What Happened to the Crosswalk?

Did downtown Milford have more crosswalks before the repaving of Main Street? 

The repaving project, completed late last year, was followed by re-striping of parking spaces and crosswalks for pedestrians.

Didn't there used to be a crosswalk near the Milford Police Department headquarters, connecting Draper Memorial Park to the sidewalk in front of Milford Federal Savings and Loan?

Now, the sidewalks in the area are limited to the intersection of South Main Street, Main Street and Congress Street, and the intersection of Exchange Street, Central Street and Main Street.

If you use the crosswalk connecting Draper Memorial Park to Milford National Bank, be cautious because cars trying to turn on to South Main Street may not see you, cautioned one reader.

Patch asked Mike Santora, the Milford town engineer, about the crosswalks, and he confirmed that the state DOT eliminated two crosswalks that were mid-block in the downtown area: the sidewalk near the police station, as well as one that connected South Bow Street to Park Street.

The mid-block crosswalks were seen as less safe, because drivers would not necessarily be preparing to stop. "At the lights, you have the push button that will stop traffic," Santora said.