Route 7 roadwork begins in Cornwall

CORNWALL — Department of Transportation will be repaving Route 7 from West Cornwall down to the Kent for the next month or more. First Selectman Gordon Ridgway described it as a “pretty major project” during a meeting of the selectmen on Tuesday, Sept. 3.

“They will be milling the road up,” he said. “People can expect delays starting later this week through the middle of October. But at the end we will have a newly paved Route 7.”

Cornwall had previously been in contact with DOT about excessive speeds in this area. Selectman Jen Markow asked if it’s possible to include raised crosswalks to reduce speeds.

Ridgway noted that a Transportation and Rural Improvements Program (TRIP) grant was awarded for the raised sidewalks, which will arrive at a later date.

Town Hall roof

The selectmen have opted to push back roofing work on Town Hall, possibly until the spring.

Cornwall went out to bid to replace the roughly 35-year-old roof last month. Qualified bids were received, but the decision to delay the work was made to determine if insulation can be added to the historic building.

Insulating the roof would reduce wintertime ice accumulation, First Selectman Gordon Ridgway said, but it would have to be added in such a way to maintain the historic aesthetic of the 19th century building.

Ralph Dzenutis of Royal Construction, located in Cornwall Bridge, was hired to inspect the building for potential improvements. The cost of this inspection was estimated at approximately $1,000.

Ridgway noted adding insulation will increase the cost of the roof work, but “it’s better to do it right than fast.”

There was $150,000 allocated to town building repairs in the 2024-25 budget. Some of the funding has been put toward the Cornwall Bridge Firehouse repairs, but the selectmen were confident there would be more than enough left for the roof and insulation.

The new roof would not change the outward or inward appearance of the building.