West Hartford, Conn. has begun a $10 million reconstruction of its town center, including wider sidewalks, improved crosswalks and a mobility hub. Plans faced revisions, but current proposals include angled parking, pedestrian safety features and mobility hubs. The project, funded by federal relief funds, is set for completion in November 2026.
WEHA render
Rendering of the proposed changes for Farmington Ave.
Work has started on West Hartford, Conn.'s long-awaited $10 million plan to reconstruct West Hartford Center, the town's bustling dining and shopping district.
The community of approximately 63,000 people is located 5 mi. west of downtown Hartford.
LaSalle Road, home to various stores and restaurants, looked a little different after West Hartford removed 36 trees that lined the street, the first step in the planned overhaul of the corridor that will culminate in new and wider sidewalks, improved crosswalks, more street furniture and amenities, a mobility hub and new tree plantings.
West Hartford's Farmington Avenue will get the same treatment in 2026, CT Insider reported on April 7.
During West Hartford's construction, all businesses in the downtown area will remain open, as the work will be done in stages by Ellington, Conn.-based Gerber Construction Inc. Representatives for the construction management firm, M&J Engineering in North New Hyde Park, N.Y., told CT Insider that pedestrian access will be maintained and vehicular traffic will continue to flow.
One disruption might involve downtown parking as the company is using the parking lot at the corner of LaSalle Road and Arapahoe Road to stage its equipment and machinery during construction. West Hartford officials, though, have reminded visitors to the area that the nearby town center garage, which is accessible from Memorial Road, will remain available for parking.
Currently, part of the sidewalk is closed off between the corner of Farmington Avenue and LaSalle, outside of Music & Arts, as crews work to remove the existing sidewalk.
Town Center Ready for All-in-One Upgrade
West Hartford first announced plans to reconstruct its town center in 2022, dubbing it the "West Hartford Center infrastructure master plan."
In August of that year, the town said it would use $400,000 of its federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to hire Stantec, an engineering consultant that municipal officials planned to work with to develop the plans that would shape the future of the popular area that draws diners and shoppers from near and far.
The idea was that that area of West Hartford, having been the subject of various utility-related construction projects, was ready for an all-in-one rehabilitation, rather than piecemeal repairs, according to CT Insider.
LaSalle Road, in particular, was the subject of a temporary experiment during the COVID-19 pandemic where the town converted it to a one-way street, tested out back-in angled parking and expanded outdoor dining into the street.
It was time, the town said, to make things permanent.
Later, in February 2023, West Hartford and Stantec revealed initial blueprints for the area's reconstruction. Those plans included a deeper focus on pedestrian and cyclist safety after three pedestrians were killed in car crashes in 2022, two of whom died in the last two months of the year.
At the time, Stantec engineers pointed to the intersection of Farmington Avenue and Main Street, noting the danger it posed to pedestrians and pitched plans for roundabouts or other safety enhancements. Currently, West Hartford has no plans to overhaul the intersection, CT Insider reported, though they could be part of future roadway work.
But perhaps the biggest proposed change at the time, and one that would become part of an ongoing debate, were plans to shift all angled parking on LaSalle Road and Farmington Avenue to parallel parking.
Because angled parking takes up 43 ft. while parallel parking would take up only 16 ft., the change would decrease the amount of on-street parking but provide more opportunity for the town to widen sidewalks for pedestrian use and expanded outdoor dining.
Those plans were met with cheers from pedestrian and bike safety advocates, like Bike West Hartford, which said it made the area safer and more pedestrian-friendly. At the same time, however, the proposal concerned some local business owners who felt that losing parking spaces would negatively impact their businesses.
Stantec noted in 2023, though, that West Hartford Center and Blue Back Square have around 5,000 parking spaces between the city's streets, lots and garages. At the same time, the town had been reducing the number of on-street parking every year during the spring and summer as it expanded outdoor dining into the streets, swapping out dozens of street spaces for restaurant tables.
The frustration felt by business owners over the decreased parking was expressed late that year at a meeting where they also worried how construction might interfere with their daily businesses.
West Hartford town officials responded by promising that the work would be done in phases, meaning it would focus on moving along the roadway to completion rather than shut down the entire area.
In April 2024, the town released what it intended to be its final plan, according to CT Insider.
Notably, though, angled parking was included and a previously proposed elevated bike lane on Farmington Avenue was removed. The decision disappointed pedestrian and bike safety advocates, who criticized the plan as being "auto-centric" and going against West Hartford's own Vision Zero action plan that it had spent a year developing in an attempt to eliminate all fatal and serious car crashes in town.
Once again, West Hartford and its consultant went back to the drawing board.
Town's Latest Plans On Track for Fall 2026 Finish
It was not until September 2024 that the town revealed its current plans for West Hartford Center, which still retains the angled parking but also includes some narrower vehicle travel lanes and more pedestrian safety features like raised crosswalks and curb bump outs.
The Farmington Avenue bike lane was still not part of the plan either, but city officials said they would explore the possibility of installing a bike path from the Trout Brook Trail that would head up Farmington Avenue and into the town center.
They also introduced into their proposal the concept of mobility hubs, which are two areas geared toward multi-modal transportation that would include covered bike parking, chargers for e-bikes and e-scooters, improved bus transit hubs and the potential for bike-sharing opportunities.
The entirety of the West Hartford plan is being funded with federal COVID-19 pandemic relief funds. Work on LaSalle Road will continue throughout the 2025 construction season and next year, the contractor's attention will shift to Farmington Avenue on a similar timeline.
CT Insider reported that all construction on West Hartford Center is slated to be done by November 2026.
Today's top stories
