A DOT map showing River Street in Seymour.
SEYMOUR – River Street, which suffered significant damage from the Aug. 18 flooding, reopened over the weekend.
The state-owned road, also known as Route 313, reopened on Friday night (Sept. 6). It was the last road in Seymour that remained closed after historic flooding claimed the lives of two people and caused millions of dollars in property damage.
Town officials were informed by the state that River Street would likely remain closed for four to six weeks. However, those were early estimates from the state Department of Transportation, and repairs got underway sooner than anticipated, said a DOT official.
“Timelines (for repairs) have been a moving target since the Aug. 18 flood,” DOT spokesman Josh Morgan told The Valley Indy Monday (Sept. 9). “There were a lot of sites that we couldn’t even get to because the roads were submerged under water. We didn’t know the extent of the damage to many of the roads until they all dried out. We were very conservative with our estimates.”
Morgan also said the DOT had to prioritize repairs in the hardest-hit areas, including parts of Southbury where homes were completely cut off from the roads.
Morgan said Oxford-based Guerrera Construction began repairs to River Street/Route 313 on Aug. 31 and worked around the clock to get the road back open Sept. 6. About one-third, or 1,000 feet, of River Street was damaged by the flooding, and not the entire road.
The most damaged portion of River Street — closer to where it connects to Route 67 – was washed away. The waters also damaged guardrails and caused parts of the road to buckle and warp.
Morgan said crews still need to replace and install a new metal guide rail, but the road will continue to remain open while work continues.
State Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria, R‑Seymour, said she’s glad to see River Street open again.
“I’m very happy, as I’m sure the residents are, to see the road open and passable,” Klarides-Ditria said. “It’s less of an inconvenience on the residents and anyone that uses the road.”
Good News Update
A music festival held Saturday (Sept. 7) at Quarry Walk in Oxford raised $223,000 for flood victims, according to organizers.
The money was raised in just seven hours: Although the festival was scheduled to run from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., it was cut short around 5:30 p.m. due to rain, according to TEAM Inc. President/CEO David Morgan.
“From 11 a.m. to about 2:15 p.m. it was an incredible success,” Morgan said. “That time period included a lot of leaders and elected officials including Governor Ned Lamont – who not only walked throughout the crowd meeting everyone and joining the TEAM table – but he also did a piano piece on the stage and a little dancing after his remarks to the packed green.”
Throughout the festival, people donated an estimated $123,000, which was matched by another $100,000 from the Haynes Group, the owner of Quarry Walk.
Morgan said he didn’t have an estimate on how many people attended, but said there were “hundreds and hundreds” who showed up.
“The Quarry Walk green was packed, the bands continued to play and rotate and there was a sense of camaraderie and what I like to call loving out loud for and with one another as we rise from the devastating impacts of the Aug. 18 flooding,” Morgan said. “A huge kudos to Chaz from the Chaz & AJ Show, and above all to Tom Haynes for not only hosting it there but the call to action and challenge that resulted in The Haynes Group’s immense generosity of a $100,000 donation.”
