The cost of a proposed sidewalk intended to grant safe pedestrian passage from the new Morgan School to the town center has been revised to $1,050,000, up from the estimated $765,036 originally budgeted for the project.

The increase in cost was attributed to a change in regulations from the state by Director of Public Works Peter Neff.

“If we disturb the pavement on Route 81, we are required to restore the roadway to the middle of the road as opposed to restoring just a smaller portion of the road,” said Neff.

Neff said the state had changed regulations with the storm control and wetlands crossings, as well.

At a July 16 Board of Finance meeting, the board unanimously approved the transfer of $348,583.80 from the Small Bridge Repair budget to the Morgan Sidewalk project budget.

“We are still going through the approval process within the town administration. Our goal is to start the project in late September and be substantially complete before the winter weather forces a shut down,” Neff said. “This is dependent on a lot of factors falling into place fairly rapidly in a very short period of time over the next several weeks.”

Neff said that the bid for the project would be awarded in early August, and that final approval from the Department of Transportation would need to be granted before construction could start.

The sidewalk, which would link with the existing sidewalk that ends just north of Walnut Hill Road on the east side of Route 81 across from [chow] restaurant. The project has been discussed since early 2016. Parents had complained about the lack of sidewalk connecting destinations students walk to from the new Morgan School, such as the Henry Carter Hull Library, the Clinton Crossing Outlets, and the Dunkin’ Donuts.

The proposed Village at Mill Pond that was supposed to be built on the site of the old Morgan School was also thought to be a potential popular destination for students before that proposal was withdrawn in 2017.

“The project was first envisioned when they started the process to plan and construct a new high school. We have spent an enormous amount of time trying to find a more economical way of completing the sidewalk without much success. The estimates back in 2014-‘15 approached $1.2 million. We understand it is a very costly project, but it has been determined in the interest of safety the town will move forward. We look forward to its successful completion. If anyone has any concerns, they may contact Public Works directly,” said Neff.

More information on the sidewalk proposal can be found at the town website, www.clintonct.org.