Norwalk Receives $600K For MLK Community Reconnection Project

NORWALK, CT — The Connecticut Congressional delegation and Gov. Ned Lamont announced this week $21.8 million for transportation projects around the state, including $600,000 for the Norwalk Redevelopment Agency that will go toward an MLK Community Reconnection Project.

According to a news release from U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), the money will be used to build on the work of the Norwalk Redevelopment Agency for the MLK Community Reconnection Project to improve pedestrian safety and remediate safety risks posed by Interstate 95 and the care centric corridor it created.

"This unprecedented investment will make Connecticut’s roadways safer for all and reconnect communities that have long been disconnected and divided by highways," Blumenthal said in a news release. "With this $21.8 million in federal funding, Connecticut communities will transform road and pedestrian safety, and make access to reliable transportation easier for all."

The money is coming from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Reconnecting Communities pilot program through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Neighborhood Access and Equity Program through the Inflation Reduction Act.

In addition to Norwalk, funds will go toward projects in Naugatuck, Stamford, Bridgeport, Hartford and Western Connecticut.

A fact sheet on the funding from the U.S. DOT said the project "will provide strategic roadway improvements and creative solutions involving public art, lighting, and landscaping to alleviate traffic concerns."

The project summary says Norwalk "was divided by the construction of I-95. The construction of I-95 tore through Norwalk...dividing the working-class city and contributing to the city’s economic decline through the physical separation it resurrected, it additionally facilitated the loss of middle-class residents, businesses, and industry from South Norwalk to surrounding suburban town causing the decline manufacturing economy in the mid-20th century. The MLK Community Corridor has been in a fight ever since for its revitalization. Even with great strides in the 21st century, the corridor remains disenfranchised and inundated with safety and environmental risks posed by I-95, the car centric corridor that it created, and the lack of viable alternative transit between the business districts on either end."

The study area includes "the junction of I-95 and a second freeway (US 7). Norwalk Redevelopment Agency proposes a planning study to make multimodal improvements to three facilities that cross I-95, an arterial (MLK Drive, West Ave) along an approximate 2-mile corridor, a minor street (Crescent Street) and a shared use path (Norwalk River Valley Trail). The southern edge of the study area has a commuter rail station (South Norwalk) while the northern end has a bus transit hub. This project also aims to establish safe and reliable pedestrian, bicycle, and public transit routes while camouflaging the I-95 and RT7 overpass junction to reestablish a seamless connection between the MLK community, South Norwalk, Wall Street, and the larger city," according to the project summary.

Lamont spoke of the increased safety and mobility he said will come as a result of the funding.

"Much of our state’s infrastructure was designed and built for cars and cut off communities from one another," Lamont noted. "By refocusing on pedestrians and bicyclists, the state can have roadways that work for everyone."

U.S. Rep. Jim Himes (D-04) said the federal funds will help connect communities and allow commuters to get to work, children to go to school, and families to visit nearby relatives "with ease and peace of mind."

"As an avid biker myself, I understand the importance of dedicated infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists so that every member of our community can easily traverse our cities and enjoy Southwest Connecticut’s vibrant natural spaces and bustling commercial areas," he said.

More information on the $21.8 million funding, click here.