New Britain Earns National Award for Complete Streets Project
By Editor at February 26, 2024 | 8:15 am | Print
The City of New Britain has earned a “National Recognition Award” from the American
Council of Engineering Companies for improvements made under Complete Streets Master Plan that has transformed the downtown area.
“Through our complete streets initiative, we are reinventing our downtown by making it more attractive to residents, visitors, and developers, enhancing connections to other neighborhoods, and encouraging transit oriented development near CTFastrak,” said Mayor Erin Stewart. “People are interested in cities that are investing in themselves.”
In announcing the award, ACEC noted that the Complete Streets plan “leverages the city’s best assets—it’s dense, compact, walkable downtown; open spaces, and many beautiful, historically significant buildings—with a comprehensive network of multi-modal transportation and urban design improvements.”
Improvements have included the redesign of nine intersections to improve crossings for pedestrians, an expanded Central Park, the addition of bicycle lanes, a historical walking sign tour, increased landscaping, granite curbing, decorative pavers, and an innovative head-out parking system. Design standards have also been created to create a uniform look to the downtown area.
“This is a prestigious honor that recognizes the forward thinking changes we are making in our downtown area to make it safer for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists,” said Public Works Director Mark Moriarty.
Other planned work includes the installation of a roundabout at the intersection of Bank Street and Columbus Boulevard, the rehabilitation of the Main Street overpass to become the Beehive Bridge that carries Main Street over Route 72, and streetscape improvements on Myrtle and East Main Streets, from Washington Street down to the Harry Truman Overpass.
The City of New Britain and Urban Engineers, Inc.—the engineering firm that worked on the project—will be honored at a black tie gala in Washington, D.C. in April.
