The removal of Route 34, a 1.1-mile stub of a highway that displaced hundreds of Connecticut families, homes, [...]]]>

New Haven's plan to remove Route 34 downtown will open up space for development, and aims to improve walking and biking connections. But locals worry the results won't actually be friendly to cyclists and pedestrians.

The removal of Route 34, a 1.1-mile stub of a highway that displaced hundreds of Connecticut families, homes, and businesses when it was constructed in the late 1950s, has become a cause célèbre for the City of New Haven in recent years.  The City’s vision of removing the road as a way to reconnect downtown New Haven with Union Station and create a walkable, vibrant neighborhood of housing, retail and commercial development earned plaudits from local and regional advocacy groups and activists early on, and was rewarded with state bond funding, ConnDOT support and $16 million in highly competitive federal TIGER II grants.

Tri-State strongly supports the vision laid out in New Haven’s application for the TIGER II grant. But many local advocates and policymakers are worried that the implementation won’t live up to the vision.

The City’s highway removal plan would open up 10 acres for development and add infrastructure intended to support increased cycling. But much of the project could maintain an auto-centric environment that is hostile to pedestrians, cyclists and transit users. (View a city presentation here.) For example, the current intersection of Church Street and North Frontage Road is four lanes across. Instead of enhancing pedestrian connections, the most recent City proposal is to expand this intersection to five lanes across:

Proposed intersection of N. Frontage Road and Church Street. (Click to view larger.)

To the City’s credit, officials have repeatedly said that they will continue to work with community members and look at new ways to address concerns.  However, they say their hands are tied because they must work within the constructs of outdated traffic models mandated by ConnDOT and the State Traffic Commission. For example, models predict that car traffic at the Church/N. Frontage intersection will quadruple thanks to developments like a new community college. These models, based on the assumption that automobile use will increase no matter the type of land use pattern, have routinely proven to be misguided and led to poor roadway design outcomes.

Local legislators have taken it upon themselves to ensure that the implementation of the Route 34 Downtown Crossing matches the City’s initial vision.  Earlier this summer, almost a dozen of the city’s Alders, Alder candidate Doug Hausladen (who is running unopposed), and State Representative Roland Lemar submitted a proposed resolution and letter to Board of Alders President Carl Goldfield.  The resolution, spearheaded by Alder Justin Elicker, called for the corridor to contain road capacity of no more than three lanes of traffic in each direction, including turn lanes; greater cycling infrastructure in the form of “cycle tracks” separated from car traffic along North and South Frontage Roads; better pedestrian connectivity; and improved traffic calming infrastructure.

The letter also praised the City’s outreach efforts, reiterated the group’s willingness to work with the City to improve upon the project, and stated the signatories support the concept of removing Route 34.

Tri-State has similar concerns.  The five-lane intersection at Church Street and North Frontage Road would be too far for pedestrians to cross safely without at least a pedestrian island to shorten the crossing distance and provide traffic calming.  Separated cycle tracks or parking-protected bike lanes could be solutions that provide a safe biking environment and support traffic calming and safer pedestrian crossings.  In addition, simple changes like making certain cross streets two-way could also enhance pedestrian, motorist and cycling safety while reducing congestion.

Images: City of New Haven.

On Wednesday, New Haven Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. announced the city was moving forward with the Downtown Crossing project, which will convert Route 34 from a “highway [...]]]>

From left: State Rep. Juan Candelaria, New Haven Alderman Jorge Perez, Development Administrator Kelly Murphy, Mayor John DeStefano, Yale Medical Dean Robert Alpern, developer Carter Winstanley.

On Wednesday, New Haven Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. announced the city was moving forward with the Downtown Crossing project, which will convert Route 34 from a “highway to nowhere” to an urban boulevard that will reconnect the central business district with Yale-New Haven Hospital, the Medical District and the Hill Neighborhood. In doing so, the city will take the first step towards undoing a 1950s highway project that separated neighborhoods from downtown.

The project was recently awarded $16 million from the highly competitive federal TIGER II grant program and earlier this week the Board of Aldermen voted to accept the federal funding, allowing the city to move forward with Phase I of the project, which will create 2,000 immediate construction jobs and 960 permanent jobs.

In red, the area targeted for redevelopment as Phase I of the Downtown Crossing project.

New Haven’s Planning Director Karyn Gilvarg explained next steps in the infrastructure and design process for Downtown Crossing which will include:

• Finalizing grant agreements with federal and state authorities,
• Accelerating design for Phase I infrastructure, which includes the conversion of North and South Frontage Roads to boulevards with road, streetscape, bike and pedestrian enhancements, as well as the reconstruction of College Street to grade level,
• A development agreement for 100 College Street (a new 400,000-square-foot health sciences building adjacent to a growing cluster of Yale-New Haven Hospital and the Yale School of Medicine facilities).

Over the coming months, the City’s planning team will continue to work on the overall Downtown Route 34 design and ask New Haven residents and businesses alike for feedback and input.  The public can expect to participate in a series of briefings and neighborhood meetings starting in early 2011.  Construction is expected in late 2011, with development projects starting work in 2012.

