WESTPORT — Reconstruction of the Baldwin parking lot downtown will start next week, a project expected to take about two months.
Work on the parking lot overhaul is scheduled to start Monday, April 25, weather permitting, according to an announcement by Public Works Director Peter Ratkiewich.
The project is expected to continue through the end of June, he said.
While the lot will have to be closed off at times for work to proceed, Ratkiewich said, the contractor will coordinate with town officials to minimize disruptions and make portions of the lot available as soon as possible.
Cost of the work will be $1,369,287, under a contract awarded in March to G. Pic & Sons.
The initial phases will involve reclamation of the parking lot’s deteriorated asphalt surface and installation of new drainage pipes, along with re-grading the lot to reduce flooding.
The project also will include installation of new LED lighting, electric vehicle chargers, security cameras and blue-light emergency stations.
Parking will be realigned to conform to current P&Z regulations, which is designed to improve vehicular circulation and maneuverability.
Reconstruction of the Baldwin lot is part of a broader effort to redesign parking and other amenities downtown. The Board of Selectwomen recently approved a $400,000 allocation from the town’s allotment of American Rescue Plan Act money to fund the design plans.
“This is the first of several large downtown Westport lots to be reconstructed and reconfigured to improve the Downtown parking experience,” First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker said in announcing the start of the Baldwin project.
“In the years to come, we will also be re-inventing the Parker Harding lot, the Taylor lot, [near Jesup Green] and the Imperial Avenue parking lot, to have serviceable and convenient parking on both sides of the Post Road.”
This is great news, and the first step in the additional major changes to other parts of downtown. My only question on the Baldwin Lot work is whether or not there will be any trees and plantings. I of course hope there will be.
Don Bergmann
I hope the LED lighting is downcast and not blindingly bright like the lighting along the walkway at St Mary’s By the Sea, or the very tall lights along the marina at Compo Beach, all of which are so bright as to be an impediment as opposed to a help.
I hope the new EV chargers will be high power – 200-350kw. Anything less is kind of useless. All of the public chargers in town are antiquated at this point.