Price has ‘gone up enormously’
NORWALK, Conn. — Four Norwalk traffic signals are set to be replaced with Federal money in a $3.4 million contract approved Tuesday by the Common Council:
- East Avenue at Eversley Avenue
- East Avenue at St. John Street
- West Avenue at Garner Street
- West Avenue at Grace Baptist Church
It’s the $700,000 per traffic light price tag quoted by Transportation, Mobility, and Parking (TMP) Principal Engineer Mike Yeosock at the Jan. 3 Public Works Committee meeting that’s raised eyebrows. “The price of signals and the price of steel has just gone up enormously in the last two or three years,” Yeosock said, when asked about the expense by Council member Nora Niedzielski-Eichner (D-At Large).
Ferguson Electric Company won the $3,125,192 contract, funded through a Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality grant from the Federal Highway Administration, administered by the Connecticut Department of Transportation.
Although Yeosock estimated “about $700,000,” $3,125,192 divided by four equals $781,298. And if you add in the $312,519 that the contract allows for change orders, the resulting price per signal is $859,427.
That pays for conduit, controllers, new mast arms, six signal heads, video detection and communication back and forth with the Department of Public Works system in City Hall, Yeosock said.
Bryan Meek, the lone Republican Council member, cast the only vote against the project Tuesday.
“I’m just against spending $850,000, regardless of it’s Federal or State money, on simple projects, much smaller than a house,” Meek said. “I don’t know where the money goes. I don’t think it’s a Norwalk problem. Those lights are serviceable now. And it’s just, it’s a lot of money for the State to be allocating for that.”
Mayor Harry Rilling said he was very pleased about the light being replaced at Grace Baptist Church as it was “knocked out of service several years ago. A lot of people from 20 North Main St. need to cross the street there to get to the grocery store or to get to the church itself. I think this is something that’s much needed.”
Yeosock said the State’s Walk Bridge program is replacing East Avenue traffic signals at Myrtle, Fitch and Winfield Streets, which will synchronize with the one at St. John.
It was hoped that the light at Newtown Avenue and Allen Road would also be replaced but rising costs made that $397,396 expense infeasible, Yeosock said. The overall project was originally expected to cost $2.7 million and the State came up with the additional funds.
Also ditched was a plan for diversionary LED signals. Presented to the public in 2019, the 12 electronic traffic signs were intended to reduce cut-through traffic in local Norwalk neighborhoods and expected to be installed in 2021.
“The administration didn’t want those added to the project,” Yeosock said Jan. 3. “They felt that, you know, it put state traffic on city roads.”
“The Department of Transportation, Mobility and Parking continues to review every grant application to ensure we offer the best and most current solutions for Norwalk residents,” TMP Director James Travers said Wednesday. “Our Department discussed these signs with the Administration, and we shared the same concerns, that these signs would be too large (over six feet in length) and would not add aesthetic value to our neighborhoods. Additionally, the signs were intended to move traffic diverted from the highway to city roads, and we were concerned with the impact this would have a local traffic.
“Since the grant was submitted several years ago, newer technology has emerged, such as Google Maps, where drivers have grown to rely on apps such as this rather than diversionary signs,” he continued. “Furthermore, technological advances in the traffic signal industry offers similar outcomes that better align with our goals, without the large signs. The new adaptive technology that we are installing will position the City to manage changes in traffic patterns more effectively and be able to automatically respond to any type of event.”
Editor’s note: Director of Transportation, Mobility, and Parking James Travers has responded to this article with a letter to the editor, explaining project costs. You can read it here.
Updated, 1:38 p.m.: More information. 12:45 p.m. Friday: Copy edit.
Reminder: NancyOnNorwalk requires full names from commenters. For more information, go here.
Leave a Reply
You must Register or Login to post a comment.