A sweeping plan that would dramatically reshape transportation in the Hartford area — including taking the unusual step of adding two bridges over the Connecticut River — aims to ease traffic congestion and restore connections between neighborhoods but also would take decades to fully build and cost more than $10 billion.
The recommendations from the three-year Greater Hartford Mobility Study, released by the state Department of Transportation, provide a blueprint for improving highway travel. But the study also went well beyond to include rail, bus, bicycle and the pedestrian — and includes dozens of smaller projects in neighborhoods that could get started well before the big-ticket highway improvements, perhaps in the next five years.
The vision is the most ambitious in the two generations since interstate highway construction carved up Hartford and the surrounding area in the 1960s and 1970s and would require significant federal funding to make it a reality.
The recommendations outlined in the mobility study report are in the earliest stages, developed partly with discussion with local officials and neighborhood groups. Federal environmental assessments and securing financing are still major hurdles that must be cleared for the larger projects and could stretch out for years. Along the way will be public meetings, local approvals and potential changes to the recommendations now being outlined.
At the center of the mobility study is the relocation of the I-84/I-91 interchange, a notorious bottleneck, about a mile to the north, returning the historic Bulkeley Bridge to its roots as an urban boulevard. The bridge also could perhaps accommodate a future extension of the CTfastrak busway to the east.
The interchange relocation has been talked about for years as have other major components of the study: the lowering of the I-84 viaduct and changing its route to meet with the new interchange; capping I-91 where it passes by Connecticut River; and simplifying the maze of interstate roadways and ramps that spill over from Hartford into East Hartford.
The four highway projects alone are estimated to cost up to $12 billion.
Lower the 1-84 viaduct in Hartford
Name: CityLink West
Estimated Cost: $3.5-4.5 billion
The Problem: The I-84 and Hartford Line rail corridors are constrained by the existing viaduct
structure that has exceeded its useful life. The viaduct has a tangle of entrance and exit ramps that force motorists to abruptly switch lanes, often leading to crashes.
Exit ramps put fast moving traffic directly into the local road network, which further leads to crashes in the downtown area.
The structure now carries triple the traffic volume it was designed for in the 1970s and cuts a swath through the heart of Hartford, separating neighborhoods.
Goal: Address traffic safety and the aging viaduct that has cost tens of millions to maintain, and improve travel experience on the Hartford Line. Reconnect neighborhoods torn apart by the highway and viaduct.
Potential solutions: Reconstruct I-84 as a lowered, at- or below-grade highway
between Park Street and Walnut Street and eliminate some on- and off-ramps. The lowered highway could be capped in certain areas, including adjacent to Bushnell Park, to better reconnect neighborhoods divided by the original construction. Space could also be created for redevelopment.
Relocation of the Hartford Line tracks would create new passenger platforms about 800 feet west of the existing Union Station and allow for rail system improvements.
“When people think about congestion, usually they just think if you add a lane to a highway, we’re going to fix the congestion, right?” Garrett T. Eucalitto, the state’s transportation commissioner, said. “Transportation thinking has changed over the past 20 years where that’s really not the case.”
Eucalitto said congestion is closely tied with the frequency of crashes — and the ripple effect something as simple as a fender bender can have on traffic for miles.
The interstates that pass through Hartford and East Hartford are highly traveled and were not designed to carry as much traffic as they now do.
The mobility study tackled the problem by making recommendations that would cut down on crashes that not only increase travel times, but also have an economic consequence as business travel and the moving of freight slows down, Eucalitto said
“We’re trying to reduce some of the high conflict points to reduce some of weaving where people are crossing each other all the time,” Eucalitto said. “That’s going to reduce the number of crashes. We’re going to reduce congestion.”
The I-91/1-84 interchange — and the roadways that lead into it — are well-known for such weaving and resulting crashes, scrape marks on jersey barriers clear evidence.
Eliminate the current I-84/I-91 interchange in Hartford
Name: CityLink East
Estimated Cost: $3.5-4.5 billion
The Problem: A major bottleneck at the heart of downtown causes severe congestion and a high rate of crashes as motorists approach the I-84/I-91 interchange from both the west and the east.
