Route 44 Corridor Study Proposed Alternatives Survey

Sidewalk Improvements

Sidewalk improvements are important to provide safety and accessibility for pedestrians along major roads (such as Route 44) and to be able to access services along those roads from local neighborhoods. Potential new sidewalk connections are shown in the map below.

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* 2. Are there any sidewalk connections that you think are higher priority for construction?

Dowd Avenue Alternatives

Data shows that Dowd Ave has high traffic volume (6,000-8,000 vehicles per day), congestion and queuing at the Route 44 intersection (eastbound queues back past Canton Springs Road), and speeding (the speed limit is 35 mph, but the 85th percentile speed is 42 mph). Concerns shared by the public include truck traffic along the corridor and difficulty crossing as a pedestrian, particularly at Commerce Drive.

The following possible improvements are proposed to enhance safety as well as to reduce traffic speed on Dowd Avenue.

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* 3. Curb Extensions on Dowd Avenue at crosswalks
Curb Extensions signiﬁcantly improve pedestrian crossing by reducing the crossing distance, improving the ability of pedestrians and motorists to see each other, and reducing the time that pedestrians are in the street.

Please rate your level of support for installing curb extensions along Dowd Ave at the crosswalks at Commerce Drive, Canton Hollow, and the Maple Glen Apartments driveway from one (low support) to five (high support).

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* 4. Roundabout on Dowd Avenue at Canton Village Shops

A roundabout could be placed on Dowd Avenue at the Canton Village Shops entrance to help address speeding and create a gateway along Dowd Avenue. Roundabouts improve traffic safety, promote lower speeds and traﬀic calming, and reduce conﬂict points. A roundabout could also discourage truck traffic from using Dowd Avenue as a through street. This improvement alternative is feasible with or without a new connector road in the Canton Village Shopping Mall plaza.

Please rate your level of support for a roundabout on Dowd Avenue at the Canton Village Shops from one (low support) to five (high support).

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* 5. Consider Automated Speed Enforcement on Dowd Avenue

The state legislature recently approved the use of automated speed enforcement (speed cameras) along local and state roadways in defined locations. The Town would need to go through a special process to allow their usage in Canton. If this is done, speed cameras could be used to discourage speeding on Dowd Avenue.

Please rate your level of support for using speed cameras on Dowd Avenue from one (low support) to five (high support).

Farmington River Trail Extension Crossing Alternatives

The extension of the Farmington River Trail through the Shops at Farmington Valley is currently under design. After this is completed, the extension is intended to travel north up Secret Lake Road to Route 44 and continue east also Route 44 towards Simsbury. One of the goals of the Route 44 Corridor Study is to recommend a point where the trail would cross Route 44.

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* 6. Future Trail Crossing on Route 44 Option 1
The trail extension would come up Secret Lake Road to the intersection with Route 44 and would cross Route 44 with the traffic signal at the existing crosswalk. From there, the trail would travel on the north side of Route 44 and continue east into Simsbury.

Please rate your level of preference for the future trail crossing at Route 44 and Secret Lake Road at the existing traﬀic signal, from one (low preference) to five (high preference).

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* 7. Future Trail Crossing on Route 44 Option 2

The trail would come up Secret Lake Road to the intersection with Route 44 and then continue east on the south side of the road, using Route 44 and Old Albany Turnpike for the trail alignment. The trail would then cross Route 44 at the Old Albany Turnpike/Brass Lantern Road intersection.

To cross here safely, additional infrastructure would be needed. Potential countermeasures include a new traffic signal, a roundabout, or a bicycle/pedestrian bridge over Route 44. A double lane roundabout would be necessary to accommodate high traffic volumes at this location, but this alternative is only feasible if CTDOT allows.

Please rate your level of preference for crossing at this location, as well as your preference for each possible safety countermeasure, from one (low preference) to five (high preference).

	1	2	3	4	5
Trail Crossing Location	Trail Crossing Location 1	Trail Crossing Location 2	Trail Crossing Location 3	Trail Crossing Location 4	Trail Crossing Location 5
New Traffic Signal	New Traffic Signal 1	New Traffic Signal 2	New Traffic Signal 3	New Traffic Signal 4	New Traffic Signal 5
Roundabout	Roundabout 1	Roundabout 2	Roundabout 3	Roundabout 4	Roundabout 5
Pedestrian Bridge	Pedestrian Bridge 1	Pedestrian Bridge 2	Pedestrian Bridge 3	Pedestrian Bridge 4	Pedestrian Bridge 5

Route 44 at Dowd Avenue Alternatives

Data shows that this intersection is the location of the most severe injury crashes in the corridor (8) and has the second highest number of total crashes (50). The left turn from Route 44 onto Dowd Avenue has no dedicated lane, meaning the through lane becomes the de facto Left Turn Lane, which leads to weaving and sideswipes. Future traffic volumes will increase the number of left turns being made at this intersection. Issues with this intersection also spill back into the Dowd Ave intersection with Canton Springs Road which also has several injury crashes (9).

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* 8. Improvement Option 1 for the Dowd Avenue and Route 44 Intersection
Widen Route 44 to create a dedicated left turn lane to Dowd Avenue and retain two through lanes along Route 44 at the intersection. This would also include widening of the Dowd Avenue approach to allow left turns from Dowd to Route 44. This proposed improvement would likely have right-of-way impacts and would enlarge the intersection at Route 44 and Dowd Avenue. However, the dedicated left turn lane would help alleviate the crash problem at this intersection.

Please rate your level of support for Option 1, from one (low support) to five (high support).

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* 9. Improvement Option 2 for the Dowd Avenue and Route 44 Intersection
Elimination of the left turn from Route 44 westbound to Dowd Avenue and rerouting traﬀic to Canton Village Shopping Mall. This would move traffic to the next intersection that has a dedicated left turn lane and a traffic signal. Through traffic could also use the traffic signal at East Hill Road or at River Road/Route 179 to go south instead of using Dowd Avenue. However, this is contingent upon redevelopment of Canton Village and the creation of a through road between Route 44 and Dowd Avenue through the Village. An example of what this through road could look like is shown below.

Please rate your level of support for Option 2, from one (low support) to five (high support).

Route 44 at Lawton Road/Lovely Street/Trailsend Drive Alternatives

This skewed intersection is the location of the highest number of crashes in the corridor (70). Due to the heavy traffic volumes in this location, it is highly congested with significant queues and delays. The Farmington River Trail also crosses here, but it is a long crossing because of the wide road. The five legs of the intersection make for a complicated signal operation and also contributes to delays.

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* 10. Improvement Potential for Route 44 and Lawton/Lovely Street
Remove Trailsend Drive approach from the intersection and make new connection to Lawton Road to the east. The purpose of this is to remove the Trailsend phase from the traffic signal which will reduce delays and congestion by simplifying operations. This would also allow left turns from Route 44 to Lawton Road to overlap with right turns from Lawton Road onto Route 44.

Please rate your level of support for this proposed improvement, from one (low support) to five (high support).

Route 44 Corridor Study Proposed Alternatives Survey

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* 1. What town/city do you currently reside in?

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* 2. Are there any sidewalk connections that you think are higher priority for construction?

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* 11. Do you have any comments you would like to share on the Route 44 Corridor and the Dowd Avenue potential improvements?