NEWS

Temporary barriers made Vergason Avenue a dead end in 1986. Neighbors fight to keep them.

Matt Grahn
The Bulletin

NORWICH — A decision the mayor initially labeled a "budget item" may make a street dangerous, concerned residents say.

Back in August, there was an informational presentation on the removal of the barrier that cuts off Vergason Avenue from Business Park Road and Connecticut Avenue, and has been in place since 1986. On Monday, eight neighbors appeared before the City Council opposing the removal of the barrier, although it was not on that night’s agenda.

The removal reasons given by Public Works Director Patrick McLaughlin last month were that it helps the city with plowing in the winter, and that it improves access for emergency responders.  

The barricade on Vergason Avenue.

Resident Rebecca Prior, who was the first neighbor to speak in opposition to the proposal at the council meeting, said the road is narrow and dangerous, especially for children playing nearby.

“I think the majority of our community has concerns,” she said.

McLaughlin said he doesn’t expect more traffic in this area, as cutting through Vergason Avenue makes a longer route to West Town Street than using Connecticut Avenue. People near the northern end of Vergason Avenue are likely to turn down Business Park Road and Connecticut Avenue, rather than contend with the windy lower part of Vergason, he said.

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“Everybody’s assuming there’s going to be an increase in traffic, where there should actually be a decrease in traffic,” he said Thursday.

Jon Tagliaferri, who lives on the Brookside Drive cul-de-sac, wanted to live in the area because it is quiet. Having seen some car crashes over the years despite the road being closed off from Connecticut Avenue, he said he worries that things would get worse if it’s opened up, especially as there are more apartments in the area now.

“It’s going to take one lawsuit to make it not worth your while,” he said.

There haven’t been any crashes on Vergason Avenue since 2015, according to data from the UCONN Crash Data Repository. From 1995 to 2014, there were six crashes, with one fatal.

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Traffic changes from 1986 to today

Resident Christine Aubrey said traffic and littering conditions were “horrendous” back when Vergason Avenue was open to Connecticut Avenue, and most of the neighborhood came to city hall to get the road closed off in 1986.

However, this closure predates the existence of New Park Avenue, and people in the business park now exit that way from the north end of the business park, which is part of the signed pathway out from Dodd Stadium. As well, Connecticut Avenue was widened since that time, including a left turning lane, so it minimizes backups, McLaughlin said.

Aubrey, who is also a transportation principal engineer for the Connecticut Department of Transportation, called even considering reopening  “absurd,” as the decision not only affects Vergason Avenue, but nearby condo owners as well.

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“I make integrity decisions all the time about the state roads, and I do know the state Attorney General’s Office, which I deal with regularly, would not ever allow this type of opening onto a neighborhood in an industrial park,” she said.

If there are car crashes, Aubrey said she is also concerned that would be more work for emergency responders, and resources spent.

Barrier removal would take city council action, but there is nothing planned right now, McLaughlin said.

Norwich Mayor Peter Nystrom said Monday that there was a misconception about the City Council voting on it that night, possibly spread on a call into a local radio program. People also have the misconception that Public Works would also want open the barrier on Vergason Avenue near Hilltop Road and Forrest View Drive, which he said is not true.