Goal: Improve the traffic and travel hazards at the I-84 interchange. Return the Bulkeley Bridge to its historical roots as a boulevard to support multiple modes of transportation, including a possible extension of the CTfastrak busway to the east.
Potential solutions: The I-84/I-91 interchange would be relocated a mile to the north to connect with I-91. As the route of I-84 heads west beyond the lowered viaduct it would be straightened and rerouted under the intersection of Albany and Main streets continuing on to the North Meadows where it would meet I-91 in a new location. The portion of I-84 that sliced through downtown heading to the Bulkeley Bridge would be eliminated, and the bridge would be transformed into an urban boulevard.
New, safer ramp connections would be designed.
A new bridge would be built over the Connecticut River to connect I-84 with where it now travels from East Hartford. As part of the interchange shift, Route 2 would be connected directly to I-91 via the new bridge, eliminating the existing often hazardous connection via the Bulkeley Bridge.
“I know myself, traveling through the interchange — and I’ve done it multiple times — but there always a question: are you in the correct lane to go through?” Nilesh Patel, principal engineer in the DOT’s highway design division, said. “And that causes a lot of drivers to change lanes. And that obviously introduces more conflicts and more chances for conflicts.”
Two new bridges
One of the two new bridges would address a major source of the weaving in the area of the existing interchange.
A new bridge north of Hartford would connect Route 2 directly with I-91 and eventually with the relocated interchange and I-84. For travelers on Route 2 west trying to reach I-91 and perhaps, Bradley International Airport, there would no longer be the need to take the exit to I-84. Currently, making the connection to I-91 requires an abrupt lane change on the Bulkeley Bridge to reach the entrance ramp to I-91 north.
Similarly, motorists trying to reach Route 2 east from I-91 south would no longer have to negotiate the hairpin turn exit that now dumps drivers onto an often congested I-84 east.
Route 2 would connect to the bridge over land the state owns that was once designated for a highway project that was never built. The project alone, Eucalitto said, would remove 20-25% of traffic from the immediate area of the existing interchange and the Bulkeley Bridge.
Lower I-91 along the Connecticut River in Hartford
Name: River Gateway
Estimated Cost: $1-$1.5 billion
The Problem: I-91 separates Hartford from its historical connection to the Connecticut River, and there are not enough easily-accessible options for going back-and-forth over the river.
Goal: Strengthen Hartford’s connections to the Connecticut River and East Hartford to enhance the local road network and multi-modal connectivity in this area. Correct operational traffic problems on I-91.
Potential solutions: Lower and cap I-91 as it passes along the Connecticut River between Coltsville and downtown Hartford. Capping the highway, which would dovetail with other planning efforts such as Hartford 400, would allow the construction of an urban boulevard. The boulevard that would provide easier access to the riverfront by bicyclists and pedestrians.
New exits would be designed to possibly connect I-91 to the Founders Bridge and Trinity Health Stadium, the former Dillon Stadium. A new bridge across the Connecticut River – prioritizing pedestrian and bicycle travel – could accommodate local car traffic. The new bridge could extend the Whitehead Highway or Charter Oak Avenue in Hartford to East River Drive in East Hartford, tying the two communities closer together in collaboration with the Port Eastside development.
“Even if nothing else happens, and let’s say the federal government shuts down the entire federal highway program and never funds anything again, right?” Eucalitto said. “This would be a huge benefit to Connecticut, even if we never moved I-84 onto it.”
The bridge also would lay the groundwork for the future interchange relocation and the rerouting of I-84 away from the heart of downtown Hartford. If moved, I-84 would eventually share the bridge.
Eucalitto said the bridge project — integral to key portions of the study’s recommendations — could be one of the first bigger projects to be completed, but construction would still be a decade away.
Knitting neighborhoods back together
The mobility study also had a wider purpose of reversing some of the ill effects of interstate construction that accompanied 1960s Urban Renewal. The major highway recommendations contained in the study each seek to “knit back together” neighborhoods, especially on Hartford’s northside, that were torn apart by the original construction.
The changes would create new opportunities for redevelopment and recreation, both in Hartford and East Hartford. Nearly two dozen entrance and exit ramps — some that have long lost their original purpose — could be eliminated.