Images: Top – New Haven Independent. Bottom – Via City of New Haven.

Two highway removal projects in the region got a boost of federal funds today.  USDOT announced that New Haven’s Route 34 and the South Bronx’s  Sheridan Expressway will receive $16 million and $1.5 million respectively to advance plans to convert these underutilized highway corridors into [...]]]>

The area targeted for development in New Haven.

Two highway removal projects in the region got a boost of federal funds today.  USDOT announced that New Haven’s Route 34 and the South Bronx’s  Sheridan Expressway will receive $16 million and $1.5 million respectively to advance plans to convert these underutilized highway corridors into more walkable, vibrant, and viable communities.

The New Haven Register reports that New Haven’s award allows Phase 1 development along Route 34 to begin.  The transformation of Route 34 into an urban boulevard is expected to generate 2,000 construction jobs and 1,000 permanent jobs with hundreds of millions of dollars in future private development.

A press release from South Bronx Congressman Jose Serrano confirms that the award will fund a study for a vision plan of the Sheridan Expressway and Hunts Point area.  The study aims to fill a gap in the NY State DOT’s review of the project alternatives, which currently avoid any discussion of land use or economic development that could occur with a removal of the expressway.

The Congressman is quoted in the release:

Meanwhile, the creation of a vision plan that addresses the current and future needs of our community in the Hunts Point area and the Sheridan Expressway is of vital importance. We are eager to remake this area into a livable, walkable and green section of our community, and this is the first step towards achieving that goal. I am encouraged that this grant specifically states that this ‘City-led, multi-agency, holistic planning process will be designed to respond to the needs and goals of the business and residential communities in the area.’ This is precisely the process that all planning in our borough must undergo as we work to right the development and planning wrongs of many decades.

The official announcement from Secretary LaHood will come next week.

Serrano’s release is available here.

Image: Via City of New Haven.

Nearly two years of work and advocacy for Complete Streets in New Haven reached a seminal moment when the City released its final guide to building Complete Streets last month.

The manual, crafted as part of the city complete streets ordinance adopted in October 2008, is a guide for putting policy [...]]]>

Click to read.

Nearly two years of work and advocacy for Complete Streets in New Haven reached a seminal moment when the City released its final guide to building Complete Streets last month.

The manual, crafted as part of the city complete streets ordinance adopted in October 2008, is a guide for putting policy into practice. According to the manual’s introduction, its purpose is to provide “technical guidance on the building, rebuilding, repair and rehabilitation of city streets with the intent of balancing the needs of all users.”  The manual provides a variety of insight ranging from specific complete street treatments to how to measure and evaluate the impacts of a complete street policy.

The design manual was the work of a nine-member steering committee that included representatives from the Board of Alders, city offices – including the planning, traffic and transportation and engineering departments – and citizens.

New Haven has been a leading force in the complete streets movement in Connecticut, and its policy served as a catalyst for the adoption of a statewide complete streets law last spring.  The state is currently developing regulations for implementing that law, which is scheduled to go into full effect in October.  ConnDOT would be wise to use New Haven’s manual as a guide as it moves through this process.

According to last week’s New Haven Independent, New Haven may be joining other cities that have embraced cutting-edge parking management:

With motorists circling the block to find elusive downtown parking spots, aldermen are proposing a “dynamic” solution.

It’s [...]]]>

Electronic meters like the one above would allow New Haven to dynamically price its parking.

According to last week’s New Haven Independent, New Haven may be joining other cities that have embraced cutting-edge parking management:

With motorists circling the block to find elusive downtown parking spots, aldermen are proposing a “dynamic” solution.

It’s called “dynamic parking.” And it’s one of several ideas that East Rock Aldermen Justin Elicker said he hopes a new city working group on parking will consider.

Dynamic parking, invented by parking guru Donald Shoup, refers to a system in which parking fees rise and fall according to demand. For instance, during the busiest part of the day downtown, it might cost $2 to park for an hour. When there are fewer cars around, it might be only $1.

The on-street parking working group that Aldermen Elicker, Roland Lemar, and Mike Jones have proposed creating would also study other ways to make parking more convenient, like pay-by-phone. It is not connected to a controversial plan, supported by Mayor John DeStefano, to “monetize” the city’s parking meters.

The article does leave out one of the key rationales behind dynamic parking. It suggests that the reason higher peak-period prices work is because drivers switch to transit, which is true but not the entire story. Smart pricing also frees up curb space by incentivizing long-term parkers to use off-street lots and garages. In New Haven, someone who parks for five hours will find it cheaper to park on the street than in most garages. ($6.25 on-street versus $8 in the Air Rights Garage, for example.) That’s not a pricing scheme that makes sense on commercial streets where turnover is important.

Image: Paul Bass/New Haven Independent.

To much fanfare, USDOT announced the winners of the stimulus’ TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) grants yesterday, with two coming to our region.

New York City’s Moynihan Station project to convert the Farley Post Office [...]]]>

A rendering of one of the entrances to be built as part of Moynihan Station's first phase.

