MONROE, CT — Town Council members approved contracts to expand the Housatonic Valley Rail Trail and to replace the Judd Road bridge at the Monroe and Easton town line at their meeting Monday night.
Town Attorney Frank Lieto and the Town Council’s Legislative and Administrative Committee reviewed both contracts and recommended Council votes on each. The projects date back several years, as the planning, bidding and application processes for Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program (LOTCIP) grants progressed.
“Our Town Engineer James DiMeo and Director of Public Works Chris Nowacki sat down with me to discuss projects that were stalled due to the pandemic environment,” First Selectman Terry Rooney said Wednesday. “We immediately discussed their concerns and started the initiative to complete the following projects. This administration is focused on getting things done and I’m very happy to see these stagnant projects on the road to completion.”
If everything moves smoothly, DiMeo estimates that both projects will be completed by late summer in 2026.
Guerrera Construction Company, Inc., an Oxford firm, had the winning bid to do the Housatonic Valley Rail Trail project for just over $1,623,888.
Though it is slightly higher than the $1.5 million grant, awarded in 2016 to fully fund construction costs, DiMeo said he has “zero concern” about the state not funding the difference, especially since the bridge project came in about $200,000 below its grant amount.
In 2019, the town obtained another grant from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to cover 80 percent of design costs for the trails project, leaving about $55,000 to be paid for by the town. Those costs were included in the 2020 town budget and paid for with capital reserve funds.
The trails project will connect the Housatonic Valley Rail Trail to the Pequonnock River Trail, completing sections two and three, by extending a 10-foot-wide stone dust trail by approximately 4,600 linear feet, creating an off-road connection from Maple Drive to Wolfe Park.
The trail will extend from the southerly side of an existing pedestrian bridge over the West Pequonnock River — just south of Maple Drive — going north to the public works facility. The trail will continue across Purdy Hill Road and through portions of Wolfe Park, until it reaches the existing segment of trail at the north end of the park entrance drive off Purdy Hill Road.
The project includes installation of the trail, retaining walls, protective fencing, a mid-block crossing at Purdy Hill Road, tree removal to necessitate trail placement and enhancement landscape plantings, including trees, grass restoration and some directional and control signage.
“I’m just thrilled that we’re adding an extension for safe biking and walking,” Parks and Recreation Director Missy Orosz said of the project.
Judd Road bridge
Nagy Brothers Construction, a Monroe firm, won the bid for the project to replace the Judd Road bridge over the Mill River, agreeing to do it for $1,321,960.
DiMeo said the project was first on the town’s radar in 2020. “There were some scouring concerns,” he said of erosion under the bridge. “It’s not a true safety concern at the moment, but because it was a joint project between Monroe and Easton, it was prudent to do this work before it became a safety issue.”
Now that the Town Council approved contracts for both the bridge and trails projects, DiMeo said he will send a letter to the Connecticut MetroCOG (Connecticut Metropolitan Council of Governments) and the Connecticut Department of Transportation for authorization to award the contracts, because they are fully funded by grants.
DiMeo said the trails project could start as soon as August, because it is easier to get the needed materials, while major work on the bridge project could begin by late fall or early winter.
Once the bridge project gets underway, there will be a full road closure. DiMeo said his department will announce the detour plan as the start date gets closer.
DiMeo said he will be happy to execute these contracts for projects that have been in the town’s plans for years and provide a good benefit to its residents.
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