City Eyes Promenade To Union Station

The walk between Union Station and downtown could become a little less forlorn — thanks to a new 20-foot-wide ​“promenade” the city is looking to build out on Church Street South. 

Meanwhile, the city is also applying for a state grant to help slow down Orange Street.

City Engineer Giovanni Zinn detailed both of those proposed pedestrian-friendly infrastructure projects last Wednesday during the latest monthly online meeting of the City Plan Commission.

The commissioners voted unanimously in support of a handful of different aldermanic referrals for projects overseen by Zinn’s department. One involved accepting funding from the state for the so-called Church Street South Promenade Project. Another involved accepting funding from the state for a long-in-the-works redo of a stretch of Orange Street in East Rock. (See below for more details on the latter.)

“One of the challenges for people coming out of Union Station is finding a good direct route to downtown that is clear and hospitable,” Zinn said about that first project on Wednesday.

Thus the city’s application to the state Department of Transportation for a Transportation Alternatives Program grant.

This grant, if awarded, would help fund a new 20-foot-wide walking and mixed-use path on the east side of Church Street South, from Union Avenue to South Frontage Road. That path would include a ​“vegetated buffer,” and it would be separated by 10 feet from roadway traffic.

Zinn told the Independent that the total estimated cost for the Church Street South promenade project is currently around $3.65 million, with $2.9 million being federal funds and the rest being covered by a state and local match. 

During Wednesday’s meeting, Zinn said the new, larger path would lead north from the train station towards downtown and, conversely, south from downtown to the station. ​“It will dovetail with the planned walkthrough the center of the Church Street South apartment complex site,” now dubbed Union Square, which the housing authority is planning to redevelop into new apartments. (Note that the new city-planned promenade would be installed on Church Street South the street, as opposed to on the site of the former Church Street South apartment complex.)

“We think this will be a good boost to connections, particularly for pedestrians in this area,” Zinn said.

Zinn told the Independent that the Church Street South promenade ​“was identified through SCRCOG [the South Central Regional Council of Governments] as a regional priority and is going through the federal obligation process with CT DOT.” 

Click here to read about another pedestrian infrastructure project the city is planning for Church Street near the highway exit separating downtown from the Hill.

Also on the agenda for Wednesday’s meeting was a proposed resolution authorizing the mayor to accept funding from the state Department of Transportation as part of the Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program (LOTCIP) for safety improvements to Orange Street.

“We had lengthy public engagement around this program over the last few years,” Zinn said on Wednesday.

The funding, if awarded, would focus on pedestrian safety improvements and cutting down crashes on Orange Street between Humphrey Street and Cold Spring Street by lowering the speed limit to 20 miles per hour and providing islands and bump-outs, reduced traffic-crossing distances for pedestrians, improved sightlines at street corners, and other measures.

Zinn said the Orange Street project’s current estimated cost, which is the full amount in the city’s grant application to the state application, is $1,671,600.

“The current plan, which was presented to the community in 2024, features a European-style slow street roadway treatment which is intended to dramatically reduce through traffic, slow travel speeds and allow for a share environment for motorists and cyclists,” reads a City Plan Department staff report on this proposal. ​“On street parking is generally preserved, however curb extensions and adjustments to transit stops, will further enhance intent of a slow-travel speed environment.”

That report continues: ​“The current design prioritizes pedestrian safety as the most vulnerable user in the most protected spot as they cross the roadway and the design also aims to reduce vehicle speed in order to enhance safety for all users. City staff have acknowledged comments, particularly related to the proposed infrastructure for cyclists and the adequacy of on-street parking. City staff will continue providing education about a shared road environment and will monitor performance and safety following implementation.”

Both proposed resolutions now head to the Board of Alders for review and final votes. Zinn said that the estimated costs for both projects could change ​“through the design and bidding process.”

Westville Alder and City Plan Commissioner Adam Marchand spoke up in support of both projects before he and his colleagues voted in support: ​“Seeking and receiving support from the state Department of Transportation to improve our infrastructure and our streetscapes with an eye toward safety and public enjoyment [of] public spaces is definitely harmonious with our comprehensive plan.”