Why The Politicians Crossed The Road

A Congresswoman, a mayor, an alder, a lieutenant governor, and a longtime Hill resident crossed Orange Street Monday morning — because, after a half-century, they finally could.

The notables were among a group of 50 pedestrians and cyclists who made the ceremonial crossing in the rain from Orange Street to South Orange Street through a new ​“safe-streets”-modeled intersection that replaced the former Route 34 Connector mini-highway-to nowhere.

The ceremonial crossing of the newly reconstructed intersection — which was delayed for weeks — marked the completion of phase two of the $50 million ​“Downtown Crossing” project reuniting the Hill and Downtown after the construction of the mini-highway during Urban Renewal pulled them apart.

More than 60 years ago, the Urban Renewal project led to the Hill being cut off from downtown, and 881 households as well as 350 businesses were removed from the vibrant Oak Street neighborhood to build the mile-long highway-to-nowhere, Rt. 34.

“The Urban Renewal connector solely for automobiles destroyed the vibrancy of my community,” said active Hill neighbor Thomasine Shaw, who participated in the walk as well as the original public planning meetings for Downtown Crossing back in 2013. ​“So today I say goodbye to it, but we must keep in mind that Downtown Crossing is one of many important components needed in our quest to transition the Hill into becoming a viable, vibrant community again.” 

This is the third of four planned new street connections across the the now filled-in former highway. A reconnection of Temple Street is planned for 2024.

“I was worried many times about things going so slowly,” Shaw told the Independent. ​“This process took so long, and I’m glad we’re one step closer on our journey of rebuilding hill.” 

The Orange Street connection cost roughly $20 million, with $13 million coming from the state’s Department of Economic and Community Development and the remaining $6.7 million from the federal Department of Transportation’s Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program.

The new Orange Street intersection officially opened in mid-April, more than four years after the city first began working on Downtown Crossing Phase 2. Traffic-safety advocates have raised concerns in the intervening weeks about speeding cars running through red lights as they come off the highway. 

City officials said on Monday they hope that this reconnection can begin to rebuild the vibrancy of the Hill neighborhood by allowing people to walk both downtown as well as to restaurants and businesses in the Hill and Long Wharf.

“I want to see people walking both ways. They can go downtown, but they also have to come up to the Hill,” said Hill Alder Carmen Rodriguez.

U.S Rep. Rosa DeLauro reflected on the long history of reclaiming the Rt. 34 mini-highway, beginning when she worked in City Hall in the late 1970s. She also spoke to detrimental effects of highways in urban neighborhoods like Wooster Square, where she grew up.

Mayor Justin Elicker biked across the intersection during Monday’s ceremonial crossing, followed by other political leaders on foot.

The new connection includes enlarged crosswalks for pedestrians on both sides as well as dedicated bike lanes on all four sides of the intersection. The intersection also features two floating islands in the middle of the eight-lane road connecting to I‑91 and I‑95, which allows for safer crossing for pedestrians and serves as a signal of the importance of pedestrians and bikes. The intersection also has dedicated bike crossing lights and accessible crossing signs.

The city has also applied for an additional $20 million TIGER grant for phase four of the project.