House Republican Press Release

December 28, 2006

Press Office: 860-240-8700

Rep. Greene: DOT to Erect Signs Warning of Route 8 Road Hazard in Beacon Falls / Seymour Area

Section of Highway Has Been Scene of Numerous Accidents

The state will erect signs in the near future to alert motorists traveling through a section of Route 8 in the Beacon Falls / Seymour area about hazardous driving conditions, state Representative Leonard C. Greene, R-105^th District, said today.

The section of the highway – a bridge near Exit 22 north and south bound -has been the scene of numerous accidents, most recently during a four-hour period on Saturday when seven accidents took place, said Representative Greene, who contacted state Department of Transportation officials about the problem late last month.

“I contacted a DOT engineer around Thanksgiving and asked that a traffic safety study of the section of Route 8 between Exits 21 and 22 be performed,” Representative Greene said. “DOT performed a ‘skid test’ in the area and is in the process of evaluating the results. If the evaluation indicates that pavement conditions have been contributing to the unusually large number of accidents in the area and road work needs to be done, it is unlikely to proceed until spring.”

“In the meantime, depending on the weather and scheduling constraints, DOT crews should begin erecting the warning signs over the next several weeks,” Representative Greene said. “Í’d like to thank DOT for responding promptly to my request for the study. It’s my hope they can get the signs up as soon as possible to help prevent more accidents.”

The signs will be erected on light poles and in the center of the bridge on both the north and southbound lanes to alert motorists to the unsafe driving conditions, which become especially hazardous during inclement weather. Lanes in both the north and south bound lanes will be closed while crews put the signs up, Representative Greene said.