The Norwalk City Police Commission voted Thursday to approve Connecticut Department of Transportation emergency repairs at the Route 123 (New Canaan Avenue) railroad crossing, authorizing an accelerated closure to correct roadway elevation and drainage issues created after recent Metro-North track work.

The project team from Connecticut DOT described the work as an expedited safety and maintenance response after Metro-North raised track elevation, creating steep transitions on each side of the crossing and causing low-clearance vehicles to scrape the roadway. Prashant Chandra, a Connecticut Department of Transportation District 3 representative, said the district was notified Sept. 22 that project 30231 had been initiated as a “high priority project with an accelerated schedule.”

“The permanent improvements listed below are required,” Chandra said, describing a new roadway profile to match the raised track and drainage work east of the crossing to stop water from running across the tracks. Jared Hendrickson, project engineer, said the repair work will “smooth this out, improve the roadway drainage as well, and get everything so that every vehicle can make it across the tracks.”

Why it matters: DOT officials said the track elevation change has created hazards for low-clearance trucks and may damage roadway and rail infrastructure (including concerns that snowplows would tear up the rebuilt surface). The commission approved the item to allow CTDOT to implement a 24-hour, accelerated schedule aimed at completing the bulk of work within a short closure window.

Schedule, closures and detours: DOT said the closure was planned to begin at 12 a.m. on Oct. 15 (the night after the Oct. 14 meeting) and run on an accelerated, two-shift schedule; the team described the main closure window as roughly one week, with an overall construction window shown in handouts spanning Oct. 22–Nov. 25 and a contractual completion date of Dec. 1 if delays occur. DOT also identified two possible Metro-North outage weekends that may require additional overnight closures: Nov. 1–2 or Nov. 8–9; the team said only one of those weekends would be used if needed.

Brett Miskowski, a DOT traffic representative, said detour routes will be the same used in the August closure with minor sign and temporary signalization changes based on lessons learned. “We are going to be running conduit underneath Route 123 during the full closure,” Miskowski said, noting that installing conduit now would reduce the need for a future closure if the city later extends the sidewalk on the north side.

Sidewalk question left for DOT management: Norwalk officials asked whether a missing sidewalk segment on the north side could be included while the road is closed. DOT staff said the sidewalk extension is not included in the current emergency scope but that they were running conduit to accommodate a future pedestrian gate and sidewalk extension. Jared Hendrickson said he would need to consult management to confirm whether the sidewalk work could be added; DOT did not commit to including sidewalk construction in the current emergency work.

Notifying businesses and residents: DOT said it had emailed an Excel distribution list and that several property owners had been notified, including the Water Department, the Dunkin' Donuts property owner, the owner of Levine Auto Parts, and the property for Fairfield Firearms and Archery. The project team said they will coordinate signal phasing changes and have the signal lab on-site during the closure to monitor and rephase intersections (Main Street/New Canaan Avenue and nearby ramp intersections) as needed.

Agency responsibility and follow-up: Several commissioners pressed DOT on how the track elevation change was not caught earlier. An Office of Rail representative said the agency was “taken a little bit by surprise” and that rail management has convened a working group to revise procedures to avoid similar uncoordinated grade changes in the future. DOT staff said they must complete a MUTCD-required diagnostic review with the railroad, DOT, the Federal Railroad Administration and Norwalk before finalizing device changes for a sidewalk extension.

Vote and next steps: Commissioner Kyle Clemens moved approval of the item (recorded as “Item A, Section 4”). The commission approved the motion by voice vote and the chair declared the motion carried. DOT staff will finalize utility coordination, confirm Metro-North approval for the drainage work and coordinate with the city on detours, signal timing and property notifications.

Commission business: With no further questions, the commission adjourned at 9:31 a.m.