Key Points
- Since the Cannon and Honey Hill bridges closed, Wilton’s police chief reports one crash with no injuries at the Pimpewaug and Danbury Rds. intersection where CT DOT determined a traffic light was not warranted.
- Police are collecting new traffic data now that school is in session to see how actual traffic compares with the state’s projections, which were cited by CT DOT as a key reason for rejecting the Town’s multiple requests for a traffic light.
- State Rep. Savet Constantine and First Selectman Toni Boucher recently appraised Gov. Ned Lamont of the traffic impacts from the bridge closures and the desire for the new traffic light, and Constantine has communicated residents’ concerns directly to CT DOT.
Why It Matters: The bridge closures will continue to impact Wilton until at least November 2027. Questions remain about traffic safety throughout the impacted area, as WPD and elected officials continue to pursue whether more can be done to address traffic safety risks along the detour.
When the Cannon Rd. and Honey Hill Rd. bridges closed for reconstruction in June, many residents were deeply concerned about negative impacts: long detours, heavier traffic on secondary roads, delayed emergency response to some areas, and ultimately, more accidents — especially at the intersection of Pimpewaug Rd. and Danbury Rd./Rte. 7, which many consider dangerous even under normal conditions.
Now more than three months after the closures, Wilton Police Department Chief Tom Conlan says the detour has produced fewer reported traffic and safety problems than many feared. But with school back in session, police are collecting new traffic data to see whether the summer months provided an accurate picture.
“So far it’s been pretty smooth,” Conlan said. “We have not really noticed any significant traffic or safety problems associated with the detour that was set up… as of this time, it doesn’t seem to be as much of an issue as we thought it might have been.”
Conlan reported one crash at the Pimpewaug and Danbury Rds. intersection — a rear-end collision with no injuries.
“It does appear many people are using alternate routes and not Pimpewaug, so hopefully they’re using the detour [to the signaled intersection at Sharp Hill Rd.] that was proposed,” he said.
Conlan also said he has observed a near absence of recent resident complaints, with only one that came to mind from a resident on Skunk Ln. concerned about speeding cars in the neighborhood.
Conlan said selective traffic enforcement efforts have been stepped up on Skunk Ln., Hurlbutt St. and other nearby roads absorbing the displaced traffic, in addition to efforts on Danbury and Pimpewaug Rds. He said those enforcement efforts would continue.
However, while the low number of accidents and complaints is welcome news, Conlan was reluctant to draw too many conclusions from the first three months of the project.
A School-Year Test
Conlan was reluctant to draw too many conclusions from the first three months of the project. Summer traffic may not have been a true test, he said, with lighter traffic and nearby schools not in session.
“We have to keep monitoring it,” he said. “We want to just make sure there’s no issues.”
Wilton Police are currently conducting a second round of a traffic study that began in June, including traffic counts on Pimpewaug Rd. Police will compare the updated data with what the state projected when the bridge closures were planned.
The Connecticut Department of Transportation based its decision to deny the Town’s traffic light requests in part on the state’s estimated “eight-hour vehicular volume,” including detour traffic. The state determined that the projected volume did not warrant a traffic signal.
If the latest traffic counts are significantly higher than the state estimated, Conlan said, the Town would renew discussions about a traffic light.
“If [the difference] was significant, we would reach back out to the state,” he said.
Similarly, an increase in accidents at the intersection would prompt the same conversation, he added.
Elected Officials Raise Residents’ Concerns
Like Conlan, First Selectman Toni Boucher said she is hearing less from residents about the traffic concerns than she did when the detours were first implemented.
But fewer complaints may not mean residents are satisfied. State Rep. Savet Constantine believes some residents are simply “pushing through” and may feel resigned to accept the new normal, even if the daily challenges are real.
Constantine said she drove the detour herself and found it adds significant time to each leg of a trip.
“I really do feel for residents in that area being impacted so much because of these necessary repairs,” she said.
“It’s not that people are just making one trip a day,” she said. “When you have kids, when you have work, when you’re going to the gym, when you’re going [for] groceries… it’s multiple times,” she said.
Both Boucher and Constantine raise the issue of the bridge closures and the traffic impacts with Gov. Ned Lamont when he attended the 2026 Cannon Grange Agricultural Fair on Aug. 26. The Grange, at 25 Cannon Rd., is just steps away from the closed Cannon Bridge.
With the construction in plain sight, Constantine said it was the perfect opportunity to discuss the importance of the infrastructure improvements and to highlight the concerns and impacts they’ve created.
“Obviously, [it’s] great that we’re working on the bridges, but now we have a secondary issue,” she said.
She said she told the governor about the lengthy detour to the traffic signal at Sharp Hill Rd. and the absence of a light at Pimpewaug Rd, explaining that “people have been asking for a light there for safety reasons.”
Lamont advised Constantine to keep discussions with DOT updated. Just recently Constantine spoke with members of the DOT commissioner’s team at an event in New Canaan on Sept. 22, then sent an email detailing concerns she heard from constituents, and included GOOD Morning Wilton’s coverage.
Constantine emphasized that any renewed pursuit of a traffic signal must be driven by the Town and the police chief, with whom she has been in contact before speaking with CT-DOT. She said she sees her role as “a conduit” making sure DOT “has all the information.”
“I just want to make sure DOT [has] the big picture of what residents in this area are going through… what residents are seeing, what they’re feeling, how much this is taking out of their time of day… we want to make sure DOT has the current information and so they can take another look,” she said.
“We’ll see what next steps we can take from here,” she added.
Construction Status
Interim Director of Public Works Jeff Pardo updated the Board of Selectmen on Aug. 17, indicating the work was proceeding on schedule and no major project issues had arisen. Both Pardo and Boucher have since re-confirmed (on Sept. 16 and Sept. 20, respectively) that the projects remain on track for completion by Nov. 30, 2027.
For now, Conlan’s advice to residents for the duration of the project is threefold: “use the posted detour, allow some extra time for travel, and just remain patient.”
