Reconnecting Communities Initiative

New Haven's I ‑ 91 Neighborhood Reconnection Initiative seeks to address and repair the long-term impacts of interstate highway construction on surrounding communities by exploring and identifying transportation issues and priorities along I-95 and the surrounding ½ mile buffer of collector and arterial surface roadways. The City has long been at the forefront of urban renewal, most notably during the 1960's when it became a "Model City" as part of a federal initiative to address urban poverty through redevelopment. This vision of progress, however, came with significant costs. Like many American cities, New Haven was one of the first to experience the deep, often painful impacts of highway development, which severed neighborhoods, displaced thousands of residents, and exacerbated economic decline in communities now isolated from downtown and key amenities. Today, the City has the opportunity to engage residents and stakeholders in identifying solutions that address not only the physical separation created by I-91, but also its broader impacts on mobility, land use, environmental conditions, economic vitality, and neighborhood cohesion from Exit 1 at the I-95 interchange to Exit 8 at the northern end of the study area ( see Attachment "G" in Attachments Section ).