Traffic Alert: Closure of Temporary Road

Please be advised that due to construction of Bolton Road Extension and the completion of Royce Circle, the temporary road connecting Dog Lane and Bolton Road will close beginning Tuesday, June 18.

Motorists wishing to turn from Dog Lane to travel south on Storrs Road (Route 195) will instead turn onto Royce Circle behind the Storrs Center parking garage and follow the newly constructed Wilbur Cross Way to Charles Smith Way (formerly referred to as “Post Office Road”). Vehicles will not be able to turn left onto Storrs Road from Dog Lane.

Northbound traffic turning right from Dog Lane onto Storrs Road will be unaffected by this change.

This traffic pattern will remain in effect while construction continues on Bolton Road Extension and Royce Circle.

Once complete, the intersection of Bolton Road Extension, Storrs Road, and Bolton Road will serve as the main, lighted intersection for Storrs Center. The new roads will complete the boundaries of the Town Square and will accommodate all traffic heading north and south on Storrs Road. Work is expected to be completed by the fall.

Southbound traffic will follow Royce Circle from Dog Lane to Charles Smith Way. 

Nash-Zimmer Transportation Center

Earlier this month, the Town of Mansfield oversaw the beginning of construction of the Nash-Zimmer Transportation Center planned in Storrs Center. Gregg Wies & Gardner Architects of New Haven designed the building, and the Town selected W. J. Mountford Company of South Windsor through a competitive bid process to construct the building. The Nash-Zimmer Transportation Center is expected to open in the fall of 2013.

The Nash-Zimmer Transportation Center will be a key feature in Storrs Center with its convenient location adjacent to the Storrs Center parking garage. It will be a central stop for local, regional, and intrastate buses, including WRTD and UConn buses. Bus patrons will be able to track bus locations through an integrated technology system and wait for their bus either inside or outside the facility.

The Nash-Zimmer Transportation Center will also offer amenities for bicyclists, whether casual riders or commuters. There will be bike lockers for storage, and commuters will be able to sign up to use showers and changing rooms.

Funding for the Nash-Zimmer Transportation Center is provided by a $4.9 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration. The Greater Hartford Transit District is administering the grant.

The Nash-Zimmer Transportation Center is named for Dennison Nash and Gary Zimmer, two longtime Mansfield residents who were strong advocates for alternative transportation.

Traffic Alert: Paving Storrs Road

The milling and paving of Storrs Road (Route 195) is planned to begin on Friday, May 17. During this work, traffic will be restricted at times to alternating one lane patterns. Please allow for additional time to travel on Storrs Road from S. Eagleville Road (Route 275) through Mansfield Road (on the UConn campus).

As scheduled, the paving should be complete by Tuesday, May 21. Poor weather may delay these efforts.

There will be no on-street parking Thursday, May 15 through Monday, May 20.

On the road again

With the arrival of warmer spring weather, the Town resumed work on its streetscape improvements on Storrs Road (Route 195) and Dog Lane.

In April, the Town’s contractor, Milton C. Beebe & Sons Construction of Mansfield, installed new crosswalks on Dog Lane.

New crosswalks have been installed on Dog Lane.

Beebe is currently adding medians in Storrs Road. In addition to beautifying the street, the medians will serve as a traffic-calming measure on this busy section of road.

The construction of medians in Storrs Road is underway.

Once the final physical changes to Storrs Road are complete, Beebe will repave the road from the intersection with Dog Lane to the intersection with South Eagleville Road (Route 275).  As part of the repaving of Storrs Road, Beebe will mark the new on-street areas, which will be free parking for 2 hours.

 

Another traffic calming measure, which will also serve to beautify the area, will be new street trees along Storrs Road. These will be planted in the coming months. There will be trees every fifty feet along the road, in between the street lights.

The trees will be intersperse with the street lights.

Plantings are also planned for along the new stone wall in front of E. O. Smith High School.

The stone wall runs along the front of E. O. Smith High School.

Construction of One Royce Circle continues; the building is expected to be ready for residents of The Oaks on the Square in August 2013. The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry recently announced its plans to move into this new building. The Ballard will join the UConn Co-op (a new, additional location), Haru Aki Café, UConn Health Center medical offices, and Webster Bank in the second phase of Storrs Center.

One Royce Circle construction continues with a goal of opening to residents in August.

Signs of Spring in Storrs Center

While there is still some snow on the ground, and temperatures have not warmed up quite yet, spring has arrived in Storrs Center!

Construction of One Royce Circle continues with the majority of work on the interior spaces, both the commercial spaces on the first floor and the residential units on the upper floors. Leasing of the apartments, part of The Oaks on the Square, is well underway.

One Royce Circle

The construction of Wilbur Cross Way (formerly referred to as "Village Street") continues. Work will resume on Storrs Road in the coming weeks as the weather improves; the work remaining includes paving and landscaping.  

Meanwhile, the businesses that are open in One, Nine, and Eleven Dog Lane are enjoying the first hints of nice weather.

Moe's Southwest Grill is prepping their outdoor dining area at 1 Dog Lane.
Several restaurants will have outdoor dining available as the weather improves.

It always feels like spring when one steps inside The Flower Pot,
where they are ready to help everyone add some color to their home or workplace.