Charter Oak Avenue Pedestrian Improvements

As part of the project that included expansion of the wayfinding system, iQuilt performed a study of Charter Oak Avenue. This was to assess and develop a strategy for the pedestrian experience between Main Street and the future Coltsville National Historical Park. At the same time, the neighborhood community performed a “sneckdown analysis” to determine excess road space at the intersection of Main Street and Charter Oak Avenue (this is the area where snowplows do not plow). They then painted a street mural on that corner, that over time was ripped up during utility work.

As a demonstration project for a larger project on Charter Oak Avenue, iQuilt worked with the City of Hartford to install a permanent expanded pedestrian bumpout where the street mural had been. This doubled the sidewalk space on the corner, and the City also installed an expanded pedestrian corner on the next block at South Prospect Street. These two bumpouts not only enhanced pedestrian safety but introduced traffic calming. It is expected that this project will create a template for future work along Charter Oak Avenue to Coltsville.

This project was funded from the Federal Lands Access Program and the City of Hartford.