New Haven schedules community meeting on I-91 reconnection plan after $2 million federal planning grant

The New Haven Board of Alders announced a $2,000,000 federal planning grant and scheduled the first community meeting for the I-91 Neighborhood Reconnection Initiative on Oct. 15 at 5 p.m. at Willow Estate, Alders said during the meeting.

The initiative, a collaborative effort by the city and Alders Sabin, Cutho, Rodriguez and Agresta, is intended to use the federal planning funds to study and design improvements near Interstate 91 aimed at safer intersections, making land available for affordable housing and repurposing underpasses so they reconnect neighborhoods rather than divide them. A first session will focus on Exit 6 and will include a walking review of a route commonly used by students between Fairhaven and a nearby overpass.

The initiative grew from local concerns about the long-term effects of past highway construction and seeks to translate planning grant money into a local plan for safer crossings, increased housing opportunity and improved pedestrian connections. Alders said the planning grant will be used for design and community engagement; further work or construction would require additional funding and approvals.

The board framed the project as a planning and design effort rather than an immediate construction program. Details distributed at the meeting said the initial session will concentrate on the Exit 6 area and pedestrian routes used by students. The announcement invited residents to attend the Oct. 15 session and take part in the walk and local planning discussions.

The Board of Alders did not vote on construction actions at the meeting; the announcement described the grant and scheduled outreach as planning steps.