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Town approves Broad Street bridge replacement project; DEP permit conditions to be followed
Summary
The commission approved the town’s Broad Street bridge replacement — three 72‑inch culverts and raised road profile — after staff confirmed a DEP permit and the commission added an explicit condition that the town follow DEP permit requirements; commissioners asked about eel passage and downstream clogged pipe.
The Stratford Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission unanimously approved the town’s plan to replace the Broad Street bridge with three 72‑inch reinforced concrete pipe culverts and replace headwalls in the same locations, while raising the road profile on Broad Street and Ferry Boulevard to reduce coastal inundation upstream of Fairy Creek.
John Casey, Town Engineer for Stratford, said the project will place the new structure at the existing location and that the town has received approval from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEP). He said the DEP review included field meetings and a nine‑month evaluation. “We do have our DEP permit,” Casey told commissioners during the meeting.
Commissioners asked whether DEP had considered fish passage, specifically American eel. Casey said the DEP fisheries unit had reviewed the project and did not identify impacts; he added that the new tide gates can be held open in the future to allow exchange of flora and fauna with tidal flows. He also told the commission that EPA had observed a clogged pipe downstream and had notified the Connecticut Department of Transportation, which originally installed the pipe, about the condition.
The commission approved the town’s application with a condition recorded in the meeting that the town must follow all conditions of its DEP permit. The vote was recorded as unanimous.
Commissioners also discussed public access and health advisories for the downstream portion of Fairy Creek. Casey said portions downstream have not yet been remediated by EPA and that fishing there may still be restricted until remediation is complete.
The approval covers the bridge replacement and associated temporary work in the wetland; any future changes beyond the scope presented to the commission would require additional review.
