Construction Progressing

The next building in Storrs Center, One Royce Circle, is nearing completion. The upper floors house The Oaks on the Square apartments, which are set to open for new residents in mid-August. Much of the interior work is focused on finishing these floors: installing appliances, painting, and completing building inspections.

One Royce Circle, as seen from Storrs Road/Route 195

Just as in the first phase of the project, the commercial spaces on the first floor of One Royce Circle all have their own schedules. These spaces will begin to open in August and continue through the end of the year. The tenants announced to date include: UConn Co-op @ Storrs Center, Ballard Institute & Museum of Puppetry, UConn Health Center, Haru Aki Café, and Webster Bank. The commercial space is approximately 90% leased with the remaining spaces under discussion.

Meanwhile, the completion of the streetscape improvements has been slowed somewhat by the wet weather. The painting and decorative concrete elements that remain require dryer conditions than the area has recently enjoyed.

The work on Bolton Road Extension and the completion of Royce Circle have proceeded apace. These two roads will be substantially completed prior to the opening of One Royce Circle.

Among the streetscape improvements to Storrs Road are wider sidewalks and new plantings.

Traffic Alert: Closure of Temporary Road

Please be advised that due to construction of Bolton Road Extension and the completion of Royce Circle, the temporary road connecting Dog Lane and Bolton Road will close beginning Tuesday, June 18.

Motorists wishing to turn from Dog Lane to travel south on Storrs Road (Route 195) will instead turn onto Royce Circle behind the Storrs Center parking garage and follow the newly constructed Wilbur Cross Way to Charles Smith Way (formerly referred to as “Post Office Road”). Vehicles will not be able to turn left onto Storrs Road from Dog Lane.

Northbound traffic turning right from Dog Lane onto Storrs Road will be unaffected by this change.

This traffic pattern will remain in effect while construction continues on Bolton Road Extension and Royce Circle.

Once complete, the intersection of Bolton Road Extension, Storrs Road, and Bolton Road will serve as the main, lighted intersection for Storrs Center. The new roads will complete the boundaries of the Town Square and will accommodate all traffic heading north and south on Storrs Road. Work is expected to be completed by the fall.

Southbound traffic will follow Royce Circle from Dog Lane to Charles Smith Way. 

Nash-Zimmer Transportation Center

Earlier this month, the Town of Mansfield oversaw the beginning of construction of the Nash-Zimmer Transportation Center planned in Storrs Center. Gregg Wies & Gardner Architects of New Haven designed the building, and the Town selected W. J. Mountford Company of South Windsor through a competitive bid process to construct the building. The Nash-Zimmer Transportation Center is expected to open in the fall of 2013.

The Nash-Zimmer Transportation Center will be a key feature in Storrs Center with its convenient location adjacent to the Storrs Center parking garage. It will be a central stop for local, regional, and intrastate buses, including WRTD and UConn buses. Bus patrons will be able to track bus locations through an integrated technology system and wait for their bus either inside or outside the facility.

The Nash-Zimmer Transportation Center will also offer amenities for bicyclists, whether casual riders or commuters. There will be bike lockers for storage, and commuters will be able to sign up to use showers and changing rooms.

Funding for the Nash-Zimmer Transportation Center is provided by a $4.9 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration. The Greater Hartford Transit District is administering the grant.

The Nash-Zimmer Transportation Center is named for Dennison Nash and Gary Zimmer, two longtime Mansfield residents who were strong advocates for alternative transportation.

Traffic Alert: Paving Storrs Road

The milling and paving of Storrs Road (Route 195) is planned to begin on Friday, May 17. During this work, traffic will be restricted at times to alternating one lane patterns. Please allow for additional time to travel on Storrs Road from S. Eagleville Road (Route 275) through Mansfield Road (on the UConn campus).

As scheduled, the paving should be complete by Tuesday, May 21. Poor weather may delay these efforts.

There will be no on-street parking Thursday, May 15 through Monday, May 20.

On the road again

With the arrival of warmer spring weather, the Town resumed work on its streetscape improvements on Storrs Road (Route 195) and Dog Lane.

In April, the Town’s contractor, Milton C. Beebe & Sons Construction of Mansfield, installed new crosswalks on Dog Lane.

New crosswalks have been installed on Dog Lane.

Beebe is currently adding medians in Storrs Road. In addition to beautifying the street, the medians will serve as a traffic-calming measure on this busy section of road.

The construction of medians in Storrs Road is underway.

Once the final physical changes to Storrs Road are complete, Beebe will repave the road from the intersection with Dog Lane to the intersection with South Eagleville Road (Route 275).  As part of the repaving of Storrs Road, Beebe will mark the new on-street areas, which will be free parking for 2 hours.

 

Another traffic calming measure, which will also serve to beautify the area, will be new street trees along Storrs Road. These will be planted in the coming months. There will be trees every fifty feet along the road, in between the street lights.

The trees will be intersperse with the street lights.

Plantings are also planned for along the new stone wall in front of E. O. Smith High School.

The stone wall runs along the front of E. O. Smith High School.

Construction of One Royce Circle continues; the building is expected to be ready for residents of The Oaks on the Square in August 2013. The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry recently announced its plans to move into this new building. The Ballard will join the UConn Co-op (a new, additional location), Haru Aki Café, UConn Health Center medical offices, and Webster Bank in the second phase of Storrs Center.

One Royce Circle construction continues with a goal of opening to residents in August.