Another Major Milestone Reached in New Haven Downtown Crossing Expressway Removal Project

NEW HAVEN, Conn., June 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Mayor Justin Elicker joined Governor Ned Lamont, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, Senator Richard Blumenthal, City officials, Alders, project partners, and stakeholders Monday to break ground on Phase 3 of the Downtown Crossing project (DTX) and 101 College Street. DTX is a City of New Haven economic infrastructure project creating a system of urban streets on the former Route 34 limited-access highway site. 101 College Street is a privately-developed bio-science tower going up on the previously unusable right of way of the old highway. The new 10-story building will have more than 500,000 square feet of lab, research, and meeting space to support New Haven's rapidly expanding bioscience sector.

"I want to thank City staff and elected officials and our public and private partners for helping New Haven reach this pivotal milestone in the Downtown Crossing project," Mayor Elicker said. "Together, we've removed what was long called the "Highway to Nowhere" and started on a path to a better future for New Haven. With the construction of 101 College Street, we're moving towards an expanded city tax base, approximately 700 to 1000 new jobs on site and an expected spur of 3,000 jobs throughout the local economy.

"Most importantly, I want to thank the Board of Alders and the entire New Haven Community for their involvement and support despite the many challenges of an unprecedented pandemic. This thoughtful, inclusive growth project would not have happened without collaboration among residents, community organizations, neighborhood groups, Community Management Teams, the New Haven Public Schools, and New Haven's colleges and universities. This effort is an example of our resiliency; together we grow, together we thrive, and together we can build a better City for all of us," Elicker added.

Phase 3 of DTX will reconnect Temple Street to Congress Avenue with pedestrian and bicycle-friendly streetscapes designed for slower-speed vehicular traffic.  

"This project is another strong example of my administration's commitment to Connecticut's cities. By investing in projects like Downtown Crossing and successfully leveraging federal funds as well as public and private partnerships, we will be able to transform Connecticut's city streets and local economy," said Gov. Ned Lamont.  "With patience, perseverance, and collaboration, we have solidified New Haven's standing as one of our state's key bio-science hubs."

Work on Phase 1 of Downtown Crossing began in 2013 with the removal and replacement of the expressway with urban boulevards and the addition of pedestrian and bicycle amenities to College Street. The approximately mile-long stretch of highway had been called the Oak Street Connector, a reference to the neighborhood torn down in the late 1950s to make way for the expressway.  Initial plans called for the expressway to extend west into neighboring towns, but the plan was later abandoned.

"New Haven is on the forefront of reconnecting communities - addressing the divisive transportation projects from decades ago. This is not an easy process. It requires a long-term vision, coordinated strategy, and strong partnerships. New Haven is thriving because of these efforts, and we are looking at the result of that hard work today," said Senator Blumenthal.

Carter Winstanley, the developer of 101 College Street, was among the stakeholders at the groundbreaking. Representatives from Arvinas, Inc., BioLabs, and Yale University – all future tenants of 101 College Street – were also on hand. Winstanley Enterprises, LLC, developed 100 College Street, a neighboring, fully-leased bio-tower in DTX, and other buildings with over a million square feet of combined laboratory space in Greater New Haven.   Construction on 101 College Street is expected to begin immediately,

"The site  will include the headquarters of Arvinas, new research laboratories for Yale University and BioLabs, which will operate the largest co-working laboratory and technology space in the state," Winstanley said. "In addition to our ongoing commitment to local hiring in construction, we will continue to make connections to this industry through the BioPath, a new stem classroom for New Haven high school students, and workforce opportunities with New Haven Works. We look forward to this project setting a new precedent for collaboration between public and private industry."

"I am thrilled to join Governor Lamont, Mayor Elicker, other state and local leaders, and colleagues and neighbors from Yale's home city for the groundbreaking of 101 College Street," added Yale President Peter Salovey. "As an anchor tenant, Yale University is pleased to take part in this economic development project for our City and state. Yale's support of the incubator and lab spaces that will be housed at 101 College Street symbolizes our commitment to creating innovative connections among faculty experts, business leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, and community members. Together, we can speed up the launch of new ventures and make New Haven an international hub for bioscience, pharmaceutical, and health technology companies."

"New Haven offers great potential to become a central hub for research and innovation within the life sciences industry," noted BioLabs President and CEO Johannes Fruehauf, M.D, Ph.D. "101 College Street will be key to unlocking this great potential as we at BioLabs have experienced in our hometown Cambridge and New York, Philadelphia, North Carolina, and other geographies. We are excited and honored to partner with the City, Yale, and Winstanley in this endeavor."

For Arvinas, the new location will allow for continued growth and leadership in the creation of a completely new treatment approach for cancers and other difficult-to-treat diseases, said John Houston, Ph.D., President, and Chief Executive Officer at Arvinas.

"We are proud to be part of the 101 College Street project and contribute to the rapidly growing biopharmaceutical hub in New Haven," he said.  

Representatives of The Together, We Grow inclusive growth program – another key economic development component of the project – were also in attendance. The academic partners from New Haven Public Schools, Southern Connecticut State University, and Gateway Community College discussed BioPath and related initiatives designed to connect residents to new jobs.

Project partners include the City of New Haven's Economic Development Administration, City Plan Department, Transportation, and Engineering Departments, the New Haven Parking Authority and the State of Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development and Transportation.

Over the four phases of the DTX project, three new intersections – or crossings – along the former expressway will be installed, reestablishing previously severed connections between downtown New Haven, Union Station, the City's medical district, and the Hill neighborhood. 

"The Downtown Crossing project is about many things: reconnecting the roots of our city with its surrounding neighborhoods, creating good-paying jobs in our City, making our community more walkable and friendlier to cyclists, supporting the continued growth of the biomedical sector of our local economy," said Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro. "I am proud to have secured millions of dollars in federal funding made available for this project. I will continue to fight for the inclusion of this project in the transportation reauthorization bill that will be considered in the House in the coming months."

Phase 3 infrastructure work is expected to run through the end of 2021. 101 College Street is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2023. The fourth and final phase of infrastructure work has not yet been finalized. For more information on New Haven's Downtown Crossing Project visit: https://downtowncrossingnewhaven.com.  Renderings of the project or additional photos of the groundbreaking are available upon request. 

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SOURCE City of New Haven