New Haven Gets $2M DOT Grant For Neighborhood Reconnection Initiative

NEW HAVEN, CT —Monday, New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker, U.S. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, and other elected and local officials announced New Haven is to receive a $2 million U.S. Department of Transportation Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program grant.

The grant will fund a study on specific ways to mitigate the impact of I-91 and reconnect communities separated by the construction and continued existence of the highway, including the potential removal of physical barriers, the restoration of pedestrian connectivity, the building of new housing, and other placed-based strategies, according to Elicker's office.

Built during the Urban Renewal era of the 1960s, I-91 destroyed dozens of homes and businesses and divided interconnected communities.

Today, I-91 often serves as a barrier for New Haveners living near or attempting to travel on streets cut off by the highway.

According to a news release from the Mayor's Office, the grant, which is "accompanied by" at least a 20 percent local match, will fund planning, zoning, and housing analysis efforts, and community visioning and engagement efforts that center the input and experiences of New Haveners most directly impacted by the interstate.

The plan will also pull together ongoing initiatives along the I-91 Corridor, such as the Mill River Trail, Long Wharf Responsible Growth Plan, and Mill River: “Imagine Next.”

The study includes seven areas (from south to north): Union Station to Long Wharf; I-91 & I-95 Interchange & Underpass; Wooster Square Court to Audubon; Exit 3 at Trumbull Street; Mill River District to East Rock; Exits 4-5 at State Street; and Exit 6 at Willow Street / Blatchley Ave. Over 80 percent of the population in the project scope live in designated Historically Disadvantaged Communities, compared with 54 percent for New Haven overall.

The planning efforts fall into three categories: Reconnection & Safety (developing a strategy for reconnecting neighborhoods), Design & Value of Place (integrating the highway into the surrounding urban fabric), and Housing & Economic Opportunity (updating zoning analysis and exploring housing and retail development opportunities).

The RCP Program is funded by the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and seeks to advance community-centered transportation projects with a focus on reconnecting communities harmed by past transportation infrastructure decisions.