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Bridge Gets Badly Needed Facelift

The Rail Road Avenue Bridge–the steel bridge that crosses the Naugatuck River–will be receiving a facelift that will last approximately a year and include sandblasting and a fresh coat of paint.  The construction on the bridge will also include the replacement of the steel cross beams underneath the beams.

The Local Bridge Program, a state funded program run by the State Department of Motor Vehicles, offers monetary aid for bridges across Connecticut that need renovations; the town of Beacon Falls has received almost three million dollars in grant money to revitalize the bridge.

“We have received two million dollars from the United States government and one point two million dollars from the local bridge program,” said Susan Cable, first selectman.

Work is beginning in Beacon Falls that is going to change the way people drive through the downtown area.  Two new sets of stoplights have been added along with driving lanes in both the north and southbound directions.  When the bridge is completed it will be one way only necessitating the need for traffic lights to control traffic.  For now,  a string of traffic lights has been put up at the intersection directly in front of the bridge, and also on both sides of the bridge.

“Right now everything down there is a hodgepodge, so until we have everything working full force, two police officers are stationed near the bridge during busy traffic and construction hours,” stated Cable.

Before the project started there were only two traffic lanes in the downtown area, but since the project started, a driving lane has been added to each direction.  These lanes are being used as turn lanes for the far right flow of traffic and this change has eased some of the congestion that has been caused by the construction.

These new turning lanes however, have eliminated parking that was utilized by both local businesses and the residents of the Beacon Mill Village condominiums.

“Residents of both Beacon Mill Village and local businesses were parking on the shoulder of Main Street,” said Cable, “however, there was no parking allowed there to begin with.”

Up until recently, the no parking ordinance was never really enforced because the parked cars were not affecting the traffic flow.  Local businesses have been worried about the impact the bridge project will have on them.

Gloria Salazar, the manager of the Soho salon which is situated down the street from Beacon Mill Village, expressed concern to Cable that there was no extensive parking for her customers.

“The Salon owners were worried that less parking would affect their business,” said Cable. “But until a more permanent solution can be found, they are going to have to use the parking that is available to them.”