Downtown Crossing: Construction News & Options to Ease Your Commute!

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Phase 2 Construction Overview

Construction of Downtown Crossing Phase 2, the reconnection of Orange Street, will last for approximately two years, from summer 2019 through summer 2021.

The first year of construction will feature many small work areas and is not expected to impact traffic significantly. The second year of construction will feature larger, more intensive work areas as the new intersection is built, and there will be increased impacts to commuters.

Now is the perfect time to experiment with alternate driving routes and/or public transit options that may ease your daily commute, now and in the future! In the articles below, we have provided underutilized driving routes into Downtown New Haven as well public transit options for travel to, from, and within New Haven. Try them out and let us know what you think!

Avoid Delays:

Transit options to, from, and within New Haven

Avoid the stress of driving and travel delays due to highway congestion — explore transit options to, from, and within New Haven!

Transit to/from New Haven

Metro North: – New Haven Line Service between New Haven and shoreline towns to the west and NYC.

Shore Line East: Service between New Haven and shore line towns east to New London.

Hartford Line: Service between New Haven and Springfield, with stops in Meriden, Wallingford, Berlin, Hartford, Windsor, and Windsor Locks.

Transit within New Haven

Free Downtown/Union Station Shuttle : Free shuttle runs between New Haven’s Union Station and seven Downtown New Haven locations, Monday-Friday 6 AM- 10 PM.

Bike New Haven : Rent, ride, and return at convenient locations across the city. Great option for the last mile!

CT transit Bus Service : Local bus service throughout New Haven and surrounding towns.

Avoid Delays:

Alternate Driving Routes

To avoid delays due to construction, consider entering or exiting the highway outside of the project area. There are many options that avoid Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and South Frontage Road, yet still provide easy access to Downtown New Haven.

Some options to explore:

Enter or exit I-95 on Long Wharf/Sargent Drive, utilizing Sargent Drive and Brewery Street to Water Street to access Downtown.

Enter or exit I-95 on Long Wharf/Sargent Drive, utilizing the Church Street Bridge to access Downtown.

Enter or exit I-91 on State Street

Construction News & Schedule

Monday, September 9 – Friday, September 20, 2019

Construction activities for the next two weeks are similar to the previous two weeks' work--single lane closures with minimal impacts to drivers.

Daytime Work

Daytime Work will occur on weekdays between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Overnight Work

One lane will be closed on the South Service Drive (outbound) from the Air Rights Garage, beginning on 6 p.m. on Tuesday, September 10th and lasting until 6 a.m. on Wednesday, September 11 ^th.

Lanes Closures

Various single lane closures will occur on the following roads to accommodate construction:

South Frontage Road between South Orange Street and College Street
Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard between Orange Street and Church Street
North Service Drive at Orange Street
South Service Drive at Orange Street

Pedestrian Detour

A pedestrian detour is in place to accommodate construction on South Frontage Road near Church Street. The detour went into effect on Tuesday, August 13, 2019 and will last for approximately one year. Signage will direct pedestrians around the detour. A map of the pedestrian detour is included below.

Road signage will alert drivers and pedestrians to work areas and lane closures.

Please pay attention to this signage, slow down, and stay safe!

Other Construction

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) will begin nighttime construction on a project unrelated to Downtown Crossing. While unrelated, CTDOT's work will occur in the vicinity of Downtown Crossing construction and will result in nighttime lane closures on North Frontage Road.

The project consists of milling, bridge deck repairs and resurfacing of the Route 34 bridge over US 1 (Columbus Plaza) and CSX Railroad in New Haven. This project is scheduled to occur the evening of Friday, August 9, 2019 to the morning of Friday, September 13, 2019. Click here to learn more about this work.

Below:

Pedestrian Detour . Red area is construction zone, green shows pedestrian detour around construction.
Downtown Crossing work area for the coming weeks. Red areas are construction sites, green and blue show inbound and outbound traffic routes that will be maintained during this construction stage.

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