Following the pattern of Manchester, East Hartford is looking to modernize its downtown with traffic roundabouts, a road diet and new pedestrian amenities. The $38 million overhaul is intended to reduce traffic accidents, make biking and walking safer, and revitalize the stretch of Route 44 through the central retail district. Plans are still fluid, but state officials said last week that they’re looking to nail down a firm design. With the state and federal governments picking up the cost, Mayor Connor Martin sees the project as part of a wider campaign to strengthen the town and its business base. The past year has seen Walmart preparing to operate a 1.2-million-square-foot warehouse on Connecticut Boulevard, he said last week, while the Simon Konover Corp. is pouring the foundation for a 150-unit apartment complex along the Connecticut River. Port Eastside’s partners are progressing toward a winter groundbreaking for work on the $90 million reuse of 111 Founders Plaza into a 19-story upscale apartment complex. “It’s ambitious, but they want to start in January,” Martin said. “Change is hard, but change is necessary. As local residents, we know best how busy, how fast, and how difficult Main Street can be to navigate or cross,” he said when the state Department of Transportation publicly detailed the proposal. “The proposed improvements are designed to make this major corridor safer and more accessible for everyone—whether you’re walking, riding a bike, or driving,” Martin said.
$38 million Complete Street, roundabouts, ‘road diet’ in planning for CT town. ‘Change is necessary.’
