Hartline
Imagine a safe, six mile greenway that connects you to the community, the city, and the river.
The Hartline is a six-mile, car-free greenway that will bring eight Hartford neighborhoods closer together, connecting people to parks, schools, businesses, the Connecticut River, and one another. Riverlink is an important part of the Hartline, completing the connection to the river through improvements along Pleasant Street and a more welcoming, accessible pedestrian and bicycle bridge over I-91.
Drawing inspiration from similar shared-use path projects across the country, we anticipate a vibrant transformation with so many benefits: safe routes to school, bike-friendly transit, and access to the river.
Road to River.
The Hartline consists of two distinct but seamless segments. Now, ow, as the project moves into its initial design phase, we want to hear from you.
What should Riverlink look and feel like? How should people move through it? What would make it more useful, welcoming, and connected to the surrounding neighborhoods?
Riverlink
Riverlink is an important part of the Hartline, beginning at Market Street, completing the connection to the river and Riverside Park through improvements along Pleasant Street and a more welcoming, accessible bridge over I-91.
Existing Conditions
The I-91 overpass at Pequot Street was built in the 1970s when I-91 was widened. It replaced an earlier bridge that provided pedestrians with access from the North Meadows to Riverside Park. The bridge can only be reached by a remote one-block public street (Pequot) in the middle of a large parking lot. On the park side, the facility deposits users in a remote and insecure part of the park, hidden from view by the interstate.
Purpose & Need
The existing facility needs to be better designed and meet contemporary standards. Its steep and repetitive ramping up five flights is uncomfortable for bicycles and does not comply with ADA (adopted after the bridge was constructed). There is also an open 5-story staircase on each end. The open fencing on the ramps and along the bridge does not protect from the interstate noise and provides little sense of security. The bridge’s design is a deterrent to all users, and there is very little pedestrian or bike traffic, despite the lack of other direct river access routes from North Hartford. The existing bridge’s institutional, not to say penitentiary, appearance is inappropriate and unacceptable as a river gateway for the North Hartford community.