New Haven's $6.7M Lower State Street Redesign Project Starts Digging

NEW HAVEN, CT – Wednesday morning, Mayor Justin Elicker and city and state leaders gathered to celebrate the beginning of construction for the Lower State Street Redesign Project. Called "transformational," the infrastructure project is along one of New Haven’s major corridors, one that connects the Downtown, East Rock, Hill, and Wooster Square neighborhoods and includes the State Street train station.

The $6.7 million project, financed through a combination of city and state funding, will redesign the streetscape along the nine-block stretch between Trumbull and Water Streets.

According to the city, the project will advance the twin goals:

• improving pedestrian and cyclist safety and usability by reducing the number of lanes for motor vehicles, creating a dedicated corridor for walkers and bikers, and installing a number of other traffic safety enhancements;
• unlocking the redevelopment potential of seven currently underused parking lots and 650,000 square feet to be used for transit-oriented, mixed-use development, highlighted by 450 new housing units and supporting retail space.

State officials at the news briefing included Senate President Martin Looney, state Rep. Roland Lemar, and state Department of Economic and Community Development Deputy Commissioner Matt Pugliese. From the city, Elicker, Alders Eli Sabin and Carmen Rodriguez, and New Haven Parking Authority Executive Director Douglas Hausladen.

Watch the full event here:

Check out the road schematic for Phase 1 of the project Trumbull to Grove Streets here. Phase 2 of the project, Grove to Water Streets, begins this summer. For more info about the entire project, click here.