NEW HAVEN, Conn. — After more than a decade of planning, the City of New Haven is preparing to break ground on a long-anticipated infrastructure project along Whitney Avenue, one of the city’s busiest and most dangerous corridors.
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The $13.2 million Whitney Avenue Major Corridors Improvement Project will overhaul a 1.5-mile stretch of road that sees about 10,000 vehicles daily, beginning at the Hamden-New Haven town line and continuing toward Trumbull Street. The first phase of construction, scheduled to begin next week at Whitney Avenue and Cliff Street, represents a significant milestone in efforts to make the roadway safer for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists alike.
Local residents have voiced concerns for years, pointing to speeding and reckless driving as persistent problems. “There are people on a day-to-day basis who think this is the roadway that you travel 50 mph from Hamden to New Haven,” said state Rep. Ronald Lemar. “The reality is this is the roadway children want to walk across the street to get to the park.”
The redesign will reduce Whitney Avenue’s four traffic lanes to three—two for travel and a center turning lane—while modernizing traffic signals to improve flow. “The new signals will all have a fiber interconnection, all retimed and coordinated so traffic will move better,” city engineer Giovanni Zinn explained.
In addition to new signal technology, the project incorporates raised sidewalks, raised intersections, and shorter pedestrian crossings to make the corridor more walkable. “Everyone complains about the speed humps, but guess what, we wouldn’t have them if you would slow down,” New Haven Alder Anna Festa said, emphasizing the importance of traffic-calming measures.
Mayor Justin Elicker added that the upgrades are designed with safety as the top priority. “The reality is that, unfortunately, people do not willingly slow down as much as they should, so we have to force them to slow down with this infrastructure,” he said.
The project, which has been in development since 2009, will unfold in two phases:
The full corridor improvement is expected to be completed by 2027.
Funding comes from the Connecticut Department of Transportation’s Capital Improvement Program, which has already supported 17 projects across the state in 2025, totaling just under $60 million.
Officials say the Whitney Avenue project is one of the most significant safety upgrades in the city’s transportation plan and will serve as a model for balancing commuter needs with pedestrian and cyclist safety.
“This is not just a road project,” one official noted. “It’s an investment in safer neighborhoods, healthier communities, and a more connected New Haven.”
Originally reported by Mackenzie Maynard in WTNH.
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