TORRINGTON — The public parking lot that serves the Torrington Library and other businesses is getting a facelift, with a multi-use trail, new trees and other plantings, and resurfaced pavement.
The City Council approved the project Sept. 6 after hearing a brief presentation from City Engineer Paul Kundzins. The Riverview Parking Lot improvements project was awarded to Yield Industries LLC of Torrington, out of four bidders, for $1,284,147, with a $128,400 contingency fund. The project is scheduled to start in spring 2024.
Kundzins said the project will include grading and paving, a new concrete trail and sidewalks, granite and concrete curbing, storm drainage modifications, new lighting, pavement markings, signs and landscaping. Some of the trees on the property will be removed to make way for the trail, which will also involve relocating the rows of parking spaces and meters, he said. Those trees will be replaced elsewhere as part of the landscaping plan.
“Some of the trees are buckling the pavement,” Kundzins said. “They need to be removed before resurfacing can be done.”
The parking lot is adjacent to the library on Prospect Street, between a parking lot for a property on Water Street and a privately owned lot. It is close to Torrington Towers. A Webster Bank drive-thru and other offices and businesses are also accessible from the lot.
On the Main Street side, the parking lot is adjacent to a bus stop and a foot bridge that crosses the Naugatuck River into downtown. Drivers use the parking for the library, downtown businesses and restaurants, and during events at Coe Memorial Park.
According to Kundzins, the project is being paid for through the state Department of Transportation’s Community Connectivity Grant Program and the city’s Pavement Management Bond Fund.
