A $900,000 grant will help Ansonia complete the next part of its greenway along the Naugatuck River.
City officials announced the grant in a prepared statement last month.
The $905,870 grant comes from the federal government’s “FAST” Act, which stands for “Fixing America’s Surface Transportation,” and is administered locally by the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments.
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“The additions involve extending the Riverwalk into the heart of Ansonia’s downtown area with accompanying sidewalk improvements, decorative lighting, and streetscape amenities,” the city announced in a statement. “The funding will also enhance the small park that currently serves as the entrance to Ansonia’s Riverwalk on Division Street and create a pathway on the dike providing an area for passive recreation.”
This funding will pay for for the greenway to cross over the Waterbury Branch of the MetroNorth rail.
“The goal is to bring downtown Ansonia back to life,” Mayor David Cassetti said in the statement. “This project provides residents of Ansonia, Derby and even Shelton with easy, walkable access to our Main Street retail district via the Riverwalk.”
The mayor thanked Rick Dunne, Executive Director of the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments.
In an email, Dunne said that with the new work, “the Ansonia leg of the Naugatuck River Greenway (NRG) will become much more useful as a pedestrian connection between the three downtowns of Ansonia, Derby and Shelton.”
“This project will complete the original vision we had 20 years ago of connecting all three cities for pedestrians and cyclists without having to interact with motor vehicle traffic,” Dunne said. “It provides convenient, safe, and healthy transportation to businesses, jobs and services throughout the corridor. It replaces the dangerous routes pedestrians used to use along active rail lines and trestles across the rivers.”
Economic Development Director Sheila O’Malley said the city plans to solicit bids for the work early next summer, with construction estimated to take six to nine months.
