AIE is providing roadway design services for the reconstruction of Wolcott Street, a ½ mile minor arterial that connects the Fall Mountain Road area to Bristol. The intent of the project is to reconstruct the current roadway, provide a sidewalk for pedestrians, provide several roadway safety improvements along a reverse curve on a steep downhill grade, and improve intersection and stopping sight distances.

In the existing condition, the roadway currently suffers from substandard geometry and superelevation. This safety concern is compounded by runoff from adjacent properties collecting on the roadway with a poor drainage system to adequately convey the stormwater from the road surface. In addition, a random rubble masonry box culvert with scour concerns, isolated deterioration of the structural slab roof, and roadside safety hazards at the inlet and outlet conveys an unnamed watercourse under the roadway.

The project will make use of context sensitive design to improve the consistency of the corridor to meet driver expectations. This will include extensive improvements to horizontal geometry and super elevation. In addition, the roadway cross section will be improved, utilizing a road diet on wide sections of the roadway to encourage motorists to decrease speed when approaching the downhill portion. 

Drainage improvements will consist of a complete roadway drainage analysis and design. The use of sheet flow will be optimized to limit the number of drainage structures to construct and maintain and to improve water quality and reduce erosion. Where required, catch basins will be critically located to reduce gutter flow width and bypass, particularly on the downgrade section of road. New drainage outlets will be designed to improve water quality and limit scour and erosion. In addition to the water quality benefit, this will serve to remove flow from the roadway and improve icing conditions that currently occur during the wintertime.

Pedestrian safety improvements will include the installation of ADA ramps at the Peck Lane intersection, as well as a sidewalk between Fall Mountain Road and Connecticut Route 69. The intersection with Peck Lane will include sightline improvements by relocating the stop bar and removing obstructions within the City owned Right of Way. The sidewalk and snow shelf along the reverse curves will provide additional benefit of improved stopping sight distance by pushing the cut slope further from the edge of road.