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Busway Construction Will Impact Traffic On Flatbush Avenue

By JULIE STAGIS

March 14, 2013

WEST HARTFORD — — Members of the town's busway advisory board met with representatives of the state Department of Transportation Thursday to discuss CTfastrak, the $567 million busway that will run between New Britain and Hartford.

The busway will have an stop in the town's Elmwood section, near New Britain Avenue and New Park Avenue, and a Flatbush Avenue stop, near the intersection of Flatbush and New Park avenues.

To accommodate the CTfastrak roadway, the DOT is reconstructing part of Flatbush Avenue, building a four-lane bridge that will cross over the Amtrak rail line and the busway.

Stage one of the project will begin Friday night, closing some lanes on Newfield and Flatbush avenues, according to Michael Mendick, the project manager. Stage two will begin in August and will have a different traffic flow.

Stage three will start in the fall and will perhaps have the biggest impact.

"You won't be able to turn off of New Park Avenue onto Flatbush in any direction," he said. "They're planning on doing it in 10 days."

The contractor is obligated to finish that phase by the Saturday before Thanksgiving, Mendick said. When the project moves into stage four, the new bridge will be open.

Advisory board member David Houpert, a town resident, brought up concerns about the DOT's service plan for the busway, including whether buses will run as frequently as the DOT has promised – every 3 to 6 minutes. He also said for many West Hartford residents, the busway wouldn't be convenient.

The only CT Transit route in West Hartford that feeds into the busway, according to the DOT's service plan, is one that goes to Bishops Corner.

"CTfastrak impacts me, personally, almost not at all," Houpert said. Most of West Hartford is north of the busway, "There's no route [where I live], nor would I take a route to Elmwood or Flatbush Avenue to get to Hartford."

In formulating a complete service plan — which includes what CT Transit routes end up on the busway — the DOT is factoring in suggestions received at informational meetings being held throughout the area and from an online survey, CTfastrak Program Director Brian Cunningham said.

"We're getting input from riders, the public… and then we look at [the 2008-09] service plan and see where we want to make some adjustments," he said.

To take the survey and for more details, visit http://www.ctfastrak.com. Suggestions may be sent to serviceplan@ctfastrak.com. The last two formal meetings will be held on March 19 at the Hartford Public Library, at 11:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.