The west bank of the Connecticut Riverwalk will double in length and eventually reach the trails of Windsor Meadows State Park, thanks to a federal grant of $2.5 million recently awarded to the city of Hartford.
“This grant represents a huge opportunity to take our riverfront park system to the next level,” Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said in a statement. “We received more than double the amount of funding we applied for, and that speaks to the strength of our partnership with Riverfront Recapture, the quality of the work that’s already been done to revitalize the riverfront, and the power of our vision for an interconnected regional trail system.”
The grant is more than twice the original amount requested by the city, along with advocacy group Riverfront Recapture and the Capitol Region Council of Governments, in the application submitted to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The Riverwalk is a series of connected trails in parks along the Connecticut River, managed by Riverfront Recapture since the group formed in the 1980s to promote community involvement, recreation, and urban appreciation of the river’s environment.
Currently, the paved and lighted Riverwalk stretches for about two miles alongside the Hartford side of the river, from the Charter Oak Bridge to Riverside Park and the boathouse. The extension of the Riverwalk will take the path two miles farther north, past the landfill parallel to I-91 and through to the edge of Windsor Meadows State Park, south of Bissell Bridge, where I-291 connects to East Hartford.
“The project of connecting Hartford to Windsor has been on our master plan since 1982,” said Marc Nicol, director of park planning and development for Riverfront Recapture. “This is very purposeful. It’s the Riverwalk serving as an alternative transportation route. When it gets built we’ll be able to connect to not only the town of Windsor but also the potentials of connecting to Keney Park.”
Residents of both Hartford and Windsor could take advantage of the paved extension to commute via bicycle, Nicol added. “It really opens up the opportunities for those residents to get out and have opportunities for passive and active recreation,” he said.
The existing land is a flood-plain forest that Riverfront Recapture already maintains but is not paved or officially a path, Nicol said. In order for the trail to connect to Windsor Meadows State Park, the city will have have to obtain a right of way or acquire the property.
“If we can come to terms with the private property owner between now and when the project is in design, we would turn the walkway and go across the private property to the existing Windsor Meadows State Park,” Nicol said.
In considering the project for more grant money, the U.S. Department of Transportation expressed concern about a Riverwalk dead end, which led to conversations about increasing the grant. “The DOT came back and said, ‘Can you do more with more money?’ And we said, ‘Of course!'” Nicol said.
The Hartford City Council is on track to accept the grant money and Riverfront Recapture is eager to begin the design work. The next steps would be to put out a request for qualifications to design firms, in addition to public meetings for community feedback, Nicol said. Construction is set to begin in 2019.
As part of the same grant process, Rocky Hill will receive federal funding for streetscape renovations and New Britain gains federal funding for the second phase of the Stanley Loop Trail.