For Immediate Release:
Contacts: Aaron Budris, Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments
203-757-0535
abudris@nvcogct.org
New Study Exploring Naugatuck River Greenway Route from Thomaston to Torrington
A yearlong study evaluating routing options for the Naugatuck River Greenway (NRG) between Thomaston and Torrington is now underway. The study, being conducted by BSC Group of Glastonbury, CT will inventory potential routes and rank them with stakeholder and public input with the goal of selecting a final preferred route with broad consensus. BSC will also provide phasing recommendations and construction cost estimates of the preferred route to help municipalities plan for future construction and prepare for potential funding opportunities.
The Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments (NVCOG), in partnership with the Northwest Hills Council of Governments (NHCOG) received a Transit Oriented Development and Smart Growth grant from the CT Office of Policy and Management to conduct the study.
The project area spans approximately 10.9 miles of the Valley from Bogue Road in Torrington to a section of trail under design adjacent to the Water Pollution Control facility on Old Waterbury Road in Thomaston. In the coming months, BSC and project partners will inventory potential routes, points of interest, property ownership, environmental constraints, and stakeholder preferences, and utilize that information to narrow down to the most feasible and beneficial potential routes. Public input will be solicited through a project website, surveys and at public meetings, and will inform the decision making process.
A project kickoff meeting was held on January 19th at Thomaston Town Hall. The meeting brought together project stakeholders to discuss the project scope and timeline. Those in attendance included chief elected officials or staff from the municipalities of Torrington, Litchfield and Thomaston along with representatives from the US Army Corps of Engineers, NVCOG, NHCOG, the Naugatuck River Greenway Steering Committee and the Railroad Museum of New England.
The NRG corridor has been officially designated as a greenway by the CT Greenways Council and the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). The entire greenway trail is identified as a trail of statewide significance in the Connecticut Recreational Trails Plan, and was designated as one of 101 America’s Great Outdoors projects in 2011 by the U. S. Department of the Interior. An Economic Impact Study conducted by NVCOG in 2017 illustrated the potential economic, health and community benefits of constructing the trail.
The overall planned NRG route will follow the river for 44 miles, bringing the trail through parts of Torrington, Litchfield, Harwinton, Thomaston, Watertown, Waterbury, Naugatuck, Beacon Falls, Seymour, Ansonia and Derby. To date, trail sections have been constructed in Torrington, Naugatuck, Beacon Falls, Seymour, Ansonia and Derby.
“This routing study is a key part of moving the Naugatuck River Greenway forward,” said Rob Pinckney, Manager of Transportation Services at BSC Group. “It will ultimately provide options that ensure the greenway meets each community’s long term needs and that the investments made are well-spent and provide the most benefit to residents.”
More information can be found at http://nvcogct.org/content/nrg-thomaston-torrington-routing-study.