Capping I-91 as it passes along stretches of the Connecticut River would restore Hartford’s historic connection to its riverfront, creating an urban boulevard on top of the cap fostering access to the river. The recommendation dovetails with the vision of the Hartford 400 planning project.
The project has long been advocated by U.S. Rep. John B. Larson, D-East Hartford, in various proposals, including burying the highway in a tunnel. He also advocated the same for the I-84 viaduct.
Larson also was a primary proponent of taking a broader look at transportation in the Hartford that led to the mobility study. In 2019, the state, after six years of study, was close to a recommendation on lowering the viaduct but shifted gears to look at the wider transportation system. The idea was that segments of the region’s transportation system must work together as a cohesive whole right down to the pedestrian.
DOT’s Eucalitto said the study advocates stronger ties between Hartford and East Hartford beyond the highway that now exists. The current configuration doesn’t have a lot of palatable options for an individual who wants to ride a bike or just walk between Hartford and East Hartford.
A second bridge to the south of the first is envisioned to make another connection between Hartford and East Hartford.
The developers of the $850 million Port Eastside project in East Hartford’s Founders Plaza see a similar bridge for pedestrians and bicyclists, part of a loop that would connect Hartford and East Hartford.
The mobility study recommends the bridge also carry limited local traffic, perhaps an extension of Charter Oak Avenue.
Simplify the highway system on East Hartford side of the Connecticut River
Name: Founders Gateway
Estimated Cost: $1-$1.5 billion
The Problem: The Route 2/I-84 interchange in East Hartford is an overly complex
maze of ramps and roadways. It creates divisions between Hartford and East Hartford
and its extensive ramp systems pushes highway travel deep into East Hartford.
Goal: Consolidate the existing Route 2/I-84 interchange in East Hartford, improving
operations and safety. Free up land to create more opportunities for development that aligns with East Hartford’s economic development goals
Potential solutions: Reduce the number of ramps and realign connections to
minimize the land occupied by the highway interchange and opening it up for future development. The changes would create options for strengthening the local street grid, supporting both businesses and residential neighborhoods.
“I think they are compatible in terms of the vision they want to achieve,” Kevin J. Burnham, transportation supervising engineer in the DOT’s division of highway design, said. “The purpose of creating this walking loop is valuable, and whatever kind of bridge with any kind of vehicle traffic, we would make sure it served that purpose as well.”
‘Complete the whole picture’
While the study’s highways and new bridges may garner the most attention, the 60 smaller projects are crucial to bridging the gap between the highways and other forms of transportation, right down to biking and walking.
“These smaller things make it easier because everyone eventually is going to have part of their trip walking,” Burnham said. “And we want to complete the whole picture.”
In Hartford, the projects include a reconfiguration of Pulaski Circle in downtown Hartford; the ramp off I-84 at Sisson Avenue in the city’s West End and the enclosed walkway over I-91 that connects downtown Hartford to the riverfront.
In East Hartford, there is the reshaping of Main Street to make it more inviting to bicyclists and pedestrians, and there are upgrades to the bicycle networks around such rail stations as Windsor and Windsor Locks to encourage use of mass-transit and alternate ways to get there.
There are systemwide improvements such as rethinking evening bus routes to better serve riders who work non-traditional hours.
In Hartford’s Pulaski Circle, vehicles traveling fast dump off I-91 into the traffic circle near Bushnell Park. Once there, they converge with slower moving vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians already struggling to navigate the confusing, even dangerous, area.
Between 2017 and 2021, there were 121 crashes in Pulaski Circle, 18 involving pedestrians with rear-end collisions accounting for more than half of incidents, according to traffic statistics. Nearly 20% resulted in injuries.
Pulaski Circle is poised to become a gateway to the Bushnell South redevelopment district. It could be helped by more signs to urge those exiting I-91 on what is known as the Whitehead Highway to slow down. What may ultimately be needed is a reconstruction into a modern roundabout or intersection with traffic lights.
The price tag for the smaller projects range from an estimated $500,000 to $20 million.
“We can address the deficiency without the decade of planning and design work of some of the bigger projects,” said Casey R. Hardin, transportation planning director at AECOM in Rocky Hill and a consultant on the state’s study. “And there are benefits that tend toward more equitable, better transit connections.”
