Town Unveils Greenwich Avenue Intersection Improvement Project

GREENWICH, CT — The transformation of Greenwich Avenue continued on Monday, as the Town officially unveiled a brand new intersection that aims to enhance aesthetics and increase safety for all street users.

Town officials and the community gathered on the corner of Elm Street and Greenwich Avenue for a ribbon cutting to mark the completion of the project, which took about three months from start to finish, and cost around $350,000.

Construction included the installation of "bulb outs" - sometimes referred to as "bump outs" - which extend the curb-line to the edge of the existing parking areas on east/west Elm Street, and the angled parking areas on Greenwich Avenue. The purpose of bulb outs are to increase the visual connection between pedestrian and driver, and reduce the crossing distance and crossing time for pedestrians.

The intersection is also raised, so pedestrians who are approaching the intersection at the elevation of the sidewalk travel at a consistent elevation across.

Additionally, the project addresses green-space around the intersection. Before the project was approved, there was about 340 square feet of green-space within the work area. Greenwich Department of Public Works began construction looking to increase that by 1,860 square feet - or roughly 550%. DPW coordinated with the Parks & Recreation Department to assist in the landscaping and design plan for new plantings.

To give better illumination for pedestrians, lights were relocated closer to the crosswalks, and two designated accessible parking spaces have been retrofitted to meet all current codes. These spaces provide dedicated access to the sidewalk from the parking space, never requiring a person to go into the roadway. There are also new bicycle racks and benches.

The project also included the lining of the drainage and sanitary sewer lines to extend their lifespan, and a reduction in impervious areas.

The project was designed by the Greenwich DPW Engineering Division. Graphic material and landscape design assistance was provided by SLR International Corporation (formerly Milone & MacBroom, Inc.), from Cheshire, Conn. and the project was constructed by FGB Construction Company, Norwalk, Conn.

First Selectman Fred Camillo thanked the stakeholders in the project for coming together to make it a reality. He remarked that it was “a little bit of a battle at times," as questions were raised during the approval process by Representative Town Meeting members about the necessity of the project, and issues cropped up with trees that were in the way, and a potential loss of parking spots on the Avenue.

"As you can see, there are a lot of things going on downtown. This is really the first big [project] we're doing here," Camillo said. "In addition to it looking really beautiful, it decreases the amount of space that a pedestrian has to use to cross the street. It also improves the sight-lines, and it slows down cars."

James Michel, Deputy Commissioner for Greenwich DPW, thanked businesses and property owners for tolerating the construction and being supportive of the project over the last few months. He thanked the Greenwich Police Department for their constant patrol of the Avenue to keep residents safe, since officers aren’t directing traffic at intersections anymore.

Michel thanked the Greenwich Fire Department, which helped in the design process as they test-drove their vehicles in the area to make sure the roadway and corners were the right size.

Michel also credited DPW senior civil engineer Jason Kaufman for his work on designing the project.

"It takes a village to succeed," Michel said.

Kaufman said it felt great to see his vision finally completed.

"It was a lot of hard work, a lot of cooperation from everybody, and it was really a big team effort," he said.

Alan Gunzburg, a Greenwich resident who has long been an advocate for increased accessibility in town, praised the project for improving safety and access for all. Gunzburg is a member of Camillo's Advisory Committee For People With Disabilities.

"We've been lucky enough in the committee to partner with the DPW. We saw this project as an idea, as a drawing, and we saw it as it made its way [towards completion]," Gunzburg said. "I can't tell you how much better it is to get up to the street corner and be able to look up the street without having to go out and crane your neck. Everything about this works better for everybody."

Camillo is hoping that this first intersection improvement project could be a pilot program for future projects along the Avenue, and perhaps elsewhere in town. He had included $500,000 in the proposed 2021-2022 budget for future work on perhaps two intersections on the Avenue, but the RTM ultimately deleted the money during their final budget vote last month.

RTM members said the town did not give a clear indication as to which intersection would be worked on next, and that there should be a pause so the impact of the completed intersection can be gauged. They also argued that valuable parking spaces would be taken away.

Camillo said shortly after the budget vote in May that the town could have communicated better as to where the money was going to be spent. He vowed on Monday that he will continue to push for other intersection improvements on the Avenue in the future. He also reiterated that the Town is continuing to work on solutions to the decades old problem of parking in Greenwich.

"We're grateful for the questions that were asked by the RTM because it makes you think. It makes you re-think, and we did that," Camillo said Monday. "We're really going to be pushing to get this done and finish the Avenue up. There are a couple areas in town that people have asked us to take a look at, so we'll be doing that also."

This article was corrected to reflect the correct project cost of $350,000, not $375,000.