State Wants Town to Take Control of Traffic Light at East Middle Turnpike and Ludlow Road

The Connecticut Department of Transportation wants the town of Manchester to pay $15,000 to help fund a repair of the traffic signal at the intersection of Ludlow Road and East Middle Turnpike and then assume future responsibility, and maintenance, of the light. 

The DOT planned to remove the signal at the intersection altogether, which has been set on "blinking" mode only for the past several years, but the Manchester Board of Directors passed a resolution in August of this year asking the DOT to reconsider its plans. 

DOT Commissioner James Redeker wrote several letters to town officials this month proposing that Manchester pay 10 percent of the cost to repair the signal, estimated at $15,000, and then assume responsibility for the signal. Redeker noted that the town already pays $250 a year for the electricity costs of the signal – which it does for 36 of the 44 state owned signals in Manchester - and that it would cost the town an estimated $1,500 to maintain the signal each year. 

"As far as I know, the board has every intention of doing that," General Manager Scott Shanley said, noting that the Board of Directors plans to vote on the DOT's request at its October meeting. 

State Sen. Steve Cassano, D-Manchester, and State Rep. Joe Diminico, D-Manchester, also worked with the state to get the signal repaired. Cassano said that the the signal was right in front of St. Bartholomew Roman Catholic Church, and that many parishioners have to cross the busy East Middle Turnpike to attend services. 

“Clearly, in the name of public safety, this was the right thing to do,” Sen. Cassano said. “There’s a lot of speed on that stretch of road. I know church officials were concerned about the safety of their parishioners, and there are other residents and businesses in the area too who would benefit from a safer, more defined crossing area. I want to thank local and state traffic engineers and DOT Commissioner James Redeker for moving so expeditiously on this.”