Construction News & Schedule
for the ONE-WEEK period of
Tuesday, June 1 - Friday, June 4, 2021
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OVERVIEW: Traffic Impacts for Tuesday, June 1 - Friday, June 4, 2021
There will be a significant change to the traffic pattern this week.
Beginning this evening (Tuesday, June 1, 2021) and lasting until November of this year, South Frontage Road will be closed between College and Church Streets to safely accommodate Downtown Crossing Phase 3 construction.
Please note:
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Detour routes around the South Frontage Road closure will be marked with on-street signage to guide drivers through the detour. Please pay attention to the signage, slow down, and stay safe!
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The South Frontage Road closure will be put into effect beginning on the evening of Tuesday, June 1 at 6 p.m. The first full day the closure will be in place will be Wednesday, June 2, 2021.
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South Frontage Road is a major outbound route from Downtown New Haven & the Medical District to I91/I95. As such, the closure of South Frontage Road between College and Church Streets will mostly impact outbound traffic from Downtown New Haven & the Medical District to I91/I95. There will be some impacts from those who use South Frontage Road to approach to Downtown New Haven & the Medical District from the west.
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The Service Drives to and from I91/I95 to the Air Rights Garage and to the parking garage under 100 College Street will not be impacted by the closure of South Frontage Road between College and Church Streets. However, drivers leaving the Air Rights Garage and 100 College Street parking garage from exits that do not lead directly to the Service Drives may be impacted by the South Frontage Road closure.
Please see the section immediately below for maps of the closed portion of South Frontage Road, detour routes, and more.
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CLOSED PORTION OF SOUTH FRONTAGE ROAD |
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SOUTH FRONTAGE ROAD DETOURS |
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Please note:
- On-road signage will guide drivers through the detour routes.
- Howard Ave., Ella Grasso Blvd., and Columbus Ave. detours are designed to keep traffic out of the construction area altogether in an effort to reduce congestion and delays.
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The detour immediately around the closed portion of South Frontage Road will serve those who cannot avoid the construction area.
Road signage will alert drivers and pedestrians to work areas and lane closures.
Please pay attention to this signage, slow down, and stay safe!
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SOUTH FRONTAGE ROAD DETOUR ROUTES |
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Close-up: Detour Immediately Around Construction Site |
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Other Road Mitigations Designed to Improve Traffic Flow |
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Portion of Columbus Avenue Permanently Reopened |
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Frequently Asked Questions: SFR Closure |
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Why is South Frontage Road between College and Church Streets closing from June until November 2021?
This portion of South Frontage Road (SFR) is being closed to accommodate Downtown Crossing Phase 3 construction, which is preparing the area for a future bridge that will reconnect Temple Street to Congress Avenue. The SFR closure is needed to safely raise the height of the road by approximately eight feet to meet the grade of the future bridge.
When completed, the bridge connecting Temple Street to Congress Avenue will reconnect Downtown New Haven & the medical district to the Hill neighborhood for pedestrians, bicyclists, and slower speed motor vehicle traffic.
The portion of SFR between College and Church Streets will be closed from June 1, 2021 until approximately November 2021.
How will I get around?
An official detour route has been established for drivers. On-street signage will guide drivers through the detour route. Please pay attention to this signage, slow down, and stay safe!
Alternate routes have been developed to provide commuters with additional options, outside of the signed detour route, to access I91/I95. There are many routes to and from Downtown New Haven and the Medical District that are underutilized and may provide efficient alternatives to commuters -- even outside of Downtown Crossing Phase 3 construction!
Alternate route information can be found on the Downtown Crossing New Haven website under South Frontage Road Closure Information tab and will also be shared in hardcopy at large parking locations throughout the construction corridor.
How were the alternate routes developed?
The Downtown Crossing team selected over 15 large parking garages and parking lots that serve thousands of vehicles in the construction area. The team then developed alternate routes from these parking locations to I91 & I95 to provide commuters with travel options, in addition to the signed detour route, that may reduce travel delays. The alternate routes, along with the official, signed detour route, are intended to alleviate traffic congestion and commuter delays during the SFR closure for Downtown Crossing Phase 3 construction.
How can I ask a question or leave a comment about the Downtown Crossing project?
Please also feel free to share this link with friends, neighbors, and family that may benefit from receiving construction news email updates: they can sign up for alerts here!
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Other Construction Impacts |
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Additional, minor construction impacts for the week of Tuesday, June 1 - Friday, June 4, 2021 are as follows:
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Nighttime work (temporary, total lane closures): During overnight work hours (6p.m. to 6 a.m.) between Tuesday, June 1 and Friday, June 4, 2021, all lanes on South Frontage Road, in the vicinity of Orange Street, and all lanes on Orange Street, in the vicinity of South Frontage Road, may briefly close to allow for the installation of new overhead signage for the soon-to-open Orange Street intersection, part of Downtown Crossing Phase 2 work.
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Daytime work: Up to two concurrent lane closures will occur on South Frontage Road during daytime work hours to accommodate utility work for Downtown Crossing Phase 3.
In addition to the work listed above, various single-lane closures will continue to occur in the construction area. Existing pedestrian detours also remain in place. Please see below for details on lane closures and pedestrian detours.
LANE CLOSURES
Throughout the one-week period of Tuesday, June 1 - Friday, June 4, 2021 various lane closures may occur on the following roads to accommodate construction:
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Inbound & Outbound Service Drives: single-lanes closures on the roads that provide access to parking under 100 College Street and go on to provide access to the Air Rights Garage
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State Street at North Frontage Road: singles lanes closures near the intersection of Union Avenue and Water Street
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South Frontage Road: single and double lane closures may occur on SFR between Temple Street and South Orange Street; brief overnight traffic stoppages for overhead sign installation
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Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard: single lane closures between Church Street and Orange Street
WORK HOURS
Both day and night work will occur in the Downtown Crossing construction area between Tuesday, June 1 - Friday, June 4, 2021.
- Daytime work hours are weekdays between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
- Overnight work hours are weekdays between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Any construction work that may impact traffic flow will not occur during peak commuting hours, between 7 and 9 a.m. or between 3 and 6 p.m. on Monday through Friday.
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Pedestrian Detour at the Union Avenue Underpass
A minor pedestrian detour went into effect on Monday, March 9, 2020 and was originally expected to last until mid-May. However, this detour will now remain in place through the spring of 2021 to accommodate the installation of a public art project on the west side of the Union Avenue underpass, where Union Avenue meets North Frontage Road, State Street, and Water Street. Pedestrians will be able to access the area simply by using the sidewalk at the east side of the bridge, which is located just across the street.
Below:
- Photo of the vicinity of the Union Avenue underpass pedestrian detour
- Rendering of "Lighting Your Way" be Sheila Levrant de Bretteville of Site Projects New Haven.
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Pedestrian Detour around South Frontage Road
A pedestrian detour is in place to accommodate construction on South Frontage Road near Church Street. The detour went into effect on Tuesday, August 13, 2019 and was originally scheduled to last for approximately one year, until the summer of 2020. However, the detour will now remain in place until the summer of 2021 to accommodate construction. Signage directs pedestrians to a safe route around construction; a map of the pedestrian detour is included below. Pedestrians are urged to follow the detour to stay safe as construction is in progress.
Below: South Frontage Road Pedestrian Detour . Red area is construction zone, green shows pedestrian detour around construction.
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