Nearly four years after it was approved by the state Department of Transportation, a traffic light at the corner of Route 67 and Riggs Street has been installed and should be working within the next couple of weeks, according to a DOT spokesman.
A Connecticut DOT contractor completed the installation of the town’s fourth traffic light at the intersection a couple weeks ago, and Connecticut Light & Power should connect the light to the power grid within the next couple of weeks, said Kevin Nursick, a DOT spokesman.
A 2008 DOT study of traffic patterns on Route 67 in Oxford concluded that the number of turns onto Route 67 from Riggs Street was significant, mostly because of commuters coming from the age-restricted community and
The signal will be set up to a flashing mode for month or two so people can get used to it, and then it will be set to a sequence, Nursick said.
The light was originally supposed to be installed in the spring of 2010, but was put on hold due to a lack of federal and state funding.
The light cost $100,000 and $80,000 came from the federal government while the state and the town of Oxford had to kick in $10,000 apiece.
Although many residents suggest that a light should be installed at the corner of Governor's Hill Road and Route 67 - in large part because of a fatal accident there two years ago - . However, they hope the light will cut down on accidents all along Route 67 through the center of town.
Former First Selectman Mary Ann Drayton-Rogers, who suggested a light at Riggs and 67, also wanted one at the intersection of routes 42 and 67, but the 2008 DOT traffic study said stop signs were sufficient there.
