Jabez Choi photo
Officials, including Mayor Elicker, at the ready for Tuesday's presser.
Raised intersections and repaved roadways are coming to Valley Street — now that a three-years-in-the-making traffic calming and infrastructure improvement effort has broken ground.
City Engineer Giovanni Zinn discussed the latest of the planned $2.2 million Valley Street Redesign Project Tuesday morning during a press conference held outside the Shack community center at 333 Valley St.
City officials first unveiled that Valley Street improvement plan in 2021. After three years of designing and seeking funding and sourcing feedback from community members, that project is now actually being built out.
Tuesday’s celebratory presser was led by Zinn, Mayor Justin Elicker, State Rep. Patricia Dillon, West Rock/West Hills Alder Honda Smith, Westville/Amity Alder Richard Furlow, and Assistant Fire Chief Shakira Samuel.
“The end result of this will be something that’s going to be really beautiful,” Smith said, “that is going to help our community tremendously.”
According to Zinn, the project, funded by the Connecticut Department of Transportation Local Transportation Improvement Program, will take around three to four months to complete. Zinn said that the 2021-initiated project was delayed due to challenges securing the necessary funding as well as bureaucratic holdups stemming from the pandemic.
The Valley Street improvements will impact both drivers and pedestrians.
Wide streets, which encourage cars to speed, will be replaced with sharper, “90-degree” intersections. Sidewalks and streets will be repaired and re-paved. Rectangular rapid flashing beacons will be installed at intersections. And, Zinn said, the corridor will receive raised intersections and speed tables.
“Our residents deserve safety” from all kinds of violence, including “traffic violence,” Elicker said. “We’ve lost the lives of tragically many residents in our community because of dangerous driving.”
Monya Staggers, who lives on Valley Street, said she first noticed the traffic dangers a few years back when she saw a large pothole in the middle of the street. She didn’t want her car to get stuck on the street, especially with other vehicles driving at the speeds they did. (“The speed is just ridiculous,” Staggers said.) Now, Staggers is concerned for her grandchildren, who come to her residence to play sometimes.
“The kids, they like to play. But not knowing when a car is going to come and fly down and…” Staggers said, her voice trailing off. “I don’t want to see that.”
Staggers, alongside other community members who showed up to the celebration, was happy about the developments.
“I’ve been living here for ten years. This is my community, I love this community,” Staggers said.
Monya Staggers: "I love this community."