Oxford Receives $3.4 Million Grant to Extend Multi-Use Path on Route 67

The Town of Oxford has been awarded a $3.4 million Congressionally Directed Spending grant and will use the funds to build a mile-long multi-use path on Route 67 that is integral to making the center of Oxford more walkable and bicycle-friendly.

“This project will be a significant improvement to the Town of Oxford.  It will not only allow for more passive recreation, but it will also enhance the historical ambiance in our town,” said Oxford First Selectman George Temple.

Oxford was awarded the grant in December, and the project is in the design phase. The path will run from Dutton Road to Quarry Walk, a mixed-use development with stores, medical and commercial office space, and 150 residential units. Plans include three pedestrian bridges to carry the path over water courses, a sidewalk between Oxford Municipal Center/ Town Hall and Academy Road along with lighting, street furniture and crosswalks.

The new path will connect with one that opened in the spring of 2021 and runs from the Little River Nature Preserve across from Oxford Town Hall to Dutton Road. A $398,200 award from the Connecticut Department of Transportation’s Community Connectivity Grant Program (CCGP) paid for the first project.

Putting a multi-use path on Route 67 is a key part of town leaders’ goal of making Route 67 better for pedestrians and cyclists. There were no sidewalks or safe access for cyclists and pedestrians until the path from the town hall to Dutton Road was built.

In 2019, the town partnered with the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments (NVCOG) and the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) to conduct the Oxford Route 67 Alternative Transportation Study to address the lack of pedestrian, bicycle, and transit connections along Route 67. The study identified routing for a pedestrian and bicycle network along Route 67 and a plan for implementing improvements. The Oxford Board of Selectmen adopted the study’s findings in February 2022.

The long-term goal is to build a multi-use path on Route 67 that connects to the Naugatuck River Greenway where it passes through Seymour and the Larkin State Park Trail in Southbury.

 

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