The next phase of the West Hartford Center Infrastructure Master Plan is underway.

By Ronni Newton

The first season of construction in West Hartford Center – part of the overall infrastructure reconstruction – wrapped up in November 2025 with the majority of intended work completed on LaSalle Road, and the next stage of work is now getting underway on Farmington Avenue.

The project webpage indicates that work on the West Hartford Center Infrastructure Master Plan was set to resume on Jan. 4, 2026, and this week crews from Gerber Construction were engaged preparing for the installation of soil cells in front of Santander Bank on Farmington Avenue.

In addition, on Jan. 5 yellow signs were posted on the street trees all along Farmington Avenue, from Walden Street east to Main Street indicating that they are slated for removal.

As was the case with the reconstruction of LaSalle Road in 2025, the plan includes removal of existing street trees and replacement with a greater overall number of trees. The 38 honey locusts that now line that stretch of Farmington Avenue will be replaced by 47 trees in a variety of native species once the sidewalk reconstruction is substantially complete later this year.

The existing street trees will likely be removed at the end of January, Town Manager Rick Ledwith told We-Ha.com, with work done overnight to minimize disruption to traffic.

 

Construction will likely have “stops and starts” during the winter due to the weather, Ledwith said. A meeting with stakeholders will be scheduled for later this month at Town Hall, so the specific plans for the phases of the project can be detailed and questions can be addressed. He said it’s likely that the work along Farmington Avenue will be broken into even smaller segments than took place on LaSalle Road last year, to minimize disruption to businesses as much as possible. Work will start on opposite ends of the stretch of roadway, he added.

Access to all businesses will remain available throughout the construction period.

The town is years into the West Hartford Center Infrastructure Master Plan project – a process that kicked off in 2022 with announcement of plans to take a ‘holistic’ approach rather than just doing piecemeal repairs and updates to the aging sidewalks, torn-up roadways, and other elements of the Center.

The first phase of construction addressed LaSalle Road and the focus this year will be on Farmington Avenue, and overall the project will include gateway elements that reflect the “community’s values,” streetscape lighting, aesthetically attractive and durable seating, trash receptacles, and sidewalks. The draft plan also includes recommendations for adding to public art, management of streets trees, and use of green infrastructure such as rain garden and bioswales to manage stormwater runoff.

Some of the outstanding work on LaSalle Road will be completed this year, and outdoor dining should return in the spring, with seating on the newly-expanded sidewalks.

The West Hartford Center Infrastructure Master Plan project is being paid for through American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds that were allocated by the Dec. 31, 2024 deadline.

Additional elements, including mobility hubs in the Arapahoe Road parking lot and adjacent to the Veterans Memorial, will also be installed. The mobility hubs are being financed through a $600,000 grant the town received from the state.

The town was also awarded a $384,552 community connectivity grant by the state for construction of a dedicated bike lane connecting the Trout Brook Trail to West Hartford Center.

The webpage indicates Nov. 20, 2026 as the tentative completion date for the overall project work.

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