Project Purpose

The purpose of this project is to protect and preserve the Valley Forge Road corridor in terms of both infrastructure asset management and neighborhood quality of life.  The project limits extend from Kellogg Hill Road to Bradley Road.  The project includes many improvements which extend beyond just new pavement.  The project has been developed to address not only deteriorated pavement conditions but also erosion to the roadside embankments, noted drainage concerns  in select areas and at various culvert crossings, and safety concerns related to failing or inadequate guardrail and existing roadway alignment which provides inadequate sightline distances for drivers.  Provisions for traffic calming are also included to encourage drivers to reduce traveling speeds along the roadway.  All of these improvements are intended to preserve and protect not only the roadway but also the abutting properties and quality of life for the Valley Forge Road neighborhood. 

The existing roadway is generally 22 feet in width although narrows in some sections within the project limits to 18 feet.  Minor roadway widening is proposed in narrow sections to provide a uniform road width of 22 feet.  Changes to the limits of pavement within the project limits have been carefully considered to make both horizontal and vertical roadway geometry improvements which will improve sightlines and roadway safety for the motoring public while minimizing the impacts to private properties on both sides of the road. 

While the proposed roadway does include minor widening, the proposed roadway width of 22 feet is still considered less than standard as both the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CT DOT) recommend a minimum road width of 28 feet for local collector roads.  While the width of local roads is not typically regulated by the State, bridges are required to meet this standard, which is why Weston residents will see that both the newly replaced River Road bridge and Michael’s Way Road bridges widen to at least 28 feet in width at the crossing.  The Davis Hill Road Bridge was exempt from this standard as the work on that bridge only consisted of existing bridge deck rehabilitation and not full bridge replacement. 

New and replaced guardrail is included to protect both the traveling public as well as established roadside trees and other private property features close to the road.  The existing guiderail throughout the corridor includes many broken sections and guardrail types which have been proven to be inadequate protection measures since the time at which they were originally installed.  While a number of residents have voiced their displeasure with the aesthetics of the new guardrail type proposed, the new guardrail proposed is safer than the guardrail which exists today.  

Improvements also include repairs to the failing roadside embankments due to long-term erosion and settling of the existing road which was built up over time.  The roadway reconstruction will include new properly compacted base material which will be better built to last such that future erosion of roadside embankments has less potential to occur.  Retaining walls are proposed to better support the roadway and to minimize impacts to private properties which abut the roadway.  The majority of the proposed retaining walls proposed vary in height between 1.3 feet and 4 feet with three (3) short sections between 5 feet and 7 feet in height.  Without these walls a substantial amount of grading would be required on private property in order to prevent future erosion and failure of the roadside embankments as is seen today.  This would also mean a greater loss of trees as well as removal of existing stone walls and other private property features.  If neither the proposed retaining walls or proper grading of adjacent properties is done as part of the project, the existing roadside embankments will continue to fail and negatively impact the neighboring properties. 

The project also includes cleaning of the existing drainage system and other culvert repairs and drainage improvements to not only better manage stormwater on the road but to also protect the private properties along the roadway.  The existing drainage system has been analyzed by the Town’s design consultant to identify the best solutions possible to address documented drainage issues in select areas along the Valley Forge Road corridor.  Improvements to select culvert crossings include changes to either better align the crossing to prevent future blockage and/or increase the hydraulic capacity of the crossing.  More major changes to these crossings would result in greater risk of erosion to downstream properties and as such the proposed improvements represent the most balanced approach to addressing hydraulic concerns at each location.  

Lastly, the project includes measures to encourage drivers to reduce roadway speeding.  The Town acknowledges that new pavement can sometimes result in increased traffic speeds right after paving although there are many long-term benefits to repaving a road which result in increased safety.  The proposed project includes new pavement markings to provide 10-foot lanes with designated 1-foot shoulders which have been documented to reduce vehicle traveling speeds as opposed to wider lanes with no shoulder markings.  New pavement conditions will also eliminate the need for drivers to cross over into the opposite lane to avoid potholes.  Furthermore, while vertical measures such as speed humps have been noted as inappropriate for this roadway, the project also includes two (2) sets of solar-powered radar display signs which will advise travelers of their current speed as an additional traffic calming and safety measure. 

