So, What Are Workers Burying Under LaSalle Road In West Hartford?

WEST HARTFORD, CT — Visitors to the LaSalle Road neighborhood in West Hartford are probably noticing a lot of road construction, what with a massive infrastructure project going on there.

And on Thursday, the town released some details about what workers are doing.

The keywords? Soil cells.

M&J Engineering of North New Hyde Park, N.Y., has been hired to overhaul the infrastructure there, namely, resurfacing the road, installing new granite curbing, widening the concrete sidewalks, adding decorative street lighting, modifying traffic signals, and landscaping with engineered tree pits, installing raised crosswalks, and other site furniture/amenities.

It is the tree pit part that town officials discussed Thursday, adding that crews are installing so-called "soil cells" that will help newly installed trees grow in what amounts to a city landscape.

Looking like some sort of honeycomb, soil cells are underground structures buried underground that act as a sort of highway for healthy root growth for urban trees.

The soil cells are installed, then topsoil is placed on top, with trees planted amid the topsoil/soil cells.

What happens next is that the roots grow, but the soil cell keeps them under control.

It means roots won't, for example, damage a sidewalk or pavement underground because the soil cells keep the roots from extending to where they can cause damage.

"These underground structures are a game-changer for urban tree planting — providing vital soil volume, supporting healthy root growth, and helping manage stormwater," wrote the Town of West Hartford.

"With these improvements, we're not just planting trees — we're investing in a greener, more sustainable future for our streetscape."

For more information about what 'soil cells' do, click on this link.

From April 1: 'Details Released On Major West Hartford Infrastructure Overhaul'