Casino news source: Norwich Bulletin - http://www.norwichbulletin.com
Casino employees will soon have easier walk to jobs
By ERICA JACOBSON
Norwich Bulletin
MONTVILLE -- Years ago, Bruce "Two Dogs" Bozsum had a friend who would go to the dump, pick out usable bicycles and lean them against trees at Mohegan Sun for the use of employees who walked to work.
"He would do that just out of the kindness of his own heart," said Bozsum, now the Mohegan tribal chairman.
These days, Mohegan Sun is more likely to issue orange reflective vests and pins to its workers who commute by walking the worn dirt paths alongside Route 32 near the casino.
That situation will change in the coming years, Bozsum said Thursday. As part of its Project Horizon expansion, Mohegan Sun will make improvements to the busy corridor from the Norwich city line through to Fort Shantok Road for drivers and walkers.
"We are planning on putting a sidewalk in on Route 32," he said. "It will go hand in hand as soon as we start any roadwork we start for the expansion."
Montville Police Lt. Leonard Bunnell said there have been fatal incidents involving pedestrians in that area in the past, but improvements such as sidewalks, crosswalks and lighting have been hard to complete along the road. It's one of the oldest turnpikes in the country, he said, and has numerous right-of-way issues.
"It's a mess," Bunnell said.
His force has tried to keep pedestrians and drivers safe along the stretch road by increasing patrols and trying to slow down traffic. Route 32 nearest the casino has a 40 mph speed limit, Bunnell said, but he'd like to see that dropped to 30 mph in addition to the improvements.
"All those things should make a safer walk area for the pedestrians, whoever they are," he said.
State Rep. Tom Reynolds, D-Ledyard, recently held a meeting with governmental, tribal and community leaders about the issue of safety for casino employees who either walk to work or to remote parking lots to catch a bus to their jobs. He said it was important for everyone to sit down and discuss the issue.
"The important thing is all of the partners are at the table," Reynolds said. "I feel very confident that, out of these discussions, there are going to be some major steps forward in walker safety."
Nage Wong of Uncasville attended the meeting as the safety board chairman of the Chinese and American Culture and Assistance Association. He said the association has close to 1,000 members, half of whom work at Mohegan Sun.
The issue of safety in that stretch is something the committee continues to work on, Wong said, and hasn't forgotten.
"The walking is really tough," he said. "The drivers are very scared that they might run over a pedestrian."
Wong said he looks forward to working with all of the groups to make the area safer for everyone.
"It's not just casino people," he said. "It's the citizens of Montville, too." |
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