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Work on $10 Million Road Connecting Saltwell, Jerry Dove Drive through White Oaks to Begin this Summer

By Jeff Toquinto on April 05, 2015 via Connect-Bridgeport.com

By the time summer rolls around, work on a brand new stretch of road in Bridgeport that is part of a $10 million project should be moving ahead. According to White Oaks Developer Woody Thrasher and Engineer Chad Riley, a new section of road will be the final component connecting Jerry Dove Drive and Saltwell Road.
 
“We’ve done all the preliminary work,” said Thrasher. “It’s not too far from us being able to go. It’s definitely going to happen and it’s our intention to get things going fast by the time summer rolls around. That’s our plan.”
 
Riley, a partner in the Thrasher Group (owned by Thrasher) that is handling the engineering for the infrastructure at the development, said the road will be an extension of the existing White Oaks Boulevard. Currently, that roadway dead ends just past the Dominion facility that is being built at White Oaks.
 
“Once finished, it will go from the area where it ends now to straight across from the new Exxon entrance that is off the Saltwell exit (of Interstate 79),” said Riley, P.E. “Once complete you’ll have access to the development from two points.”
 
The work will create about 2200 linear feet of new roadway. In layman’s terms that’s not quite half a mile. The road itself will be the same as White Oaks Boulevard currently exists, which means there will be two lanes in each direction, turning lanes where needed and a center median. However, part of the $10 million project isn’t just about a new road. It’s also about creating more space for additional business.
 
“We’re developing property along the road and that work will be done in stages as the demand is there,” said Riley. “It’s going to create 30 additional acres of flat, developable property.”
 
The project itself will be a mix of private dollars and those provided through White Oaks’ designation as a Tax Increment Finance (TIF) District. Riley said all the work that involves roadways, utilities and infrastructure of that nature can be funded with TIF dollar. Pads being developed for future construction, he said, are not eligible.
 
Although the project hasn’t started, some preliminary work beyond planning has taken place. While clearing of trees and other vegetation and debris has to be done, some has already taken place.
 
“Even with what’s been done, we’re still looking at moving probably a half a million cubic yards of dirt with this project,” Riley said.
 
Riley didn’t know exact timetables for a start and a completion. He did say that he would like to see things gear up no later than June and that work would have to be done before paving season concludes, which is usually Thanksgiving.
 
“I anticipate we’ll be done well before the end of the calendar year, but that’s something I feel safe in saying for sure,” said Riley, who said permits still need to be finalized with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “Once it’s done, we’ve connected the dots between Saltwell and Jerry Dove Drive.”
 
Even though there are existing ways to get to United Hospital Center in the event of a traffic situation along Interstate 79 heading there from the north (off Saltwell Road and onto Route 707), CEO and President Bruce Carter recently said the new road doesn’t hurt anything.
 
“Certainly, having as many access points as possible is a good thing for us and anyone in the area,” said Carter. “We feel comfortable with the access we have to our facility, but having any type of additional access is a positive.”
 
Thrasher agreed.
 
“It does add a level of convenience; whether you’re looking to go to UHC or the FBI or if you’re a person that works at White Oaks or are coming there for a service,” said Thrasher. “It truly benefits the entire area and, from a business standpoint, it is right outside of our Thrasher office (located across from the Dominion site) it allows us to showcase some of what our company is able to do. The benefits of this roadway seem endless on multiple fronts.”
 
Editor's Note: Top photo is where the current White Oaks Boulevard dead ends and the start of the new road is slightly to the right. The second photo is from the area where the road would begin looking back toward the Dominion facility, while the third photo shows land being cleared in the area that will eventually have the new road and access to more developable acreage. Developer Woody Thrasher is pictured below.


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