A closure of Old Quarry Road for CL&P pole work this morning took many commuters — and town officials — by surprise.
The road has been closed from near the ROAR dog shelter to past the Good Will trailer since early this morning. Police said at around 9 that the road remained closed.
The project involves “hardening” of the power lines by replacing the poles, and is slated to go from the Old Quarry and Grove Street area out South Street and down Route 35 to Limestone Road. There are also new poles on the roadside along Great Hill Road.
It is not clear if road closures will be needed at other places along the way. The closure of Old Quarry Road is due to ledge in the area, which required a special drilling rig.
“Because there’s so much rock, they need to bring in a special truck that can drill through ledge,” First Selectman Rudy Marconi said.
The first selectman said he’d spoken to CL&P this morning, and expressed dismay that Old Quarry Road, a major commuter shortcut, was closed during the morning rush hour with no advanced notice.
“I talked to them: ‘What are you doing shutting down the road in the morning?’ ” he said.
He was also talking to police, and was hopeful that the work would not require road closings along its entire route, though they may be needed in spots.
“It’s not a condition that they’re going to have to shut the road down a lot,” he said. “At a minimum, we should have traffic moving in one direction.”
Mr. Marconi said he’d also objected strenuously to road closings during the commuter rush.
“I put it this way: ‘I don’t care where it is, do not shut a road down before 9 in the morning.’ That’s crazy.”