Land Sale Pitched To Make ​“Death Blvd” Safer

The city plans to sell a small portion of publicly-owned land near the Ella T. Grasso-Orange-Columbus-Davenport Avenue intersection to the state Department of Transportation (DOT) to help facilitate long-awaited pedestrian safety improvements to New Haven’s deadliest stretch of road for pedestrians.

That proposed land deal is included as a communication in the agenda package for Monday night’s regular bimonthly meeting of the full Board of Alders.

It comes as the city considers a range of citywide pedestrian-safety infrastructure upgrades — including the launch of Phase 2 of the Safe Routes for All campaign and the revamping of major corridors including Whitney Avenue, Whalley Avenue, and Valley Street, among others (see more below) — and state legislators push new slower-speed enforcement strategies in response to a recent surge in pedestrian and cyclist fatalities on city streets.

The proposed aldermanic resolution would allow the city to dispose of a 381-square-foot parcel that constitutes a portion of 200 Derby Ave. to the state DOT for $1,500.

That land sale would then allow the DOT to proceed with a pedestrian-safety infrastructure project taking shape at the perilous intersections of Rt. 1 (Orange Avenue and Columbus Avenue), Rt. 10 (Ella T. Grasso Boulevard), and Davenport Avenue in the Hill near the West Haven border.

According to a March 25 cover letter written by city Economic Development Administrator Michael Piscitelli in support of the proposed deal, those improvements would include pedestrian ramps, pedestrian push buttons, and pedestrian crossing signals where none currently exist.

Four of the city’s 11 pedestrian and cyclist deaths last year occurred on a single 0.4‑mile stretch that includes that busy Hill/West River intersection, making it by far the deadliest run in the city for pedestrians and a long-time hotspot of concern for neighbors, safe streets advocates, and city transportation officials.

That concentration of pedestrian deaths near a single intersection, Piscitelli wrote, only underscores ​“the importance of the installation of pedestrian safety improvements as quickly as possible at this location.”

The proposed land sale now advances to an aldermanic committee for a hearing before returning to the full board for consideration and a potential final vote.

Earlier this year, the state DOT spokesperson told the Independent that the state plans to begin construction on upgraded signal equipment, including pedestrian signals, at that intersection starting in April 2022. City transportation and engineering department heads also told the Independent that a new stretch of sidewalk will be built on the east side of the street by St. Bernadette Cemetery.

Click here to read the full aldermanic submission.

$14.3M In Major Corridor Upgrades Proposed

Monday’s Board of Alders meeting agenda package also includes a proposal from City Engineer Giovanni Zinn for the alders to allow the mayor to sign project authorization letters for $14.3 million in traffic safety improvement work as part of the city’s Major Corridor Improvement Projects.

The request marks the latest step in Zinn’s office’s bid to redo major roadway arteries across the city to slow down traffic and make them safer for all users of the road, including pedestrians, cyclists, and bus riders.

The proposal submitted to the Board of Alders would allow his department to use $14.3 million in state DOT funds provided to the city through the Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program (LOTCIP).

The traffic safety improvement funds would be spent as follows:

• $5.5 million for Whalley Avenue from Ella T. Grasso Boulevard and Broadway.
• $2.7 million for Whitney Avenue from Trumbull Street to the Hamden town line.
• $2.7 million for Quinnipiac Avenue between Townsend Avenue and Foxon Boulevard.
• $2 million for Valley Street between Pond Lily Avenue and Blake Street.
• $800,000 for South Frontage Road between Howard Avenue and York Street.
• $600,000 for Lighthouse Road between Townsend Avenue and Park Avenue.

“The goal of the Major Corridors initiative is to improve the safety of our main streets throughout New Haven,” Zinn wrote to the alders. ​“Examples of work include improving bike/pedestrian safety through the addition of enhanced crosswalks, bike lanes, sidewalks, milling and paving, adjusting intersection geometry, improving drainage and adding green stormwater infrastructure, improved lighting, and other improvements.”

He wrote that the city has received notification from the South Central Regional Council of Governments (SCRCOG) that these projects are eligible for 100 percent LOTCIP funding.

“Under LOTCIP, the City is responsible for creating the design, while LOTCIP covers 100% of the construction costs,” Zinn wrote. ​“The City has held community meetings and will continue to engage the public throughout the design phase process.”