Town Considers Crosswalk on Heritage Hill Road

Town officials are looking into whether it’s feasible and safe to install a marked crosswalk on Heritage Hill Road to help pedestrians on the south side of the street get to and from the center of New Canaan.

As it is now, the sidewalk on the south side of Heritage Hill Road ends several hundred feet shy of Main Street, while a sidewalk continues all the way to Main on the north side of the road. Heritage Hill Road is lined on both sides with condominiums.

“The problem is you are either forced to go into the street, or the thought was to put in a midblock crosswalk across Heritage Hill to get you back on the sidewalk,” said Tiger Mann, assistant director of public works and senior engineer in town.

A marked crosswalk, which may cost about $5,000, Mann said, depending on whether there are handicapped ramps on either side, is a far less expensive proposition than what had been requested initially, which was a sidewalk extension along the south side of the road.

What’s especially tricky about the proposition is the placement of a crosswalk on Heritage Hill Road, since traffic coming from town comes around a curve before hitting the road’s main stretch, including where the sidewalk ends.

“There’s a balancing act there, so the placement of the crosswalk becomes paramount, because as you come around the curve there are potential sightline issues,” Mann said.

The crosswalk is one item that has been brought before the town’s Traffic Caliming Workgroup.