To Combat Traffic, Madison Plans to Add Surf Club Outlet Road
Overcrowding issues in the Surf Club parking lots around Strong Field have pushed the town to look at new solutions for traffic flow, specifically building a new single-lane exit road and rerouting traffic.
Beach & Recreation Director Scot Erskine told the Board of Selectmen that residents living on nearby Long Shore Lane have been under “a lot of pressure” during big events like football games as town officials have tried to find traffic outlets during these peak traffic times—specifically around Daniel Hand High School [DHHS] athletic events.
“It’s something in the nearer term that could help alleviate some of the traffic,” said First Selectman Peggy Lyons.
Erskine told The Source that nothing was set in stone as far as the specific route, but that he envisioned the new road as a gravel, fence-lined path that would potentially route through or along Exchange Field headed west from Surf Club Road, creating a one-way-in, one-way-out traffic pattern specifically during those high-volume events.
The town has considered adding this type of infrastructure since the late 1970s, Erskine said. One of the reasons why the issue has come up again is because of increased interest and attendance for DHHS athletic events.
“With the football games, we’re drawing more—we have a 2,000-seat stadium,” said Erksine. “With the success of the [DHHS] teams, especially the football [team], crowds are pretty big, trying to get out of the Surf Club. You have the exit route because people are coming in to pick up their kids...it takes a long time.”
Safety is also a concern, Erksine said. If there was a medical emergency during or shortly after a sporting event, emergency responders would have a difficult time getting to the field through the overcrowded roads.
Erskine also emphasized that the new road would be carefully marked or fenced off in order to prevent cars from accidentally driving onto Exchange Field or kids using the field from wandering onto the road.
There is already money for the road as part of this year’s Capital Improvement Program, Erskine told the Board of Selectmen. Though he said it was unlikely that the road would be finished by the summer as the Beach & Recreation Department is still working on a design, he said he hoped for the road to be a relatively simple process, not involving any outside contractors, though he said it was possible the town would have to hire outside depending on what design proves most viable.
There would also be the potential to turn the road into a paved, wider, or more permanent structure, should the town decide there was a need.