Sharon road paving and sidewalk construction could last through September

SHARON — Separate but related construction projects will impact travel in town during the final weeks of summer, with road paving and sidewalk repairs slated to begin in early August. The projects, which will take place along state roads, should wrap up between mid-August and mid-September, First Selectman Casey Flanagan said, although the exact dates are tentative.

The road paving projects continue work by the state Department of Transportation that began last year. The sidewalk improvements address a need that emerged over a period of years, and engineers from Cardinal Engineering presented the findings of a sidewalk study during a public informational meeting in January. The sidewalk project will be funded, in part, by a recent grant from the state’s Transportation Rural Improvement Program (TRIP).

Paving on state roads

“We have two projects that will eventually meet at the Clock Tower,” Flanagan said of the upcoming road paving projects, noting that the paving will impact travelers.

The first paving project will begin near Stone House Road along Route 41, just south of the intersection with Route 112 near Hotchkiss. Picking up where it left off last year, the paving will head south toward the Memorial Clock Tower in Sharon and the intersection of Routes 4 and 343.

The other stretch of paving will come from the intersection of Joray Road and Route 4 and head north, eventually joining the end-point of the first project at the Clock Tower.

The road work will begin with milling — a process in which construction vehicles grind and remove the top layer of a road to prepare it for paving. The milling work on Route 41 was originally scheduled to begin this week, with an expected paving completion date of Aug. 24. Milling on Route 4 will begin on Aug. 11, with paving expected to be completed by Sept. 11.

Flanagan emphasized those dates are tentative and could be altered.

Sidewalk enhancements

New sidewalks in the center of town have also been on the docket since a public meeting was held in January and residents called for upgrading a stretch of sidewalks from the Sharon Shopping Center to the intersection of Route 4 and Route 343 past Town Hall and toward the Clock Tower.

The project was made possible, in part, after the town was awarded a $1.1 million grant from the state’s Transportation Rural Improvement Program (TRIP). The town will be responsible for $600,000 to cover the total cost, which will ultimately depend on materials used.

The project is intended to rehabilitate the sidewalks that are in poor condition, with widespread cracking, breaking and uneven surfaces. Presently, there are no plans to extend their length. Residents have called for concrete to be used instead of asphalt and expressed concerns about the impact on trees.

A follow-up informational meeting is scheduled for Aug. 13 at 5 p.m. at Town Hall to discuss the sidewalk project. An arborist from Bartlett Tree Company will be in attendance to talk about the effect the sidewalks will have on the surrounding trees.