Route 34 in New Haven, CT was never completed. In the late 1960's the state took 26 acres of land in central New Haven, displaced 600 families and 65 businesses and disconnected the neighborhoods of central New Haven. Now the city has successfully applied for a TIGER II grant and will receive $16M to begin removing the limited access highway.
This hasn't been a fast process in New Haven, and is only becoming possible today due to the support of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, the mayor of New Haven and community and business leaders. The right people are on board, but it's the mission that's the driver of this success. New Haven's director of transportation, traffic and parking focused on the resulting improvements in pedestrian access, stating, "If that is a miserable experience or (people) are getting in their cars and driving then we have failed." The project will employ the city's new Complete Streets manual. Not mention that this gives New Haven an early lead in the Highway Removal Olympics.
{New Haven before and after}
New Haven Route 34 Project
