The first stage of the project will be to perform the bulk of the clearing and grubbing of the area. The contractor has been told that they are to protect all vegetation not needed to perform their work. Although the contract allows for winter shutdown from December 1 to March 30, Spazzarini has indicated that they will work on the project as long as the weather allows. Among their goals is to complete the project ahead of schedule.
Residents and motorists can expect to see activity there beginning immediately. The project is expected to take two years to complete with the contractor’s schedule showing completion in December of 2025.
Old Farms Road (East/West Section) – October 2023 Update:
The Town engaged the consulting firm of Wengell, McDonnell & Costello (WMC) to perform the design and permitting for this phase of the project. They have begun their work by performing needed field work including soil borings, wetlands flagging, and field surveying tasks. Over the course of the coming month and a half, they will be preparing their preliminary design and permitting efforts. We anticipate the first presentation and request for public input in December/January. Notices will go out via Town news and other methods such as the Town website.