Norwalk commission unanimously backs letter supporting East Wall Street connectivity grant

The Norwalk Bike Walk Commission voted unanimously on May 5 to authorize a staff member to finalize and send a letter of support for a state Community Connectivity Grant submission to extend streetscape and bicycle improvements on East Wall Street between Brook Street and East Avenue.

Nel Blazkowicz, who has been coordinating with city planning staff, described the proposed project as a streetscape scope that would connect bike lanes to the larger Wall Street project, upgrade sidewalks, and include a bike box at East Wall Street where it meets East Avenue. "This would be for the state's community connectivity grant project submission, for this upcoming year," Nel said, explaining the intent to submit for fiscal year 2025–26 funding.

Commissioners asked questions about whether the five‑way intersection would be in the project area and how the design would address vehicle queuing that can block bike lanes. Commissioners acknowledged that the project would not by itself resolve all safety issues at the intersection but said extending the streetscape and continuous bike lanes is a necessary step.

Emily moved to authorize staff to edit and send a form letter of support for the grant on behalf of the commission. The motion was seconded, called and the presiding officer recorded the vote as unanimous.

Commissioners asked for a draft to review and requested the letter be returned for final edits if necessary; staff requested May 14 to submit the letter. The action is advisory — a local letter of support to accompany the municipal grant application — and does not bind the city to the project design or funding.

The grant submission and the commission letter are part of an ongoing planning process; design work and specific changes to on‑street parking and signalization will be determined in later engineering phases if the grant is awarded.