An already congested thoroughfare — and well-traveled commuter route from suburbs to the west — is expected to worsen this summer as a major leg of $315 million underground electric transmission cable upgrade will lead to lane closures, partly shut down streets and lengthy detours. The epicenter of the construction along Asylum Avenue in Hartford is at the intersection of Scarborough and Whitney streets in the West End with work tentatively beginning on May 4 and stretching between eight and 12 weeks, according to a project update provided to local property owners by Eversource Energy. For years, traffic congestion on Asylum Avenue — stretching from Asylum Hill through the West End — has been a concern for the city, with proposals aired in recent years to ease congestion. The concern is so great that West End residents complained at a hearing on a neighborhood development proposal in late 2024 that they were forced to take longer, alternate routes just to avoid the near-constant gridlock. Eversource, the state’s largest utility, won state approval to replace nearly 7 miles of aging, underground transmission lines in Hartford — installed in 1974 — with more advanced cables. The work along Asylum Avenue is a slice of a 3-year project, which didn’t need local approvals.
Massive $315M electrical project to bring weeks of detours to CT community’s well-traveled route