To much fanfare, USDOT announced the winners of the stimulus’ TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) grants yesterday, with two coming to our region.

New York City’s Moynihan Station project to convert the Farley Post Office to a train hall received $83 million and now has enough funds for the first phase of construction. This phase will add two new entrances to Penn Station west of Eighth Avenue; add additional escalators, elevators, and stairs to train platforms; and expand the western part of Penn Station, reducing the amount of time it takes passengers to deboard trains and making more frequent service possible. The award was applauded by the Friends of Moynihan Station, an alliance of groups supporting the project that includes TSTC.

Counties in Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey won $23 million for expansion of bike and pedestrian trails that will fill gaps in the Philadelphia region’s trail network and the East Coast Greenway.

Unfortunately, with over $56 billion in applications submitted for the $1.5 billion program, many worthy projects missed out on funds. Among the worthiest was New Haven’s plan to use TIGER funds to jump start a replacement of Route 34 with more walkable urban development. Thankfully, New Haven Mayor John DeStefano has said he will “find the resources” for the project even without the grant.

The TIGER program was designed to fund projects that bolster sustainability, and provided a glimpse into the Obama administration’s green transportation philosophy. Reconnecting America points out that only 23% of program funds went to roads, with the rest split between freight, transit, bike and pedestrian, and multimodal projects.

Image: Via Friends of Moynihan Station.

New Haven is sprinting towards gold in [...]]]>

The proposed plan for 100 College Street would replace highway right-of-way with an office/research building with ground-floor retail and a parking garage. It is the first part of a plan to replace New Haven's Route 34 with development and a connected street grid. (Click to enlarge.)

New Haven is sprinting towards gold in the Highway Removal Olympics. In his State of the City address earlier this week, New Haven Mayor John DeStefano said that 100 College Street, the initial phase of a project to replace Route 34 with development and a street grid, would be underway by late this year or early 2011. The mayor said this first phase would create 900 permanent jobs and start to reconnect downtown New Haven with the Hill neighborhood that was separated by Route 34 — also known, ironically, as the Oak Street Connector — during the city’s urban renewal phase in the 1950s and 1960s.

The location of the 100 College Street project.

100 College Street, pictured above, will be built and paid for by a private developer in the Route 34 right-of-way near the Air Rights Garage. The City will complement the development by closing two highway ramps and redoing the frontage roads to add street parking, improved sidewalks, a bike lane (on North Frontage), and turning lanes. The City will use $5 million of a previous allocation from the federal government and is applying for $40 million in stimulus funds to pay for the change, with Mayor DeStefano promising to “find the resources” if stimulus money does not come in.

Tri-State has long supported the project, which envisions a mix of commercial, residential and retail uses along a boulevard-type roadway, and held an urban highway removal symposium in April 2008 to support the City’s first steps towards enactment.  The drumbeat for removal and for safer streets grew louder when medical student Mila Rainof was killed near Route 34, only a month after the symposium.

While plans for the western portion of the Route 34 “disconnector” are still being discussed by the City and local neighborhood and safe streets groups, 100 College Street has more broad support among key stakeholders and hopefully will move forward quickly.

Image: From the City of New Haven’s “Downtown Crossing” TIGER grant application.

Grassroots bike and pedestrian advocacy has paid off in New Haven. Late last month, the city’s Board of Alders unanimously passed legislation creating a “Complete Streets Steering Committee” which will develop a complete streets policy which provides [...]]]>

New Haven's "Street Smarts" campaign aims to educate all users on how to share the road.

Grassroots bike and pedestrian advocacy has paid off in New Haven. Late last month, the city’s Board of Alders unanimously passed legislation creating a “Complete Streets Steering Committee” which will develop a complete streets policy which provides for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users. This includes developing a design manual and community planning process, and working with the New Haven police department to develop traffic safety benchmarks.

The City of New Haven also kicked off the Street Smarts Campaign last month, an educational safety campaign aimed at motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists.

In an op-ed coinciding with the campaign’s opening event, Mayor DeStefano, in welcome language, called New Haven streets “community spaces” and rightly noted that:

“The combination of higher fuel prices, shifting demographic patterns and the tremendous growth in downtown all suggest that even more people will be walking and cycling on city streets in the coming years. In no uncertain terms, we must be attentive and respectful to everyone using the roadway.”

The Mayor, alderpersons (particularly Erin-Sturgis Pascale and Roland Lemar, who sponsored the complete streets initiative), and groups like the New Haven Safe Streets Coalition should be applauded for the incredible progress they have made in such a short period of time. The combination of grassroots activism, sparked by the tragic deaths of Yale student Mila Rainof and 11-year-old Gabrielle Lee, and open-minded elected officials is a textbook example of how to achieve policy change.

Perhaps this local success will serve as an example to ConnDOT, which is still underfunding bike and pedestrian projects. The agency could broaden the legislation’s impact by targeting transportation dollars to communities like New Haven that show interest in creating pedestrian and bike-friendly developments.