Newtown Access Management Planning – It’s Not Just About Driveways!

Access management is not just about having fewer driveways.  At its core, it is about creating a safe and efficient interface between development and the roadway. Successful access management can be critical to maintaining the flow of traffic, but is also critical to the economic health of the community by enhancing the viability of commercial developments as well as safety and convenience of travel. 

U.S. Routes 6, 25 and SR 816 are vital arterial roadways that serve as primary access routes into and through the Town of Newtown, Connecticut. Locally known as the main routes to almost everywhere in town, they are generally called by their more common names of Mt Pleasant Road, Church Hill Road and South Main Street.

FHI is working for Newtown and the Housatonic Valley Council of Elected Officials (HVCEO) to develop a proactive access management plan for these key travel ways.  Our products will include a curb-cut plan and zoning tools.  The curb-cut plan will include a clear visual representation of the preferred configuration of all access points along these essential routes, while the zoning tools can be used by Newtown to implement the plan through the land development process.

Newtown is situated in the quickly developing suburban ring around the City of Danbury and has experienced steady traffic growth in recent years, resulting in pockets or stretches of congestion. Functioning as the town’s Main Street, Route 25 provides access to numerous shopping plazas. Mt. Pleasant Road and Church Hill Road near the north end of Main Street play an important role in providing access to I-84 as well as to retail businesses.  These routes serve as the heart of Newtown’s business districts. If access to and from these areas is impeded, business health may suffer.

It can be difficult to generate local excitement and get meaningful community input about access management. In order to address this challenge and make the best use of project time, FHI conducted an all-day planning workshop or "charrette" to develop a draft of the curb-cut plan.

This approach enabled us to work through the most significant access issues in the corridors with direct input from interested residents and businesses throughout the day. It gave them the opportunity to spend as little or as much time as they chose sharing their thoughts with us about the roads and learning what access management is all about. The workshop gave us the opportunity to create a "real-time" draft plan as we looked at issues and opportunities along these roadways.

The outcome will be an effective set of tools for access management that truly is tailored to Newtown and its access needs for the future.