Where's this wonder??

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This may look like a photo of trail work in one of the more progressive states somewhere west of Connecticut, but it is actually of the new tunnel being built on the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail/East Coast Greenway under Skiff St. in Hamden. If you have never ridden this section, the trail currently goes up a short, steep incline to the street, then crosses busy Skiff St. at grade via a button activated traffic signal. It was never pleasant, or easy, or all that safe, but this tunnel will correct all that.
How could something like this happen in a place like Hamden, and why not something akin to it here, like bridges over Northwest Drive or, even bigger, over Route 6 in Farmington? It can happen here, if there is the will for it amongst the citizens of Plainville and Farmington that will get the politicians and the DOT moving in this direction. I have been told, by those with more experience with local trail building than I have, that to include a bridge in the trail design guarantees considerable additional cost for construction and delays in obtaining approvals, both the result of DOT involvement in the process. I know that such was the case at the Salmon Brook bridge in Granby, CT. By the time that project was finally into construction, the cost was $140,000 over the amount the Town had received in funding. This difference was funded from generous contributions of several trail organizations (made possible by members like you) and by some creativity of the Town itself.
Let's hope that when our turn comes to close the gaps in Plainville and Farmington, the will will be there.

Comments

Anonymous said…
It took me a while to see the finished tunnel, but I finally have and I love it. It fits perfectly and is so much easier!
April 14, 2012 at 9:29 PM
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