Decision on Traffic Plan Stalled

John Vibert is an expert at presenting the Unionville traffic plan, which proposes to relocate New Britain Avenue. He’s given the presentation dozens of times – explaining New Britain Avenue’s domino effect of backup on the center’s other intersections, how school buses turning down New Britain Avenue can stop traffic, how the angle of Railroad Avenue prevents cars from turning at normal speeds and every detail of how a solution created by the Unionville Traffic Committee in partnership with the state Department of Transportation will greatly improve the situation.

But, though Vibert, a Democratic Town Council member and Unionville Traffic Committee member, presented the plan with the committee’s formal recommendation to the Town Council Tuesday night, he will do it again Nov. 15.

That’s because the council decided sometime between its last meeting and Tuesday night that it wanted to hold a public hearing on the matter and delay its decision for another month. Because the project will be funded by a combination of state and federal funds and no town money is involved, a public hearing is not required.

John Vibert wasn’t angry. He graciously ensured members of the audience and the council had their questions answered, then took his seat.

But Charlie Keniston, Republican chairman of the traffic committee and its other Town Council representative, was. He asked the council why a public hearing hadn’t been added to Tuesday’s meeting, if the council wanted one and accused them of stalling.

“One or more individuals running for reelection is saying ‘I don’t want to vote on this before an election,’” he said, urging his colleagues to trust the committee’s recommendation and take a vote. “Was this an exercise in futility?”

The traffic committee, including Vibert, Kenistion and Unionville business owners and residents, has been meeting for a year and a half every Wednesday morning at 8 a.m. It’s held public meetings to gather public input on how to fix Unionville’s traffic problems and then sorted through more than 300 suggestions. The committee then worked with a Department of Transportation representative and town engineer to identify several solutions that could be implemented in three categories: short-term, mid-term and long-term. Keniston said the committee has held 24 regular meetings.

The plan to move New Britain Avenue came up after the council had approved the committee’s suggestions and was developed at the suggestion of the DOT. Vibert says the plan will alleviate much of Unionville’s traffic problem by clearing its pinch points. But in so doing, several businesses and homeowners will be affected.

The Liquor Square, LA Styles Salon, Nina’s Tailor Shop and AirTool Sales and Service buildings would be bought by the state and demolished and three homes would, as well, to make room for South Main Street (the road that runs across the bridge and turns into Plainville Avenue) to be widened and New Britain Avenue to rerouted down Burnham Avenue out onto Plainville Avenue.

The committee was cautious, Vibert explained. It explored every other possibility and found none would solve as much as the New Britain Avenue plan. When it was time, he and Farmington Police Chief Paul Melanson visited each owner individually to discuss the plan and gauge response.

“If there were any big objections by people being displaced, we were ready to not go forward with this but that’s not what we heard,” Keniston said. “Most people recognize this is in the best interest of the community and the people who have to go through here.”

The state promises fair compensation for the properties and relocation assistance to affected businesses. Farmington Economic Development Coordinator Courtney Hendricson has also offered her help.

One affected business owner, Nils Lindstedt who owns AirTool Sales and Service, was at the meeting, lending his support.

“We don’t want to lose momentum. There’s $2.6 million there right now,” Keniston said, pointing to money that had been allocated for road projects by the old Parsons Chevrolet, then frozen.

The money comes from CROG, Capitol Region Council of Governments, which is tasked by the state with awarding funding for transportation projects.

Currently, the Unionville project has been approved for $2.6 million and is eligible for another $2.5 million, to be awarded through a CROG meeting in November. The deadline to apply for that money has already passed in September, but CROG has given the town a little extra time to decide if it will get behind the project. Town support of a project is a key factor in its winning state approval. If it doesn’t get approval at the November meeting, Town Manager Kathy Eagen said the funding would not be available again for another three years.

Town engineer Russ Arnold explained that the project had gotten approval from CROG in 1998, but the town chose to use the money for the River Road project. The town reapplied in 2007 and the grant was approved again, with an estimated $2.8 million.

“This money is earmarked for this project because it has significant regional impact,” Arnold said.

Total cost of the project is estimated at $10 million. About 80 percent of the funding would be federal money and 20 percent from the state.

Clark said he could not vote on the project without first sleeping on it and talking to the business owners who would be affected.

“I would feel it incredibly irresponsible of this council to go forward without allowing the public to respond to this council,” said Republican councilman CJ Thomas.