Maple End drainage project gets state OK

A notoriously flood-prone section of Route 6 will be fixed, thanks to funding approved Friday by the State Bond Commission.
The $8.2 million project will stretch from Maple End to near the Bristol Commons shopping plaza, according to state Rep. Frank Nicastro.
"That whole Maple End area has to be corrected," said Nicastro, a Bristol Democrat. "We have massive, severe flooding problems there."
The bonding funds will pay to replace a massive culvert between Burlington Avenue and the Northside Square shopping center on North Main Street.
The new culvert would cross the tracks and generally follow Route 6 to the west before cutting under the state road in front Best Cleaners and connecting to another culvert at Northside Square.
"It's something that's definitely needed," said Rep. Ron Burns, a Bristol Republican. "It's a good move to fix it up."
Now that the addition of commuter rail is a possibility on the tracks that cross Route 6 at Maple End, said Burns, it makes even more sense to fix the drainage problem.
"That's another additional benefit we'll get out of the correction of that intersection," said Burns.
Nicastro said other flood repair projects, including one on Lexington and Concord streets, have been stalled, waiting for the Route 6 work.
"This is a major breakthrough for the city," said Nicastro. "This is going to help us immensely."
While in progress, the project will no doubt cause some traffic headaches, Nicastro said, but the result will be a safer road.
Nicastro said he didn't have a projected start date and did not know how long it will take to complete the work once it is started.
The state cash, said Nicastro, should cover the whole cost of the project.

Press release from state Reps. Ron Burns and Bill Hamzy:

The State Bond Commission has approved $8,171,540 in state funding for a drainage improvement project on Route 6, which should alleviate flooding that occasionally impedes traffic flow and creates unsafe driving conditions during and after heavy rain storms, state Representatives Ron Burns and William A. Hamzy said today.
The bond commission approved the funding at its regular monthly meeting Friday, March 28, 2008 at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford.
“Anyone who has driven through a three to four inch pool of water on Route 6 during and after heavy rain storms understands the need fir this long-overdue project,” said Representative Burns, R-77th District, whose district includes sections of Route 6. “When the storm drains back up and water pools on the street, traffic slows to a crawl. If the flooding gets worse, engines can stall and block traffic. After the work is completed, news photos and television footage of flooded streets and vehicles throwing up rooster tails will be a thing of the past.”
“Flooding on Route 6 has been a problem for as long as I can remember,” said Representative Hamzy, R-78th District, whose law offices are located on Route 6 in Bristol. “As someone who takes Route 6 to work almost every day, I am very familiar with the drainage problems there. In addition to interfering with traffic flow, even an inch or two of water pooling in the street can cause vehicles to hydroplane and result in serious accidents. I have driven through sections of Route 6 that become almost impassable during exceptionally heavy rainstorms. This project should put an end to those kinds of traffic hazards and make the road safer for commuters, shoppers and commercial vehicles alike.”
The project involves the replacement of a culvert between Burlington Avenue and the Northside Square shopping center on North Main Street. The culvert will cross the railroad tracks near the Whole Donut Shop and follow Route 6 to the west before going under the state road in front of Best Cleaners and connecting to another culvert at Northside Square.

For more information on the project, click here

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