On the Middlebury Greenway, Paint Comes Before Pavement

Of everything BETA Group showed at the October 15 Route 64 Corridor Study meeting at Shepardson Community Center, which change will reach the walk from Meadowview Park first?

Probably striping at a crossing, and not this season. The plan leaves the trail itself alone and works on the places where the Greenway meets traffic. Those changes come in three tiers, each on its own clock, and the first tier is mostly paint, posts and signs.

A Trolley Line That Crosses Traffic Everywhere

Connecticut Trail Finder lists the Middlebury Greenway as a paved, 4.5-mile multi-use trail. It runs alongside Route 64 from Route 63 east to Lake Quassapaug near the Woodbury line. NVCOG's study presentation traces the route back to the Waterbury–Woodbury trolley, which was built in 1908 and ran until 1930, carrying riders out to Quassy Amusement Park. At the west end, the Bee-Intelligencer describes the trail turning south along Route 63 and ending at Maggie McFly's.

A trolley line hugs its road, so the trail runs right next to Route 64. That puts it beside one of the busiest stretches in town. NVCOG reports that over the most recent three-year period, about 21 percent of all crashes and 28 percent of crashes with any injury happened inside the study area. NVCOG says the study's goal is to "improve access and connections to the Greenway, address safety concerns, and create a safer environment for all travelers within the corridor, especially the more vulnerable users," according to the Bee-Intelligencer.

So the study is about crossings: where you step off the path, wait at a curb, and cross a state road.

What Was Proposed, Crossing by Crossing

NVCOG posted a recording of the October 15 meeting the next day. On it, consultant BETA Group presents every concept as a draft recommendation open for public feedback. The proposals sorted by location:

Meadowview gets the most detail. BETA compared several median and curb-extension setups there and preferred the wider median, even though it gives up the left-turn lane. The firm described the traffic cost as modest and the safer pedestrian refuge as the gain. That trade, a little less room for cars in exchange for a safer place to wait mid-crossing, runs through most of the plan.

The study also looked past crossings. It proposed routes from the Greenway to Memorial Middle School via Bristol Park or the playing fields, plus new sidewalk segments on the north side of Route 64. On the trail itself, the presentation floated better separation from the road, shade trees where they fit, wayfinding, accessibility upgrades and a picnic area near Hop Brook. These are concepts. None of them has funding.

Three Tiers, Three Clocks

The most useful part of the evening came near the end, when a resident kept asking when any of this would happen. Staff sorted the answer into tiers on the NVCOG recording:

1. Striping and similar quick fixes. Staff said these "could be done relatively quickly in a year or two." Some of these items would be the town's job, such as the Greenway changes at Tucker Hill Road and closing the end of Foster. NVCOG said it would work with the town to find the money.
2. Larger projects that need grants. Staff estimated 5 to 10 years for these. They also noted that federal grants are moving "a lot slower than they had been."
3. Everything as proposed. When pressed for a best guess, staff answered:

"I think if we're talking about doing everything as proposed here, it's probably more in that 20-year range to get everything done."

Staff said the big intersection work at Whittemore Road and Route 64 comes next. It goes through a state technical review called an intersection control evaluation, and then to CTDOT's project development unit to seek a place in the long-term capital plan. That is the step where cost and funding get worked out. NVCOG's project page says the study began in January 2025 and should wrap up in December 2026, with public input shaping the final recommendations.

So a final report should arrive around the turn of the year. The first changes you could actually see on the trail would come from the striping tier.

The State's Interchange Runs on a Separate Clock

A second project sits at the west end of the trail. It started the corridor study in the first place, and the town does not control it.

CTDOT plans to rebuild the I-84 interchange where Exit 17 traffic now passes through the Route 63 and Route 64 intersection, and to widen and realign that intersection. According to NVCOG, as quoted by the Bee-Intelligencer, the town "has expressed concern that the state project will not adequately accommodate vulnerable road users." That concern is why the study focuses on how the realignment will affect people walking and biking.

The state's record shows how slowly this project has moved. CTDOT's FFY 2026–2030 project sheets, dated February 2026, list State Project 0080-0128 as in design. The sheet labels it Interchange 30 westbound, while still describing the old Exit 17 off-ramp. On Route 64, the project limits begin about 300 feet west of Memorial Drive and run 3,200 feet to Chase Parkway. On Route 63, they start at Woodside Avenue, and they include a new roadway connecting Routes 63 and 64. The sheet also says the scope "is under review based on revised traffic counts and operational requirements." CTDOT's capital plan list sets aside construction money for federal fiscal years 2028, 2029 and 2030. That is a funding schedule, not an announced start date.

Back in 2019, CTDOT's public hearing notice described a multi-use trail along the west side of a new Chase Parkway Extension that would connect to the Middlebury Greenway, and it projected construction for spring 2022. That date has passed and the project is still in design, so the 2019 trail connection is best read as one version of a plan that is now being revised.

This shapes the order of everything. The Maggie McFly's end of the Greenway sits where the state's work will happen, while the crossings to the east, from Meadowview to Lake Quassapaug, are where the town and NVCOG can act on their own. The town-led striping tier could plausibly arrive before any state construction at Route 63.

The Greenway This November

None of the proposals changes how the trail works this season. CT Trail Finder lists parking along Route 64 at Steinmann Avenue, Chase Road, Meadowview Park and Quassapaug Field. It also notes that some businesses and municipal facilities may allow parking. At the eastern end, Quassy, the park the trolley was built to serve, closed for the season on October 19, so the Quassapaug end will be quieter.

The study is still taking comments until the final report is done. NVCOG lists the project contact and the Existing Conditions Report on its Route 64 study page. The October 15 slides and discussion are on the meeting recording. The crossing at Meadowview, the refuge median, and the left-turn lane it would replace are all at the stage where comments still count.

Planned changes along Route 64 belong in any conversation about a home near the Greenway, and they work best with a clear sense of which tier each one falls in. If you own near the corridor and want to know where your property stands today, Elizabeth Altobelli will prepare a thoughtful, data-informed picture of its value. Request a complimentary home valuation.