Darien police have announced that paving on the Post Road will resume at 7 p.m. on Thursday night, not the following Sunday night, as state officials had originally stated.
“According to the DOT, the contractor anticipates that it will take approximately six to seven nights of work to complete,” police said in the Wednesday morning announcement.
“Motorists are advised to expect delays during this time period.”
Original story, Tuesday, Oct. 16:
Unpaved parts of the Post Road in Darien are expected to remain unpaved until this Sunday night, with six nights of paving expected until construction crews reach the Stamford boundary line, according to a police official.
Capt. Donald Anderson, whose duties include traffic regulations and helping to resolve traffic problems, told the Police Commission on Monday afternoon that he’s been told by state transportation officials that the paving will resume Sunday night.
Asked if the striping of paved roadways, which also appears delayed, will resume as well, Anderson said he hasn’t found that out yet.
“They [construction crews] are due to come back, and I’ve had several calls go into the state at different [bureaucratic] areas,” Anderson said. “They’re supposed to come back on the 22nd […] Sunday night. I have been assured by the state of Connecticut.”
The paving was originally scheduled to be complete by last Friday.
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See also:
- State Transportation Department to Repave All of Post Road in Darien from Sept 14 to Oct 13 (Sept. 8)
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Anderson said there have been rumors that the paving stopped because of state budget problems. That’s not true at all, he said.
“That’s unequivocally — according to the state of Connecticut people that I deal with on a regular basis — untrue. There’s no way they would have started this and then leave it. They cannot leave it milled for any length of time.”
Commissioner Kim Huffard responded: “Well, I would just, for the residents [say] it’s already been left for a period of time. We’ve already passed that. […] I think it’s unsafe. […] We now have the double-yellow lines” but not much else. “It’s a free-for-all.”
Milling is the removal of the top (smooth) layer of roadway, leaving a rough, bumpy surface behind, with drainage sewer covers sticking up, waiting for unlucky drivers to bump over them and wonder if their tires have been damaged.
Anderson said the milling is all done, the paving is scheduled to resume, but he doesn’t know about the painting — each of those activities is done by a separate contractor, which may account for the lack of information.
“Every morning, I come down and I ride up to Dutchess [restaurant, on the Post Road], and hopefully I see some striping on the road,” Anderson said. “And every morning, I find that it’s not there. […] And I don’t have any information to give you on just when that striping will occur.”
Police Chief Ray Osborne told Huffard that when he and Anderson find out when the striping is to resume, they’ll pass on word to her.
She replied, “The whole town will be very happy to hear when that’s going to happen.”