The following letter was sent by the BWG Board to Senator Cassano over the weekend.

Senator Steve Cassano
Legislative Office Building
Room 2200
Hartford, CT 06106-1591
Dear Senator Cassano,
I am writing on behalf of the Board of Directors of Bike Walk Glastonbury as a follow up to our meeting last year regarding the Putnam Bridge pedestrian / bike path.  A recent article in the Glastonbury Citizen indicated that the Connecticut Department of Transportation is going ahead with plans to build the approaches from Naubuc Avenue to the sidewalk on the bridge that was added during the 2015 rehabilitation.  The article also mentions your opposition to this project, quoting you as saying in April of 2016, “this is one of several projects that we need to put on the back burner indefinitely while the state focuses its transportation monies on more pressing needs.”

As you know, the Board of Bike Walk Glastonbury is in favor of completing this project on a timely basis.  We believe that it will represent significant progress in our efforts to maintain Glastonbury as a Bike Friendly Community.  The Putnam Bridge is the only Connecticut River bridge in the state without pedestrian and bike access.  The connecting paths will enhance both recreational and transportation opportunities for people living in central Connecticut and, in particular, citizens of Glastonbury and Wethersfield.

We recognize that the cost of the Glastonbury portion of the project represents a lot of money for what several contend will be an underused facility.  However, experience has shown that many projects of this nature generate considerably more usage than skeptics claim in the planning stages.  We also think it is important, now that the sidewalk is on the bridge, to complete access as soon as possible.  Leaving the project half finished benefits no one.

Since the Department of Transportation has already appropriated funds for construction, we hope you will drop your opposition to this project, noting that it is supported by many of your constituents.

Daniel Sharp, Vice President
Bike Walk Glastonbury
For the Board of Directors