CTDOT details Route 6/North Main reconstruction in Plymouth, with multi-year work starting Oct. 13, 2025

Connecticut Department of Transportation engineers on Sept. 2 outlined a redesign of Route 6 at North Main Street and Agy (Amey) Avenue in Plymouth that aims to reduce crashes, add left-turn lanes and expand pedestrian access in the downtown.

Jared Hendrickson, a CTDOT highway design unit engineer, said the current intersection is "skewed" and constrained by a building that limits sight distance, producing a crash pattern. "Between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2018, there are a total of 35 crashes with 11 total injuries reported," Hendrickson said, citing the corridor's safety history as a major rationale for the project.

The plan realigns North Main Street to form a conventional four-way intersection with Route 6 and Agy Avenue, reduces the number of signalized intersections in the downtown footprint, and adds left-turn lanes to improve through movement. CTDOT said the South Main Street signal will be removed because the new geometry will make it unnecessary. The agency also described sidewalks, ADA-compliant ramps, two solar-powered midblock rectangular rapid-flashing beacons, granite curbing, decorative luminaires and benches among the streetscape improvements.

CTDOT said the redesign followed a survey/topographic error discovered in fall 2023 that required a full redesign and change orders; the redesign began March 24, 2024, and revised plans were transmitted to District 4 on June 4, 2025. Rights-of-way acquisitions are ongoing and expected to be complete by April 1, 2026. CTDOT gave a projected construction start date of Oct. 13, 2025, with phased work in 2025 (drainage), major reconstruction in 2026 and finishing work including the new Veterans Memorial Park and downtown green in 2027. The agency projected a November 27, 2027 completion date.

Design details highlighted include timber beam rail along Old North Main Street, black metal handrails at staircases, reset decorative fencing at five locations, imprinted concrete sidewalks (color to be chosen by the town), and a central decorative feature the town identified as "Eli the Duck" to be installed at the northwest corner of Route 6 and North Main Street. CTDOT said existing parking within the project limits (75 spaces) will increase by eight to 83 spaces and that a 70-foot loading zone will be preserved for businesses.

During a public Q&A, residents raised operational concerns: business driveway access after construction, ownership of a side road adjacent to the cemetery, safe turning radii for school buses and requests to extend temporary sidewalks up to the corner before the agency leaves for winter. Hendrickson told residents that DOT engineers checked school bus turning radii and said buses "will not go into the through lane for Route 6 eastbound," and he said business access points would remain "not change after construction" though staging will temporarily affect circulation.

CTDOT also said it plans to use flexi-pave tree pits to install 28 street trees that will not conflict with overhead utilities, and to place 25 decorative luminaires to match the existing streetscape east of the project.

The agency stressed that much of the work will be done using alternating one-way traffic operations and noted that some sections—such as South Main Street—may require detours and temporary road closures during reconstruction. The town will be responsible for long-term maintenance of streetscape items, CTDOT said, under a project authorization letter the town signed accepting maintenance responsibilities.

Next procedural steps: the council heard the presentation, asked questions during the Q&A, and CTDOT continues right-of-way coordination and contractor negotiations ahead of the October 2025 start date.