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04/24/2018 12:00 AMIn 2016, Madison celebrated the completion of Phase I of the Downtown Center Project, but recent communication suggests that the State Department of Transportation (DOT) doesn’t see that phase of the project as finished. At a recent Board of Selectmen (BOS) meeting, town staff informed the board that the state won’t release the contractor bond for the project until a couple more things are completed.
Phase I of the project, which began in fall 2015, included renovations of the sidewalks and the center median. Additionally, new light poles, tree grates, and bike racks were installed above new underground utilities and irrigation. The town cut a ribbon announcing the completion of this phase back in June 2016. At the time, State Representative Noreen Kokoruda (R-101) thanked the state for putting forward $1.85 million of the $2 million needed for the project.
At the April 9 BOS meeting, Director of Engineer and Public Works John Iennaco said the state DOT recently called a meeting with him. Iennaco said apparently the contractor for the project went to the state looking for a release of their bond and the state could not comply.
“State DOT was not able to release the bond because the project is not 100 percent complete in terms of comparing their approved plans with what was actually built,” he said.
Iennaco said on the state plans the median would have been extended all the way out to the intersection of Boston Post Road and Route 79 and the sidewalk on the north side of town would have been continued from the fire house all the way to the corner at Route 79 and Boston Post Road.
“I discussed that the funding level wasn’t there to complete the entire project and the DOT suggested doing an interim plan for pavement markings in lieu of extending the median all the way to Route 79 and extending the sidewalks on the other side,” he said.
First Selectman Tom Banisch said it sounds like the DOT is willing to work with the town to help complete this project; Iennaco agreed. The selectmen asked Iennaco to keep them in the loop as more develops with the project.