Reconnecting Vernon Hill Across I-290: $1.8M Federal Grant Sought For Study

WORCESTER, MA — I-290 carries thousands of drivers per day through Worcester's core, but the highway is a major barrier for anyone who wants to travel by foot or bike between some of the city's densest neighborhoods — but that might soon change.

MassDOT has asked the federal government for $2 million grant to study ways to reconnect the Vernon Hill neighborhood across I-290 to neighborhoods like the Canal District and Green Island. The grant would come from a program that Boston and North Adams have received money from to stitch urban areas broken by highway construction back together.

Beginning in the late 1950s, scores of people were evicted from homes for construction of the steel and concrete beltway. The highway also deleted many east-west routes, leaving congested Vernon Street as the main route across the highway along with Harrison Street. The grant may lead to new connections across I-290, and an examination of that Vernon Street overpass.

"The Vernon Street Bridge, an overpass above I-290 and one of the few remaining connections between the Vernon, Grafton, and Union Hill neighborhoods and downtown Worcester, presents numerous safety issues for motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists," a MassDOT press release said. "This partnership study will not only address existing deficiencies on the bridge, but also engage community members to craft a vision and explore ways to strengthen connections in the area. The study will look beyond the physical footprint of the bridge and incorporate innovative capacity-building strategies that address root challenges for everyone living and traveling in the community."

Officials did not say what type of reconnection Worcester may ultimately pursue, but the Boston and North Adams projects offer some insights.

Boston is using $1.8 million to study how to reconnect Chinatown across the Mass Pike. The result may be a lid over that part of the highway to open up new community spaces. North Adams will use $750,000 to study the removal of an elevated section of Route 2 that cuts through the city's downtown, separating the main downtown area from neighborhoods on the north side of the city and destinations like Mass MoCA. Both cities received their grants in a funding round announced in March.

MassDOT would match the federal grant, which the city and the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission are cosponsoring, with $500,000 to boost the total project funding to about $2.5 million.

"This grant presents an opportunity for the city and our agency partners to work with the community to develop a plan to reduce negative impacts and reestablish connections between the Vernon Hill and the Canal District and Green Island neighborhoods," City Manager Eric Batista, who lived in the Vernon Hill area in his childhood, said in a news release.