Branford Resilience Opportunity Area Map Portfolio
Project Consultants: Fuss & O’Neill
Location: The geographic boundaries for this planning effort will be the Branford River on the south, Kirkham Street and Maple Street on the west, Montowese Street on the east, and Main Street/South Main Street on the north.
Situation: Flooding from the Branford River occurs when the river (a tidally-influenced estuary) overtops its banks and water flows through an underpass serving a one-way street off Indian Neck Road at the railroad grade. The Town refers to this underpass as “the cattle crossing.” When floodwaters pass through the underpass, they cause inundation of Meadow Street and the Hammer Field area. In its Coastal Resilience Plan (2016), the Town evaluated different options for providing a closure structure or permanently sealing the underpass. Members of the public did not support permanent closure. A plan view concept design was prepared with photo renderings of several closure structures, and these were appended to the Coastal Resilience Plan. Significant work would be required to construct a closure structure, requiring coordination with Amtrak and identifying a place to house the movable gate.
At the present time, the Town’s primary concern is working with Amtrak to allow the use of the railroad grade as a temporary levee. This possibility was extensively reviewed by the Army Corps of Engineers in its study of the Long Wharf concepts for flood protection in nearby New Haven. The Corp’s selected alternative for Long Wharf is to install a flood barrier along the edge of the embankment rather than converting the railroad grade into the flood barrier. The Long Wharf study may be reviewed for more information.
The Town of Branford plans to reconstruct Meadow Street from Rodgers Street to Church Street in the next few years, providing underground detention under the ballfields to reduce drainage-related flooding. The Town sees an opportunity to incorporate a stormwater pumping station on the north side of the tracks where the former Eversource substation was located (at the corner of the cattle crossing and Meadow Street). The 1st Selectman has notified Eversource the Town would be interested in the property, potentially as a site for a pumping station.
It is important to understand that a 1% annual chance flood event is believed capable of overtopping the railroad grade through this part of Branford. If that should occur, then flooding of the Meadow Street/Hammer Field area would occur even if the cattle crossing were closed. As sea level rise continues, both the frequent flooding that occurs through the cattle crossing, as well as less-frequent flooding that would overtop the railroad grade, are believed more likely. An evaluation of community resilience to flooding is proposed with a focus on addressing flooding that occurs through the cattle crossing as well as flooding that would overtop the railroad grade. CIRCA’s coastal flood analysis will be the basis for the evaluations.
The unique aspect of this study is that it will foster an understanding of the circumstances that create opportunities to engage with Amtrak about using a railroad grade to develop flood protection. Unlike Long Wharf, flood protection at this location in Branford protects a small area with fewer economic assets. However, the Meadow Street/Hammer Field area contains many residential and non-residential structures, including one of the Town’s critical facilities and numerous structures listed as historic resources. Overall, the Branford situation represents a more common typology in Connecticut, which may be found in numerous communities.
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