Route 6 Hop River Corridor Transportation Study

• Project Overview
• Publications
• Concept Development
• Public Open Houses / Information Meetings
• Advisory Committee Meetings
• Rt 6 Economic Development Study
• Other Information from Previous Studies

The Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG) and the Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) have completed a study to address safety, access management and development potential / growth along the Route 6 corridor in the towns of Bolton, Coventry, Andover and Columbia.  In partnership with the Windham Region Council of Governments (WINCOG), town officials and the public, a set of recommendations throughout the Hop River Corridor, an 11-mile stretch of Route 6 between Notch Road in Bolton and Route 66 in the Town of Columbia and a 2-mile segment of Route 66 between Route 6 and the Willimantic River have been drafted.  The transportation study built upon recommendations made by the Economic Development and Land Use Study completed in October 2010.

Please feel free to contact Ms. Lia Huang at bhuang@crcog.org or 860 522-2217 x224 for more information.

Early in the study our Project Team collected and analyzed data; spoke with members of the community; and performed site visits to identify existing and future needs and deficiencies throughout the Hop River Corridor.  The goal of this trasportation study was to design concepts that address these issues.  The concept development process involved extensive community input and was iterative in nature as the opportunities were identified and refined.  The following provides an overview of key milestones in the concept development phase of the study.

Summer 2011 Stakeholder Workshops - A series of workshops were held to brainstorm possible solutions for the corridor.  Summaries and the concepts discussed at these workshops are provided below.

• Historic Andover
• Bolton Crossroads and Notch Area; Coventry Parcel Access
• Columbia: Lighthouse Corners and Columbia East

December 2011 Public Meetings - The REDC's preferred concepts were presented and discussed with the community. 

• Overview
• Bolton Notch
• Bolton Crossroads
• Coventry Ridge Access
• Historic Andover
• Lighthouse Corners, Columbia
• Near/Mid Term Improvements
• Meeting Overview

January 2012 Revised Concepts and Resources - In response to comments received at the December Public Meetings, refinements were made to the concepts and additional materials were provided.

• Bolton Notch - This concept was revised  to shift the proposed roadways farther away from Squaw Cave.  This also creates the potential for new multiuse trail connections.
• Lighthouse Corners, Columbia: Roundabout Information- At the Public Meeting in Columbia, many attendees wanted to know more about roundabouts. Below are some resources to help better understand and visualize this treatment.
  • Introduction to Roundabouts
  • Traffic Simulation - An animated video of how this may operate during the PM peak hour in 2030
  • Additional Roundabout Resources

Final Recommendations - The Final Report is a comprehensive document that includes descriptions and sketches of all of the final concepts throughout the Hop River Corridor.

Please send your comments to Ms. Lia Huang at bhuang@crcog.org.

Three sets of public meetings, each with two identical sessions, were held throughout this study process.  Summary information for each of these meetings is provided below.

Public Meeting Set #1 - Findings of the Existing Conditions Analyses (Overview).

May 13, 2010 - Andover

June 29, 2010 - Columbia

Public Meeting Set #2 - Preliminary Study Recommendations (Overview).

December 14, 2011 - Columbia

December 15, 2011 - Andover

Public Meeting Set #3 - Final Study Recommendations (Overview)

June 7, 2012 - Columbia

June 12, 2012 - Andover

Route 6 Hop River Corridor Transportation Study staff participated in a set of workshops organized under the Route 6 Regional Economic Development Strategy and Master Plan Study.  These meetings were held on December 8, 2009 and December 17, 2009 in the towns of Bolton and Andover, respectively.  This overview summarizes concerns about the Hop River Corridor we heard from those in attendance.

The Advisory Committee assisted the Project Team by guiding the study process.  The Committee primarily consists of municipal representation from town commissions and staff as well as individuals representing the residential and business perspectives of the corridor.  The Committee discusses technical data presented to them and provides input into the process.  The Route 6 Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) served as the Advisory Committee. 

REDC Meetings discussing the Transportation Study*:

*Additional REDC meeting materials may be found on the Route 6 Hop River Corridor website.

This land use and economic development study was managed by the Route 6 Regional Economic Development Council and was completed in October 2010.  The final report of the Economic Development Study may be found on the Route 6 Hop River Corridor website.  The transporation study builds upon these recommendations and will identify opportunities in the transportation infrastructure to compliment the land use strategies that have been previously endorsed by the REDC. 

• Route 44 Study
• Route 6 / Route 44/ I-384 Reconfiguration Potential
• Route 6 Resident Survey (2003)