One of Hartford’s main thoroughfares will undergo a transformation in the new year.
Local officials gathered Wednesday to celebrate the awarding of a contract for streetscape improvements to a roughly half-mile stretch of Farmington Avenue, a major east-west artery. Plans include bicycle lanes, new trees, widened sidewalks, ramps to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and improved crosswalks and pedestrian signals.
“This corridor will be safer, more attractive, more accessible for our residents of Hartford and for the West End neighborhood,” said Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, who’s leaving office at the end of December. “It’ll mean a stronger connection both to our neighbors to the west and our neighborhoods to the east. And it will help support the great and thriving businesses along this corridor.”
Mayor-elect Arunan Arulampalam said he looked forward to supporting the project once in office beginning Jan. 1.
“This is such a core part of our vision for our community, such a big part of the future of this city,” Arulampalam said.
The $11.8 million project is being funded through state and federal grants, according to the mayor’s office. The contract was awarded to Hartford-based civil engineering firm BETA Group, Inc. Work will begin in the spring and last one to two years, officials said.
A representative of BETA Group said the work is not related to other recent construction along Farmington Avenue to replace water lines.
