WILTON, Conn. Wilton Center's train station sits tucked away along Route 7 about 500 feet from The Village Market, but for many it may as well be in Norwalk.
With no direct access to the town center, passengers who disembark at the station must now walk up to Route 7 and head to the traffic light at Ridgefield Road. Then they have to cross the street in order to access the only sidewalk along the Ridgefield Road bridge before winding their way up to Center Street and the town center.
Officials want to shorten the trip with a pathway and bridge that would offer direct access from the station to Wilton Center. Earlier this week, Bob Nerney, Wilton's director of planning and land-use management, completed a second application for a Transit Oriented Development grant to help fund the project. Connecticut's Office of Policy and Management will award $5 million for projects, and the town is looking for $514,000 to fund the design and construction of the pathway, pedestrian bridge over the river and lighting and signage along the route.
"We thought we had this three years ago," said First Selectman William Brennan. "We were told it met all the objectives: it linked people and movement. Then the financial world melted down."
Brennan believes this is the kind of project the state wants to see completed with the TOD grants. It would provide Wilton residents who live near the center a quicker way to the station. It would also provide direct access for bus commuters who could board those vehicles at the station.
Nerney also anticipates Wilton will receive funding for the plan.
"This is a cost-efficient project. For the price, it provides a pretty good bang for the buck," said Nerney. "There are 500 residential units south of Wilton Center and there's a lot of movement between the rail station and there. This would reduce that walking distance by almost six-fold."
The project would also mesh nicely with the recent $200,000 state-funded renovation of the long-shuttered station, said Brennan. He realizes building a bridge over the river involves work within the flood plain, but hopes that doesn't slow the project.
"It will take 2 to 2 1/2 years to do all the engineering work and approvals," said Brennan. "We've been waiting patiently, and with a little luck we'll get it. We're excited about it."
Would you use the Wilton Center station more if you could access it by a pedestrian bridge across the river? Leave a comment below. Find TheDailyWilton.com on Facebook and like us.
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