Project Phase Details

Phase 1: College Street

Phase one of Downtown Crossing began construction in 2013 and was completed in 2016. Phase 1 began the process of converting the expressway into to urban boulevards. Through Phase 1 work 2.4 acres of land was reclaimed (formerly unusable due to the highway’s right of way. 100 College Street was constructed on the land through private investment and the fully leased building is contributing to the City’s tax base.

100 College Street and the project area at the end of Phase 1 construction.

Downtown Crossing Phase 2: Orange Street Reconnected to South Orange Street

In Phase 2, Orange Street will reconnect to South Orange Street with an at-grade intersection across the Route 34 corridor (MLK Boulevard, South Frontage Road, and the Air Rights Garage Service Drives).

Four pedestrian refuges will be created at each corner of the intersection, with mid-block medians to serve as a refuge areas for the north-south crossing. Medians will include decorative lighting and landscaping.

With more miles of bike lanes than any municipality in Connecticut, New Haven’s existing bicycle infrastructure will be further strengthened in Phase 2 with the installation of the first protected bike intersection in Connecticut. The protected bike intersection will be designed to provide safe navigation for bicyclists traveling the new Orange Street-MLK Boulevard-South Frontage Road intersection.

Left: Orange Street in its present condition, severed by the Rt. 34 corridor. Right: The new Orange Street intersection providing a North-south connection across the Route 34 corridor, connecting City districts and providing direct access to Union Station and the Hill neighborhood.

Phase 3: Temple Street Extended to Congress Avenue

In Phase 3, a bridge will be constructed to extend Temple Street (above the Air Rights Garage service drives) to Congress Avenue. The extension of Temple Street to Congress Avenue will provide another multi-modal connection between Downtown New Haven and the Hill neighborhood, reclaim more land for development, include measures to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion in the areas surrounding Temple Street Garage, and beautification and place-making measures.

Completed Project With Development

The future bridge will feature a public plaza and will be designed to accommodate motor vehicle, pedestrian, and bicycle traffic. The new connection between Temple Street and Congress Avenue will feature generous sidewalks on the west, with the public plaza on the east. The road will have two lanes for motor vehicle traffic in each direction, for a total of 4 lanes. Six-foot on-road bike lanes will be separated from motor vehicle lanes by a two-foot buffer zone.

Once completed, Phase 3 construction will enable access to two land parcels for new development: 1.63 acres between College and Temple Streets and 1.23 acres between Temple and Church Streets. In addition to being previously inaccessible, these parcels were unavailable for use or development due to the former Route 34 expressway right-of-way. The land value of the two new development parcels will increase from $0 to approximately $47 per square foot, yielding tax revenues and economic benefits to the City. It is estimated that the entire Downtown Crossing Project could yield net tax revenues of in the millions, Phase 1 alone has added approximately $3 million to the City’s grand list.