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Connecticut Riverwalk plans for extension to begin next year

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What began as a bid for a one-mile extension of the Riverwalk along the Connecticut River in Hartford morphed into an almost $3.2 million and four-year project, the first part of which is set to be completed next summer.

Once completed, the Riverwalk will open up a cycling and pedestrian pathway across the Connecticut River on I-291 down into Hartford.

Under the proposed expansion, the Riverwalk is set to extend through Hartford and into Windsor, according to Sandra Fry, Hartford’s historic structures and bicycle and pedestrian initiatives principal planner.

The construction includes two phases, the first of which will extend the trails and bike paths north from the Greater Hartford Jaycees Boathouse to the corner of Weston Street, Fry said. The second part of the project, which will link the Hartford waterfront to Windsor and beyond, will be completed at a later date as the land intended for the expansion is still privately owned.

A map of the proposed Riverwalk plan to extend the walk to Weston St. (Image provided by Sandra Fry)
A map of the proposed Riverwalk plan to extend the walk to Weston St. (Image provided by Sandra Fry)

The purpose of the long-term Riverwalk expansion is to offer a more accessible route for people traveling or biking across the river as well as encourage recreational use for runners and those wanting a scenic walk, Fry said.

“It’s important to provide access to the river for Hartford residents who haven’t traditionally had good access to the river,” Fry said. “Making the final connection opens the possibility for commuting for people east of the river, because it comes across the I-291 bridge to the trail in Windsor. It’s not just opening up to people north, but east of Hartford too.”

The Weston Street extension is set to begin next summer, as the preliminary design has been completed and the project is slated for construction under the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program, administered by the DOT, Fry said.

“We hope to have the design completed by early next year. Then it will go out to a bid and be under construction in 2020, during the spring or early summer. It will take one construction season,” Fry said.

For the Weston Street extension, the planning and construction costs will be $2.5 million. Including the extension to Windsor, the cost of the project is $3.16 million, Fry said. This does not include the cost of acquiring land for the pathway from Weston Street to Windsor.

As part of the grant awarded by the state, the Federal Highway Administration will pay for 80 percent of that $3.16 million, which is about $2.5 million, leaving the city of Hartford to supply the remaining 20 percent, according to Fry. That money has already been budgeted and approved by the city.

The second part of the construction, which will bring the paths across the river, connecting Hartford to Windsor, is still in the planning stage. The land is currently split into four parcels all privately owned by the same family, according to Michael Zaleski, the president and CEO of Riverfront Recapture.

The Connecticut Riverwalk expansion design has been completed and and first part of the construction is set to begin next summer.
The Connecticut Riverwalk expansion design has been completed and and first part of the construction is set to begin next summer.

Riverfront Recapture, a nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting residents to the Connecticut River, is working with the city of Hartford on the Riverwalk expansion project. Riverfront Recapture is helping facilitate the purchase of the privately-owned 60 acres leading from the Weston Street to Windsor, Zaleski said.

“There will be no city of Hartford funds used to acquire the parcel,” Zaleski said. “It is coming from a local foundation.”

The city of Hartford initially applied in 2016 for the federal grant geared toward alternative methods of transportation under the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act passed under President Obama in 2015, Fry said.

The city applied for an alternative transportation grant, which is offered every five years, with the plan to extend the Riverwalk a mile, but the Capitol Region Council of Governments reviewing the application chose to expand the project significantly further, Fry said.

“When the Department of Transportation received the application, they wanted a logical terminus to the street. A system that made it longer to connect to Weston Street,” Fry said.

Abigail Brone can be reached at abrone@courant.com.