While Branford farm owner Jay Medlyn is currently engrossed in salt water flooding issues created by a berm removal and failing tidegate (see related story here) a whole new problem could be just around the corner. State and local officials are currently investigating a possible construction project on Route 146 – a project that could limit customer access to Medlyn Farm.

Department of Transportation (DOT) spokesperson Kevin Nursick said the DOT is exploring the feasibility of installing a multi-span bridge with an elevated profile on Route 146 near the popular crabbing spot. Nursick said the existing culvert is undersized.

“We are still in the study phase of design – once we have completed our investigations and selected the proposed alternative, we will develop a schedule and cost estimate,” he said. “At this time construction is anticipated to begin no earlier than fall of 2018.”

The project construction could limit access along Route 146, but the severity is currently unknown.

“Some of our discussions relate to the possibility of using a detour (one construction season) vs. using alternating one-way traffic during construction (two-three seasons),” said Nursick. “At this time, we are investigating the use of a detour in order to complete construction of the bridge more quickly and minimize impacts to the traveling public.”

Regardless, Medlyn said cutting down the traffic flow has negative ramifications for his business.

“Those are all of my customers – Sachems Head, Indian Cove, Mulberry Point,” he said. “They all come by here and they go to New Haven to go to work and on the way home they stop and they buy vegetables or eggs from me and it will destroy my business if they don’t put a bypass road in.”