Traffic committee weighs hybrid sidewalk design for Warren Avenue

WESTON — January 16, 2019 — Weston committee advances Ash Street CPA application and weighs Warren Avenue hybrid sidewalk. The Traffic and Sidewalk Committee voted 4-0 on Jan. 16 to advance a Community Preservation Committee application of roughly $310,000 to $350,000 for the Ash Street sidewalk ($185,000) and Ash-to-Wellesley Street connection ($130,000) ahead of a Jan. 26 deadline. The remaining $620,000 from a 2006 Case Estates appropriation will fund the $315,000 Legacy Trail and $79,000 Wellesley-to-trail link. Chair Jay Doyle then opened a public hearing on Warren Avenue, where Town Engineer Steve Fogg presented a hybrid sidewalk alignment that switches sides at a mid-block crosswalk to minimize wetland impacts; sight distance at the crosswalk measured 305 feet from one approach. Conservation Commission member Michelle Pudenta called the hybrid "a win-win," saying the commission's job is to "be the voice for the wetlands." Residents pushed back, citing driveways, tree roots and observed speeds of 40-plus mph. The committee also voted 4-0 to develop regulatory signage options for Love Lane after residents presented a near-100-percent neighborhood petition against Waze-driven cut-through traffic.