This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.

Cannot Have it Both Ways

Guilford cannot have it both ways. On the one hand, elegant welcome signs proclaim, “National Register of Historic Places” (NRHP), while, on the other hand, a group of bicyclists under the umbrella of Shoreline Greenway Trail (SGT) is distributing a flyer evidencing its desire to traverse and physically redesign Route 146 between Branford and Madison with an expansive bicycle road euphemistically labeled a “trail.”

As a reminder, on April 5, 1990, Route 146 Historic District Branford/Guilford was accepted for inclusion in the NRHP. It extends from Flat Rock Road in Branford to the West River bridge in Guilford and includes 51 properties, the fork at the southern end of Moose Hill Road, the property at 27 Moose Hill Road, and, quoting from the NRHP, “all of the intervening right-of-way associated with Connecticut State Highway Route 146 which is comprised of portions known locally as Leetes Island Road, Sachem’s Head Road, and Water Street.”

Indeed, Route 146 may be the only state highway in Connecticut to have specific portions included in the NRHP.

The desired trajectory of the SGT bicycle road would disqualify those NRHP portions of Route 146 from the registry. NRHP criteria are not only the significance of the local history and architecture but also the integrity of the location and setting.

Let’s not jeopardize Guilford’s Route 146 inclusion in the NRHP even as we strive to improve the safety of that historic and scenic highway for all who walk, bicycle, drive upon or live alongside.

Nona Bloomer

Guilford