Project Funding

The Town has received WestCOG endorsement and CT DOT’s approval and Commitment to Fund 100% of the construction costs for the project through the State’s Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program (LOTCIP).  The current construction cost estimate for the project is $5.3 million total construction cost estimate for project.  Under LOTCIP, the Town is responsible for designing the project to the CT DOT LOTCIP Guidelines, including all costs associated with design. 

Initiation of Design Phase Services

Design phase services for which SLR International was the chosen Design Consultant were procured in accordance with the Town’s Procurement Policy through the Request for Proposal (RFP) Process back in late 2022.  The Construction Contractor has not been chosen and bids will be competitively procured through a formal Invitation to Bid upon the completion of the design and receipt of the Authorization to Advertise from the CT DOT.  Permitting, final design, and receipt of any temporary rights requested for work on private property will be completed before the project is advertised for construction.

Public Information and Outreach

The proposed project has been in the Town’s pipeline for design and construction since prior to 2022 and was originally split into two phases.  Town appropriations to fund the design phase of the project were done in FY22 and FY23 although the design was ultimately combined into one design construction for the consolidated project limits.  Project background information and the proposed timeline of major milestones has also been included on the Town’s website since 2022, as is information on a variety of other public infrastructure projects, such that residents could track the development of the project. 

A Public Information Meeting was held on December 18, 2024 to review the proposed scope of work at the Conceptual 30% Design stage of the project.  The intent of having the Public Information Meeting at the Conceptual 30% Design level was to hear public comments and concerns such that these could be considered in the further design of the project.  Letters to all property owners abutting the Valley Forge project limits were sent in advance of the December 18^th meeting and notice was also provided to the public via Town Hall Happenings to encourage residents to participate in the meeting. 

Comments received at the Public Information meeting were as noted below.  Responses to these comments, as well as a link to a video of the meeting for those who could not attend the meeting, were also added to the Town’s website in late January 2025 after the Town and the Town’s Design Consultant had an opportunity to look into some of the more detailed questions raised.

• What can be done to improve safety and reduce speeding on Valley Forge Rd?
• Will any trees be cut down because of road widening?
• What will type of guiderail will be reinstalled?
• What can be done at the culvert located in the vicinity of driveways to both 117 and 124 Valley Forge Rd?

Residents who may have missed the public informational meeting may view the recorded meeting on the Town's website here: https://vimeo.com/1040804703. 

Residents are encouraged to use the following resources to stay informed regarding Weston’s various infrastructure improvements in both the planning, design, and construction phase. 

• Town of Weston website: https://www.westonct.gov/government/municipal-departments/public-works/infrastructure-projects
• You may also subscribe for eNotifications regarding various Weston Board and Commissions Meetings, News, Job Postings, and Requests for Proposals by filling out the online form found by using the following link: https://www.westonct.gov/how-do-i/register/enotification

Wetland Permitting

An Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Application was submitted to Weston Conservation Commission in late February 2025 and a public hearing was set for March 27, 2025.  Project abutters were notified of the public hearing via Certified Mail and two public notices were published in the Norwalk Hour. 

While only one abutting property owner was in attendance at the March 27^th meeting, a number of letters from abutting properties have been received since that time and as such, the Town, as Applicant, has requested an extension to the public hearing to discuss questions and concerns with area residents. 

It is further noted that permitting of roadway construction projects is typically done at the 60% Design stage.  In many cases, such as within the original IWWC Application for the project, a subset of the design plans is submitted for permitting approval to demonstrate proposed impacts to wetlands areas only and not overly burden the reviewing agency with large plan sets and voluminous information.  In this instance, in order to address concerns of inadequate information, the Town has directed the Design Consultant to include the full plan set with the plan updates to be provided to the Conservation Commission in advance of the next meeting anticipated in June. 

