A team from the Connecticut Department of Transportation presented updated plans for a project to improve the intersection of Route 44 and North Main Street in West Hartford’s Bishops Corner.

By Ronni Newton

Improvements to the major intersection in Bishops Corner – where Albany Avenue (Route 44) meets North Main Street – have been under discussion for many years, but plans have been refined and according to the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) the design should be approved by early 2025 with actual construction beginning in 2027.

The major changes to the intersection will be the elimination of the channelized right turn lanes and the addition of bicycle facilities.

The estimated cost for the plan outlined during a public information session held at the Bishops Corner Senior Center on Oct. 22 is $7.8 million, with approximately 80% of that paid for with federal funding and the remaining 20% paid for by the state. A public presentation was previously held in July 2023, but based on the response received to those plans from stakeholders and others in the West Hartford community, the team from the CTDOT made significant revisions to the plan to include bicycle facilities.

The purpose of the proposed improvements to the intersection – under discussion for many years – has always been focused on pedestrian mobility as well as overall operations. Andrew Esposito, the project engineer with CTDOT, said the feedback to the lack of bicycle facilities in the proposal presented in July 2023 “did lead us to go back” and come up with the option presented on Oct. 22.

The existing configuration utilizes channelized right turn lanes at all four corners, and pedestrians must first risk crossing those lanes in order to press the button to obtain a crossing signal. “People tend to use them at high speeds,” Esposito said of the channelized lanes. In addition, once pedestrians cross the channelized lanes, they are stranded on “refugee islands” that are not ADA compliant. Two of the islands, he said, are made of asphalt and are also not easily visible to drivers.

Because Bishops Corner has a high volume of vehicle traffic – between 20,000 and 25,000 vehicles per day crossing through each leg of the intersection – increasing pedestrian safety and adding bicycle facilities by significantly reducing the number of lanes isn’t a feasible alternative, the CTDOT presentation noted.

With shopping plazas on all four corners, there is also a high volume of pedestrian traffic, so eating into sidewalk width also presented problems. In addition, the existing sidewalks incorporate trees, signage, and lamp posts, which would need to be removed or relocated.

Esposito said the CTDOT team looked at various designs, and determined the best option would be to convert the existing sidewalks on both North Main Street and Albany Avenue to 8-foot-wide side paths with a 2-foot buffer. The side paths, as well as the buffer areas, will be elevated above the roadway. There will also be a buffer between any parking lots and the side paths, he said.

The side paths will be split in half. The 4-foot-wide cyclist lane is one-way, with travel in the direction of traffic, and will be on the portion of the side path closest to the road, next to the buffer. Pedestrians will be able to walk in either direction on the pedestrian-only 4-foot section, and the paths will be clearly marked.

CTDOT Project Designer Nick Willey said that not only will the side paths be visually separated with paint, but the buffers will also be a different color, and texturized to keep the bikes off that area.

Where space is available, Willey said, the corners will be much wider and accommodate the transitions for bicycles and pedestrians to cross the road and will also include landscaping. While according to the plan there will still be dedicated right turn lanes at two of the four corners, they will no longer be channelized with refugee islands, and in all directions pedestrians will be able to cross from one side to the other in a single crossing movement. Overall, the only lane being eliminated by the new plan will be the westbound right-turn lane on Albany Avenue leading to North Main Street.

As an example of the improvement for pedestrians, Willey showed a chart of the current crossing distances for pedestrians. To cross between the southeast and southwest corners, a pedestrian must now travel 145 feet. The proposed plan will cut that distance by 52 feet, to 93 feet. Crossings between the other corners, which are now 120 to 130 feet, will be shortened to 77 to 83 feet. Because of the high volume of traffic, there will be concurrent phasing but “yield to pedestrians” signage will be added and in addition, LPIs (lead pedestrian intervals) will be incorporated so the pedestrians will get a walk signal before the vehicle traffic gets a green light.

Willey also noted that a full drainage analysis will be performed. CTDOT is aware that the Bishops Corner area often floods, and upgrades will be made where needed.

Another update made since July 2023 is expanding the limits of the project to portions of the road that are not owned by the state in part to ensure that the bicycle facilities tie into the town’s overall bike routes, including the sharrows on Flagg Road and the bike lane to the south of the Bishops Corner intersection on North Main Street. To the east along Albany Avenue, the side paths will provide a safe route that allows access to the Trout Brook Trail via Sky View Drive.

As part of the plan, some lamp posts and utility poles will need to be relocated so they won’t be in the middle of the side paths, and 20 trees will need to be removed. Five bus stops will be impacted, and two new shelters with benches will be constructed.

Some minor property acquisition and easements will be required to complete the project, CTDOT said.

Actual construction is still years off, and is expected to begin in the summer of 2027, the CTDOT said. The availability of funding, and process of acquiring rights of way and permits are all factors.

The cost of the project is estimated at $7.8 million – of which 80% will be federally funded and the rest paid for by the state. The earlier estimate was $5.6 million.

Comments can be addressed to the project team at [email protected]. More information can also be found on the project website.

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