Route 313 at Clinton Road. The curve to continue on Route 313 is dangerous if not observing the speed limit.
SEYMOUR – State Route 313 near Clinton Road will be getting more street lights after a review showed there have been 36 crashes on the road in three years.
“As a result of this analysis, it was determined that additional roadway illumination could help reduce the number of crashes in this area,” Josh Morgan, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, wrote in an email to the Valley Indy. “Additionally, CTDOT recently installed new horizontal curve signage in this area to reduce the number of crashes.”
On April 17, 24-year old Seymour resident Joshua Rivera died following a one-car crash on Route 313 near the Peat Swamp Reservoir.
According to Seymour police, Rivera was driving north on Route 313 (known locally as Maple Street) and lost control on a curve, hitting a tree. The crash happened at about 10:30 p.m.
On the night of April 18, Seymour police, fire and EMS responded to the same area of Route 313 for another car crash. No injuries were reported.
Seymour First Selectwoman Annmarie Drugonis said town officials met with the state Department of Transportation last fall to talk about Route 313 safety concerns.
Route 313 is a state road, which means any improvements have to be greenlit and put in place by the state DOT.
The town’s concern is Route 313 from roughly Haddad Road to Clinton Road.
Stats shared by the DOT showed 36 crashes on Route 313 near the intersection of Clinton Road between January 2020 and January 2023.
Of those, 32 crashes were property damage only, according to the DOT. Four crashes were classified as having “possible injuries.”
All 36 crashes were at night – 12 happened when the road was wet from rain.
The fact there were so many wrecks at night underscored the need for more lighting, officials said.
“The state DOT has performed a study on the road, and found the area not to be well lit,” Drugonis said. “The DOT is in the process with Eversource to put more lights in that immediate area, as well as signs. The road design and curves on Route 313 are in the DOT hands, as it is a state road. We have been told that there are no plans to change the design of the road.”
The stretch of road is poorly lit, along a heavily wooded area and curves at the bottom of a hill on Route 313 just before the Peat Swamp reservoir.
Drugonis said speed is also a factor in the crashes, especially near a sharp turn on Route 313 near the Clinton Road.
The DOT has since removed some trees, Drugonis said, in addition to installing new lights, which is underway.
Drugonis briefly touched on the issue at the April 18 Board of Selectpersons meeting.
“The area will be getting better lighting-will it help, we don’t know,” Drugonis said. “People approach the curve too fast. We can’t just put in speed bumps because it’s a state-owned road.”