Further Project Design Clarifications Based on Recent Inquiries from the Public

• Valley Forge Road Roadway Classification – Valley Forge Rd is a Town-owned roadway. The section of Valley Forge Rd between Kellogg Hill Rd and Bradley Road is classified as an Urban Major Collector. This designation is assigned by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and characteristics of Urban Major Collector include: 
  1. Serve both land access and traffic circulation in higher density residential and commercial/industrial areas
  2. Penetrate residential neighborhoods, often for significant distances
  3. Distribute and channel trips between Local Roads and Arterials, usually over a distance of greater than three-quarters of a mile
  4. Operating characteristics include higher speeds and more signalized intersections. 

   

• Traffic Concerns – The proposed design includes minor adjustments to both vertical and horizontal geometry of the roadway to improve sightlines and safety. Additionally, the proposed restriping of the roadway will delineate 10-foot travel lanes with 1-foot shoulders to encourage drivers to lower speeds while driving. Given the roadway classification of Valley Forge Rd as an Urban Collector roadway, vertical traffic calming measures such as speed humps are not recommended within the project limits of this project. Placement of additional STOP signs within the corridor is also not appropriate as the Federal Highway Administration has noted that safety is actually decreased when STOP signs are not placed in accordance with criteria stated in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) which is that STOP signs should be used at an intersection if one or more of the following conditions exist: (1) an intersection of a less important road with a main road where application of the normal right-of-way rule would not be expected to provide reasonable compliance with the law; (2) a street entering a designated through highway or street; and/or (3) an unsignalized intersection in a signalized area.

  Subsequent to the Public Informational Meeting, Town staff and the Town’s Design Consultant have decided to propose the inclusion of solar-powered radar display signs which will advise travelers of their current speed as an additional safety measure. An example of the type of sign mentioned would be near the Fire Station on Lyons Plain Rd.

• Proposed Edge of Pavement and Road Widening – The existing roadway is generally 22 feet in width although narrows in some sections within the project limits to 18 feet. Minor roadway widening is proposed in narrow sections to provide a uniform road width of 22 feet. Changes to the limits of pavement within the project limits have been carefully considered to make both horizontal and vertical roadway geometry improvements which will improve sightlines and roadway safety for the motoring public while minimizing the impacts to private properties on both sides of the road. 

  In most cases, the proposed edge of pavement will generally remain in the same location as it exists today.  When widening is proposed within the vicinity of an existing driveway, efforts have been made to propose the roadway widening on the opposite side of the road.  

• Work on Private Property – At this time, only temporary rights for work on private property to facilitate roadway reconstruction for items such as installation of erosion & sedimentation devices, site grading, driveway repair, and wall replacement are anticipated. Upon the approval of the Weston IWWC Permit, the Town’s consultant will finalize the project design such that letters may be sent to any property owner for which work on private property will be requested. Any property owner for which temporary rights are requested will be contacted by the Town via letter explaining the rights requested and you will have the opportunity to review the 90% Design plans for the proposed work and ask any questions you may have before construction activities begin.

• Driveway Repairs – In most cases, only a portion of driveway apron replacement is necessitated by the proposed roadway reconstruction. Any driveway apron to be replaced, can be accommodated to occur within the Town right-of-way only and meet the Town’s driveway standards although in some cases, extending the match line of the driveway apron replacement onto private property will provide allow for a more gradual slope of the driveway. These improvements typically also provide residents with an improvement to their driveway grade/slope over the existing grade/slope of their driveway. 

The Town’s standard construction detail is to provide a 1 ½” lip to prevent water from running down the driveway.  Any property owner for which greater driveway apron replacement is suggested outside of the limits of the Town’s right-of-way will be contacted by the Town via letter explaining the benefits of extending the driveway apron limits and will have the opportunity to ask questions before granting or denying the temporary rights needed for construction on private property.

       Existing Post and Cable Guiderail             Existing RB Mash Guiderail