The West Hartford Engineering Department has provided information on the roads scheduled to begin their second round of repaving the week of July 9, and has also provided updates on reconstruction projects underway in 2024.
By Ronni Newton
The 2024 road construction season began in West Hartford in May. The second round of road resurfacing began on July 9, while reconstruction projects remain underway.
“In 2024, we’ll have just over eight miles of roads paved,” city engineer Greg Sommer said Wednesday. “That’s pretty much the average and the number we’re aiming for.”
New paving
In the second round, the following streets (in alphabetical order) will be repaved, said Sommer.
- Belknap Street
- Buena Vista Road (Gin Still Lane to Mountain Road)
- Everett Street
- Flatbush Avenue (South Quaker Lane to New Park Avenue)
- Glenbrook Street
- Golf Street
- Sherwood Street
- Vardon Road (Asylum Avenue to Kirkwood Road)
- Webster Hill Boulevard (Crestwood Road to Ledgewood Road)
- West Ridge Drive (North Main Street to Hartwell Road)
The portion of Webster Hill Boulevard currently being repaved is between two sections of roadway that were previously repaved and marked with bike lanes. The remaining section between Crestwood Road and Ledgewood Road will have bike lanes added in accordance with the city’s Bicycle Facility Plan.
“We will be doing fill work to connect to the bike lanes to the north and south,” Sommer said. Work on Webster Hill Boulevard will begin on July 11.
Another round of resurfacing will take place in September; the schedule will be announced over the summer.
The section of Webster Hill Boulevard between Crestwood and Ledgewood will be repaved and a bike lane will be added beginning July 11, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Repaving projects typically take two to three weeks from start to finish. Traffic signs will help drivers and pedestrians avoid the construction site. According to the engineering department, milling of the existing roadway is expected to take four to five days, followed by about two weeks of asphalt paving. Work typically takes place between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
West Hartford has 217 miles of roads maintained by the city, and on average 8.5 miles are repaved each year, with some of these roads being completely resurfaced. Based on the annual evaluation by the engineering department, road conditions are rated from “excellent” to “extremely poor,” and roads in the latter category are given priority for resurfacing, with the schedule also coordinated with infrastructure work planned by utility companies.
reconstruction
Road reconstructions are more complicated than resurfacing and take one to two months from start to finish. Work generally includes replacing existing curbs with granite curbs, replacing existing driveway curbs with concrete curbs, replacing catch basins and drainage structures as needed, selectively replacing sidewalks, and restoring the road subgrade prior to final asphalting.
Below is the status of the reconstruction measures that began in May:
- St. Augustine Street – 50% completed
- Highland Street – completed
- Warwick Street (Trout Brook Drive to Robin Road) now under construction
- Pleasant Street – starts at the end of July
Sidewalks
In addition to the sidewalk replacement that is taking place as part of the street rehabilitation, the engineering department has also been replacing other sidewalks throughout the city. “There are between 800 and 1,000 sidewalk work orders in the system,” Sommer said, but funding is enough to complete only about 200 of them during a season. “We try to focus on the areas of greatest need and work orders that have been in the system for a long time,” he said.
A raised crosswalk will be installed on the boulevard at Wardwell in late July or early August. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Zebra crossings and Vision Zero
Sommer said a raised crosswalk will be installed on the boulevard near Wardwell in late July or early August. “It will be installed, painted and lettered before the school year starts,” he said.
The raised crosswalk, which is one of the points of the Vision Zero action plan scheduled for implementation in 2024, will serve as a pilot project. If it is well received and effective, Sommer said, more raised crosswalks could be added at school crossings and other locations throughout the city.
By the end of the summer, warning signs for pedestrians will also be put up at various locations, he said.
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