Rick Schwartz: High Definition Real Estate

There was a grand opening ceremony this morning to commemorate the long awaited completion of the extension of Super 7 from the Southern end of Brookfield, CT to the Southern end of New Milford. 

State Representative David Scribner of the 107th District, serving Bethel and Brookfield put out the following statemtent at 2:30 PM today.

Dear Neighbors, We did it! After many years, a few set backs, and a lot of hard work, the Route 7 Brookfield Bypass is officially open for motorists. I was honored to join Governor Rell and Senator Andrew Roraback for the official grand opening this morning, and am excited that this critical project has finally been completed.

This extension of Route 7 will help alleviate traffic congestion in Brookfield. This is not only a boon to motorists tired of hitting the brake pedal on their way to and from work, it is an important step forward for the business community in Brookfield and making our town more attractive to those who want to open or expand a business here. As the Ranking Member of the General Assembly’s Transportation Committee, as well as a member of the Finance, Revenue, and Bonding Committee, I have made the Route 7 Bypass a priority during my time in the Legislature. I have been extremely fortunate to be joined in that fight by Senator Roraback, as well as Brookfield’s own Governor Rell. This project will certainly be among the most important legacies of her Administration. Working as a team, we were able to ensure the funding was made available, negotiate obstacles, and see the project through.

As for me I'm on my way out to my Honda Civic to test it out before any potholes develop.

From a Real Estate persepctive this opens up many new opportunities for folks commute to the west or South of Danbury to purchase affordable housing in Brookfield and New Milford.

Danbury News Times indicates that the actual opening of the Bypass will be during the week of 11/16.

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My Original Post from July 09

The wait appears to be over for residents of Danbury, Bethel, Brookfield and New Milford, CT.  The long-awaited extension of "Super 7" as it is known, is nearing completion and, barring any unforeseen circumstances will be opening in November, 2009.

Better Commute

The bypass which will be a 4 lane limited access highway that extends the current Route 7 Highway from it's current northern terminus at Route 202 in Brookfield - just south of the Brookfield 4 Corners - to the border with New Milford.   Since a large area of  "local" Route 7 in New Milford was expanded to 4 lanes over the last couple of years, this connection from the new bypass will give drivers a straight shot from the NY/CT border on I84 right to the heart of New Milford.

Easier to shop in Brookfield

In addition, the bypass is expected to ease traffic considerably on the existing local portion of Route 7 which runs through the 4 Corners, through Brookfield.  This should make shopping in Brookfield even more pleasurable than it already is, since you'll be able to turn in and out of local merchants parking lots with much more ease.

Official Confirmation

I had been hearing about the impending completion "on the street" so to verify it I contacted CT State Representative  David Scribner from the 107th District.  Representative Scribner is the ranking Republican on the CT. General Assembly's Transportation Committee.     

In an email he sent me earlier this week Mr. Scribner confirmed the scheduled completion of the bypass for this November.

He commented, "After many years and too many delays, the Route 7 Brookfield Bypass is on schedule for completion in November 2009."

Regarding the cost of the project, Representative Scribner went on to say, "Funding for this project has been split 80% Federal and 20% state, with total expenditures as of 7/1/2009 reaching $82.5 million."

He also added, "The Route 7 bypass is a critical addition to the area's transportation infrastructure that will go a long way in alleviating traffic congestion in one of Brookfield's major business districts. While the project met some hiccups along the way- I am extremely pleased that the Bypass is on track to become reality in just a few short months.