New Milford Delegation Audits Route 7

Photo: State Representatives Bill Buckbee, Pat Callahan, State Sen. Stephen Harding, State Rep. Cindy Harrison, listen to remarks from FHI Studio’s Marcy Miller, senior project manager, prior to touring Route 7.

New Milford – The New Milford Delegation of State Representatives Bill Buckbee (R-67), Pat Callahan (R-108), Cindy Harrison (R-69), and Republican Senate Leader Stephen Harding (R-30), helped conduct a safety audit of Route 7 (Danbury Road). In addition to state lawmakers, New Milford’s Mayor Pete Bass, Chief Spencer Cerruto, and engineers from the Department of Transportation and FHI Studio, the project consultant, toured various intersections that have historically been labeled as trouble spots along the well-traveled Route 7 corridor. According to the New Milford Police Department, about 1,000 stops have already occurred on Route 7 in the first quarter of this year. Members of the delegation and the DOT agreed that this is an important step to deter speeding, which is a route cause of many of the accidents that have occurred along the corridor.

In a joint statement, the delegation said, “In response to a myriad of accidents and numerous fatalities, today’s meeting was an important step in shoring up the safety of Route 7. We believe that through the collaboration of our local officials and DOT engineers that positive infrastructure improvements will come to fruition. The focus will be to help pedestrian safety and access, add accommodations for bicycles, improve signage, and add lighting so that motorists are able to safely travel in the evening and early morning hours. In the meantime, please adhere to posted speed limits and be vigilant of other drivers and possible pedestrians.”

The audit consisted of several intersections. The ones included in the audit were Veteran’s Memorial Bridge, Sunny Valley Road, New Milford Plaza, Still River Drive, and New Milford High School. However, the study will compressively cover Route 7 from Peagler Hill Road to the Brookfield Town line. An official report is expected to be published by the DOT in the coming months, which will be comprised of safety recommendations and infrastructure changes.

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