Major Milestone Reached in Historic Downtown Crossing Project

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – This week ground was broken on the Downtown Crossing project, known by the acronym DTX, the city's infrastructure project creating a system of urban boulevards on the former Route 34 limited-access highway site.

The site will also be home to 101 College Street is a privately-developed bio-science tower going up on the previously unusable right of way of the old highway. The new 10-story building will have more than 500,000 square feet of lab, research, and meeting space to support New Haven’s rapidly expanding bioscience sector.

Phase 3 of DTX will reconnect Temple Street to Congress Avenue with pedestrian and bicycle-friendly streetscapes designed for slower-speed vehicular traffic.

Work on Phase 1 of DTX began in 2013 with the removal and replacement of the approximately mile-long stretch of highway called the Oak Street Connector with urban boulevards and the addition of pedestrian and bicycle amenities to College Street.

A neighborhood was destroyed to build the 'highway to nowhere'

Thousands of residents and hundreds of business were were dislocated and homes and buildings were demolished in the late 1950s to make way for an expressway to extend west into neighboring towns, but when the plan was abandoned, the expressway became known as the “highway to nowhere," according to a news release from New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker.

Elicker joined Gov. Ned Lamont, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, city officials, Alders, project partners, and stakeholders Monday to wield the ceremonial shovels.

Thanking city staff, elected officials and public and private partners, Elicker said, “Together, we’ve removed what was long called the “Highway to Nowhere” and started on a path to a better future for New Haven. With the construction of 101 College Street, we’re moving towards an expanded city tax base, approximately 700 to 1000 new jobs on site and an expected spur of 3,000 jobs throughout the local economy."

“Most importantly, I want to thank the Board of Alders and the entire New Haven Community for their involvement and support despite the many challenges of an unprecedented pandemic," Elicker said. "This thoughtful, inclusive growth project would not have happened without collaboration among residents, community organizations, neighborhood groups, Community Management Teams, the New Haven Public Schools, and New Haven’s colleges and universities. This effort is an example of our resiliency; together we grow, together we thrive, and together we can build a better City for all of us."

Lamont hailed the multi-phase, multi-faceted project as a template for revitalization efforts in other cities in Connecticut.

“This project is another strong example of my administration's commitment to Connecticut’s cities. By investing in projects like Downtown Crossing and successfully leveraging federal funds as well as public and private partnerships, we will be able to transform Connecticut's city streets and local economy,” Lamont said. “With patience, perseverance, and collaboration, we have solidified New Haven’s standing as one of our state's key bio-science hubs.”

Officials noted that the development associated with Downtown Crossing is being achieved without displacing residents or businesses. DTX Phase 2 includes the reconstruction of South Frontage Road and preparation work for the future extension of Temple Street to Congress Avenue. All of the former exit ramps of the old Route 34 west of Orange Street have been removed. Traffic will continue to flow on city streets, including the recently opened Columbus Avenue near Union Station.

“New Haven is on the forefront of reconnecting communities - addressing the divisive transportation projects from decades ago. This is not an easy process. It requires a long-term vision, coordinated strategy, and strong partnerships. New Haven is thriving because of these efforts, and we are looking at the result of that hard work today,” Blumenthal said.

101 College Street

Carter Winstanley, the developer of 101 College Street, was among the stakeholders at the groundbreaking. Representatives from Arvinas, Inc., BioLabs, and Yale University – all future tenants of 101 College Street – were also on hand. Winstanley Enterprises, LLC, developed 100 College Street, a neighboring, fully-leased bio-tower in DTX, and other buildings with over a million square feet of combined laboratory space, including 300 George Street, 25 Science Park, 275 Winchester Avenue, and 344 Winchester Avenue. Winstanley thanked Governor Lamont, Mayor Elicker, and New Haven Alders for their support and vision. The company recently closed on the 101 College Street site, he said, and construction is expected to begin immediately,

“The site will be home to over 500,000 square feet of new laboratory space and will include the headquarters of Arvinas, new research laboratories for Yale University and BioLabs, which will operate the largest co-working laboratory and technology space in the state,” Winstanley said. “In addition to our ongoing commitment to local hiring in construction, we will continue to make connections to this industry through the BioPath, a new stem classroom for New Haven high school students, and workforce opportunities with New Haven Works. We look forward to this project setting a new precedent for collaboration between public and private industry.”

Yale President Peter Salovey said the University is "pleased to take part in this economic development project for our city and state."

"Yale’s support of the incubator and lab spaces that will be housed at 101 College Street symbolizes our commitment to creating innovative connections among faculty experts, business leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, and community members," he said. "Together, we can speed up the launch of new ventures and make New Haven an international hub for bioscience, pharmaceutical, and health technology companies.”

Representatives of The Together, We Grow inclusive growth program – another key economic development component of the project – were also in attendance. The academic partners from New Haven Public Schools, Southern Connecticut State University, and Gateway Community College discussed BioPath and related initiatives designed to connect residents to new jobs.

Project partners include the City of New Haven’s Economic Development Administration, City Plan Department, Transportation, and Engineering Departments, the New Haven Parking Authority and the State of Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development and Transportation.

