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Farmington staff, business owners plan meeting on shifting Route 96 signal, discuss cost share
Summary
Town planners scheduled a stakeholder meeting to explore moving a proposed traffic signal at Mercer Boulevard and Route 96 back to its original location; staff said state DOT input and property owner cost-sharing are key to limiting extensive roadway widening.
Town planning staff said they will host a stakeholder meeting next Tuesday to discuss whether a proposed traffic signal for Mercer Boulevard and Route 96 can be relocated to its earlier, original position on the Farm the Market Center property and whether affected property owners can share the costs.
Ron, a planning staff member, said moving the signal back to the Market Center location could avoid extensive reconstruction of Route 96. "We had been working with the state DOT to come up with a solution...what the state wants the state gets," he said, describing ongoing coordination with the state. He added that earlier designs showed left-turn lanes and other work that could push construction costs "in excess of a million dollars."
Why it matters: The intersection serves a commercial corridor; the signal location affects access to adjacent plazas and may change whether entrances become right-in/right-out only. Business leaders, including John Gabrieli and other property owners, are convening with planning staff to pursue a shared-cost alternative and to confirm the state's preferred design.
Key points - Stakeholder meeting: Organized by John Gabrieli and business owners to request the signal be shifted to the Market Center property and to explore cost sharing among property owners. - State involvement: Staff said state Department of Transportation preferences shape design; staff is seeking closure with DOT on location and design before committing to costly local reconstruction. - Financial scale: Ron characterized potential full reconstruction of the corridor as potentially costing more than $1 million, primarily due to widening and reworking left-turn movements.
Next steps: The town will hold the stakeholder meeting next Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. in this room; the board invited the public to attend. Additional engineering and cost-sharing details will be discussed at that meeting.
