Road to school expected to be clear

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Work continued on the reconstruction of Highland Avenue in Beacon Falls on Monday. The portion of the road in front of Laurel Ledge Elementary School is expected to be passable by the time school starts next week. –ELIO GUGLIOTTI
Work continued on the reconstruction of Highland Avenue in Beacon Falls on Monday. The portion of the road in front of Laurel Ledge Elementary School is expected to be passable by the time school starts next week. –ELIO GUGLIOTTI

BEACON FALLS — Highland Avenue in front of Laurel Ledge Elementary School should be smooth driving when parents and buses arrive next Monday morning to drop students off for the first day of school.

The road is in the midst of a major reconstruction project. The work is being done by Cocchiola Paving, Inc. out of Oakville.

The first phase of project, which has moved slower than anticipated, focused on the portion of the road between Burton Road and Division Street in front of the school.

As of early this week, the new sidewalks and telephone poles were installed and workers were preparing to lay the base coat of asphalt. The base coat is expected to be laid by Wednesday.

First Selectman Christopher Bielik said the “heavy lifting” will be done before school starts. The base coat of paving is the last piece of the first phase to make the street less congested for parents and students, he said. The final layer of asphalt will be paved once the entire project is completed later this fall to ensure a smooth, continuous paving job, he said.

Bielik said the old utility poles will be removed after the wires are moved to the new poles. He said this work shouldn’t interrupt school activities.

In an Aug. 17 letter addressed to parents, staff and the community, Region 16 Superintendent of Schools Michael Yamin stated with the base coat of asphalt in place the main entrance to the school up to the first entrance of the gymnasium parking lot will be passable in time for the first day of school.

The work will be shifting to the portion of Highland Avenue up from Division Street. This work will impact the second egress to the gymnasium parking lot, Yamin wrote in the letter.

“We anticipate the parent daily drop-off and entrance for buses to remain unaffected,” Yamin wrote. “Thus if something changes, we will inform parents immediately.”

1 COMMENT

  1. Rumors began circulating last week and continued into this morning that the paving company does not have the required equipment to properly grade the road prior to paving it. So, what’s the truth Mr. 1st Selectman?