ANSONIA – The Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT) awarded a $3,840,000 grant to Ansonia to expand the Naugatuck River Greenway walking trail to Nolan Field.
The money comes from the federal government, according to a DOT press release. The grant is part of a $56 million round of funding awarded to 14 cities.
Since it’s a federal grant, it comes with a 20 percent local funding obligation. That means the city will be expected to contribute $768,000 to the construction.
The trail expansion could take one of two routes proposed by a 2021 routing study. From where it currently ends on Pershing Drive, it will continue north along Olson Drive until the intersection with Maple Street – then, it will either branch left to pass alongside Franklin Street, or descend down to the river along Riverside Drive.
Each of the proposed paths then continues north until ending on Wakelee Avenue near Nolan Field.
The city hasn’t decided which path to take, according to Ansonia Economic Development Director Sheila O’Malley. She said the city plans to commission another study and choose a final design within three months.
The riverwalk expansion is part of the larger Naugatuck River Greenway project, which spans disconnected segments from Shelton up to Torrington. It begins near the Derby-Shelton bridge and continues along Derby’s Main Street. In Seymour, a small stretch of the Greenway is walkable near Tingue Dam. Officials hope to eventually connect the entire trail together, though there’s no timetable for when that might happen.
One obstacle to connection is found on the Ansonia – Seymour border, just past the point where this expansion will end. At some point, the trail will need to cross the river to connect the Ansonia and Seymour segments. However, it’s not clear where that would happen, and the Kinneytown Dam will likely need to come down before any decision is made.
A separate, $270,000 state grant announced in June 2024 aims to figure out how to connect the Ansonia and Seymour portions.
Federal grants have been in limbo since President Donald Trump returned to office in January. Trump announced then that the federal government will tie funding for state transportation departments to compliance with his administration’s priorities, while some state transportation funding has already been put on pause, according to The CT Mirror.
O’Malley said she isn’t worried about funding, and that she hasn’t received any indication that funding for the riverwalk expansion could be pulled.
“I think important infrastructure projects are not going to be pulled back,” she said.
O’Malley said she expects construction to start within six to nine months, after a final design is decided on and approved by the state.