Over the four phases of the DTX project, three new intersections – or crossings – along the former expressway will be installed, reestablishing previously severed connections between downtown New Haven, Union Station, the City’s medical district, and the Hill neighborhood. Downtown Crossing is about so much more than restoring the street grid, noted Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro.

“The Downtown Crossing project is about many things: reconnecting the roots of our city with its surrounding neighborhoods, creating good-paying jobs in our City, making our community more walkable and friendlier to cyclists, supporting the continued growth of the biomedical sector of our local economy,” said DeLauro. “I am proud to have secured millions of dollars in federal funding made available for this project. I will continue to fight for the inclusion of this project in the transportation reauthorization bill that will be considered in the House in the coming months.”

Phase 3 infrastructure work is expected to run through the end of 2021. 101 College Street is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2023. The fourth and final phase of infrastructure work has not yet been finalized. Plans call for the construction of a bridge connecting Temple Street to Congress Avenue. The bridge will accommodate pedestrians, bicyclists, and slower-speed motor vehicle traffic. That work is expected to run from 2023 through 2025.

About Downtown Crossing

Downtown Crossing is a City of New Haven infrastructure project that is rebuilding the former Route 34 highway into a system of urban boulevards designed for use by pedestrians and bicyclists, as well as slower speed motor vehicle traffic.

In four phases, the Downtown Crossing is installing three new intersections—or crossings—along the former Route 34 expressway, reconnecting the previously severed connections between Downtown New Haven, Union Station (with Metro North, Hartford Line, and regional Amtrak service), the medical district, and the Hill neighborhood. Over the course of the project, total of approximately 10 acres of prime land will be reclaimed and made available for economic development, without displacing existing residential or business districts.

The history of the Route 34 connector and its impact on a New Haven neighborhood

In 1959, a portion of Route 34 was transformed from a route that wound along New Haven’s urban streets into a "limited access expressway"— a road designed for high-speed traffic only and not suitable for walking, biking, parking, or conducive to economic development.

Some 881 households and 350 businesses were displaced, homes and stores demolished. In their place, a portion of new expressway was constructed to carry Route 34 from Interstate 95 and through the heart of New Haven.

The newly built approximately mile-long stretch of highway was dubbed the “Oak Street Connector,” a reference to the neighborhood that was removed to build it. At the time, the new highway was viewed as progress.

The Route 34 expressway was originally planned to continue beyond New Haven and into suburban towns to the west. However, plans to extend the expressway were eventually abandoned and the Oak Street Connector came to be referred to as “the highway to nowhere.”

Initial planning for the removal of the highway began in the early 2000s, with the goals of enabling economic growth on land prohibited for use by the highway rights of way, restoring the urban street grid, and creating a more welcoming and safer environment for pedestrians and bicyclists.

The Downtown Crossing project was able to move forward when the City of New Haven was awarded a $16 million competitive federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery II (TIGER) grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2010. New Haven was then awarded $20 million in TIGER funding in 2016. The Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development has supported the economic development aspects of the Downtown Crossing project with $21.5 million in funding. Additional support for the project comes from the Connecticut Department of Transportation and City of New Haven.

PHASE 1

Construction on Phase 1 of Downtown Crossing began in 2013 and was completed in 2016. Phase 1 began the process of converting the expressway into to urban boulevards and reconstructed College Street with pedestrian and bicyclist amenities.

Through Phase 1 work, 2.4 acres of land was reclaimed (formerly unusable due to the highway’s right of way) upon which a 14-story, 450,000 square-foot medical lab and research facility was constructed through private investment and was built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. 100 College Street is fully leased, contributing $2.5 million annually to the City’s tax base, and has added over 600 new jobs in New Haven.

PHASE 2

Construction on Phase 2 began in spring 2019 and when completed in the summer of 2021, will reconnect Orange Street across the former Rt. 34 highway, restoring access between Downtown New Haven, Union Station, and the Hill neighborhood.

Phase 2 includes construction of Connecticut’s first protected intersection for bicyclists and pedestrians, street and landscape improvements, flood reduction measures that utilize green technology, traffic calming, a new gateway to the City of New Haven, and will prime the area for economic development.

PHASES 3 & 4

Downtown Crossing Phase 3 will begin the process of reconnecting Temple Street to Congress Avenue with pedestrian and bicycle-friendly streetscapes. Construction for Phase 3 began in May 2021 and will last through the end of 2021.

Phase 3 will free additional prime land, previously unusable due to the highway’s right of way, for private economic development: the construction of 101 College Street: 500,000+ square feet of lab, research, and meeting space in support of New Haven’s burgeoning bioscience economy.

This private development will expand the City’s tax base, add over 800 direct, well-paying bioscience jobs as well as spur approximately 3,000 additional jobs to the local economy, and further establish New Haven as a top bioscience hub.

The Phase 4 construction schedule is not finalized but may occur from 2023 through 2025. Phase 4 will include the construction of the bridge connecting Temple Street to Congress Avenue. The bridge will be designed to accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists as well as slower speed motor vehicle traffic.

Combined with Phase 1 (College Street, completed in 2016) and Phase 2 (Orange Street, opening this summer), the Temple Street connection to Congress Avenue will restore the urban street grid connections between the Hill, Downtown, the Medical District, and Union Station for pedestrians, bicyclists, and slower speed motor vehicle traffic.