Government
Traffic Consultant: There’s a Safe ‘Sweet Spot’ for Heritage Hill Road Access To Proposed Locust Parking Deck
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The widely anticipated, proposed parking deck on Locust Avenue cleared a final major planning hurdle Tuesday, as consultants with a transportation planning firm reported that there’s a way to design the new structure without jeopardizing pedestrian or motorist safety. Expected to increase the total number of spaces there by 58 percent, from 153 to 242, the proposed parking deck—with one minor timing change at a nearby traffic light—also will not noticeably change current traffic patterns in the area, a consultant from Cheshire-based Milone & MacBroom Inc. told the Board of Selectmen at its regular meeting. Plans call for a parking tier accessible from Heritage Hill Road with a non-connected lower level that feeds onto Locust Avenue. Addressing a major concern from residents of Heritage Hill Road, the firm’s traffic study examined three different sight lines for the proposed entrance/exit there, Milone & MacBroom’s David Sullivan told the selectmen at the meeting, held at Town Hall. “We looked at the sight line if you are coming out of the driveway if you can see to the left and right, on Heritage Hill Road,” he said.