Connecticut Department of Transportation Deputy Commissioner Al Martin
formally announced the Department's willingness to explore developing a 37.5 mile multi-use path within the state-owned Merritt Parkway right-of-way. Martin made the announcement when he spoke last week in Stamford to an audience of bicycle and pedestrian advocates gathered for the Fairfield County/East Coast Greenway/Bicycle & Pedestrian Summit. The trail would provide an east-west route linking existing and proposed north-south trails that connect the major cities of Bridgeport, Norwalk, and Stamford. ConnDOT had previously opposed any dedication of Parkway right-of-way for a bike/ped corridor because it might preclude future highway expansion. The publication of Regional Plan Association's 1994 "
Merritt Parkway Feasibility Study" helped make the case that the trail can be constructed and should complete a crucial missing link in the East Coast Greenway. The Merritt Parkway's wide 300 foot right of way allows the construction of a pedestrian path that is a safe distance from vehicles, preserves privacy of abutting landowners, allows flexibility in locating local road crossings, and preserves the Parkway's historic elements.
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