Brewer Street Roadwork and Further Plans
As Mayor of the Town of East Hartford, I am committed to continuing, with great success, the biennial bonding for the road improvement program that was begun in 2003 to address the deterioration of roads in our community. I also have been committed to and successful in securing LOTCIP and Urban Surface Transportation funds for the benefit and proper full-depth reclamation of Brewer Street.
East Hartford has over 150 miles of road in town excluding the state-owned roads of Silver Lane, Main Street, CT Blvd and Burnside Avenue. With the exception of those roads, the care and maintenance of the remaining streets fall squarely on the shoulders of our town to maintain and our taxpayers to fund.
During my first years on the council in 2003 the town contracted with a Road Design Company (VHB) to begin a comprehensive analysis of every street and their condition. Through the RFP process VHB was contracted to do a Pavement Condition Index (PCI) survey that would be used to provide the town a comprehensive plan for street surfacing improvements and that report rated our streets for milling and paving, resurfacing or for total reclamation. That report is updated regularly as streets are resurfaced and/or street conditions decline.
The latter is the case for Brewer Street. Over a decade and a half ago Brewer Street was given an overlay that did not address the significant structural deficiencies of the road. Under my administration we have been successful to secure funding for the full depth reclamation needed for a significant portion of Brewer Street from Main to Jefferson Road. The funding secured, as mentioned above, has been vulnerable to the politics in Washington and the State’s budget issue and was delayed.
For several years the town has been working on a full-depth reclamation and repositioning plan to alleviate the issues presently on Brewer Street. The preliminary design plan is currently being reviewed by the State of CT Department of Transportation. Once those plans are returned any revisions noted will be made and the final plans completed and resubmitted for final approval by DOT.
Once construction on Brewer Street begins, it will address the structural road issues, traffic signals, drainage, sidewalks and a new bridge at Pewterpot Brook. As of today we anticipate the construction to start in the beginning of 2020 and last the entire year. However we are working hard to move that date but approvals and the construction/paving season must align. In the meantime, we intend to do an overlay to improve the conditions temporarily to meet the Mitchell Road area that was resurfaced recently.
It is my responsibility to stress that the safety and comfort of our residents, as well as the condition of our roads, are a top priority for both myself, my administration and the council. With that in mind, we are presently working to improve the road conditions of numerous streets in the Town of East Hartford through the Road Improvement Program. The $15M funding that supports this program will be offered as a referendum question at the polls this November if approved by the Town Council. The public hearing for the proposed bonding will be held Tuesday, August 7, in the Town Council Chambers at 7:00 pm.
As always I thank the residents for sharing their concerns and seeking explanations. My office is always available to answer questions and I invite residents to ask when they seek additional information.
Regards,
Mayor Leclerc