Trumbull gets DOT approval for traffic light, other improvements at Long Hill Green

TRUMBULL — A traffic light, crosswalk and sidewalks are all expected to be added to the town's ever-improving Long Hill Green area in the near future. Rina Bakalar, Trumbull's economic and community development director, said the Connecticut Department of Transportation has given final approval to the project's design and it is expected to go out for bid next year. Construction is expected to start next year as well. First Selectman Vicki Tesoro said the project is part of her administration's commitment to community improvements. “I have made improving safety throughout town a top priority of my administration," Tesoro said in a written statement. "You see major safety improvements happening on Monroe Turnpike near the Fitness Edge Plaza. Now this area will be greatly improved. Both of these areas were dangerous to vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists. The installation of traffic signals, sidewalks and safe crosswalks will make these areas much safer and more desirable." Long Hill Green has been a developing area of town recently, particularly with the opening of the Long Hill Market Plaza in 2021. Bakalar said the latest batch of improvements have been in the works for some time. The new project will include sidewalk installation from Gisella Road to the intersection of Whitney Avenue and Main Street. Sidewalks also will be installed in front of the Long Hill Market Plaza, connecting it to the plaza on Broadway, making it easier and safer to walk between the two. The traffic light will be installed at the intersection of Whitney and Main, and a crosswalk will be installed across Main Street once the light and sidewalks are installed. Bakalar said the town's Board of Finance and Town Council approved about $600,000 for the traffic light component of the project, and the sidewalk installations will be completed with $400,000 grant from the DOT Community Connectivity Program. She said when the project goes out to bid, the traffic light and intersection improvements will be in one bid, and the sidewalk installation will be in another. They will go out to bid at the same time and the projects will be constructed and implemented in a coordinated way. The bid will be publicly posted in early January 2023. Meanwhile, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has announced that Trumbull is receiving about $249,000 to continue green infrastructure work in Long Hill Green. That project will include the installation of permeable pavement for the area of Broadway that faces Main Street. Phase one of that work was completed several years ago, and the town has since been seeking funds for phase two. “The Long Hill Green area continues to be an showcase for green infrastructure and sustainability efforts," Bakalar said. "We hope to inspire more of these types of projects throughout town and help to educate the public to the benefits of such projects."

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