Recommendations made in the final report will inform future improvements and safety countermeasures implemented along the corridor. Once funding sources have been identified and project scopes refined, detailed design and engineering plans will be developed to guide the construction phase. The robust public engagement process utilized throughout the study will continue as any project designs for the corridor commence.
The Town of Fairfield thanks all the community members who assisted in guiding the development of the final report, including public meeting attendees, survey respondents, and members of the Community and Technical Advisory Committees. Throughout the study, a variety of opportunities were provided for stakeholders to provide feedback on the most feasible and impactful alternatives. Lead by consulting firm Fitzgerald & Halliday, Inc., this inclusive public engagement ensured that the public’s concerns, as well as their goals for the future of the corridor, were integrated in the final report. In addition, an innovative data collection and analysis methodology, including aerial video drone footage, helped to better understand and communicate the corridor’s complexities. This approach ensured that the Study Team was focused on feasible and impactful solutions consistent with the needs and desires of the community. The Fairfield Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan has identified Black Rock Turnpike, a State highway which sees average daily traffic volumes of over 20,000 vehicles per day, as a trouble spot in need of improvement. The Safety Study was funded through a State grant to identify strategies to create a safer and more attractive pedestrian environment and to develop more robust infrastructure for bicycles, buses and other vehicles, as well as improved connections between nearby residential areas and shops, businesses and restaurants situated along this vital corridor. The study was focused primarily on the section of Black Rock Turnpike from Tunxis Hill Cut-Off to Tahmore Drive; however, it included recommendations for suggested improvements elsewhere along this vital corridor. In addition to the final report, technical memoranda, appendices, meeting presentations, drone footage and additional outreach materials can be found here.