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Norwalk to accept $600,000 state grant for Chestnut Hill Road sidewalk linking Newtown Avenue to Field Street
Summary
The committee authorized the mayor to accept a Connecticut Department of Transportation Urban Action Grant secured by Senator Duff to build about one mile of sidewalk on Route 53 (Chestnut Hill Road) between Newtown Avenue and Field Street, creating a walking connection to Cranberry Elementary School. The measure passed unanimously.
Norwalk City’s Economic and Community Development Committee on March 17 authorized the mayor to accept a Connecticut Department of Transportation Urban Action Grant of $600,000 to construct sidewalks along Chestnut Hill Road (State Route 53) from Newtown Avenue to Field Street.
The grant, which Senator Duff secured for the city, will fund approximately one mile of new sidewalk intended to connect existing sidewalks at Newtown Avenue and Field Street and provide a safer pedestrian route to Cranberry Elementary School, committee members said.
Michelle Jeske, planning and zoning staff, and Greg (TMP staff) described the project as a priority pedestrian link. Greg told the committee the grant will pay for design and construction; the city is seeking a design consultant now and hopes to advertise for construction by late summer and begin construction in the fall. He estimated completion “early spring of ’26,” depending on permitting and coordination with the state because Chestnut Hill Road is a state road and requires an encroachment permit from the Connecticut Department of Transportation.
Council member Barbara Smith moved the authorization; the motion passed unanimously. Committee members noted the project grew out of a Safe Routes to School walk audit that had identified Chestnut Hill Road as hazardous for students within the walk-shed, and they framed the work as restoring a continuous, ADA-compliant sidewalk connection to the school.
The committee did not set a precise construction start date beyond the fall target, and staff said the design remains to be procured. The item only authorized the mayor to execute grant-related documents; final design, bidding and construction schedules remain subject to consultant timelines and state permitting.
Funding source: Connecticut Department of Transportation Urban Action Grant; project sponsor: Norwalk City TMP. Next steps listed by staff: hire consultant for 100% design, advertise for construction by late summer, pursue state encroachment permit, and aim to begin construction in fall 2025.
