CT: West Hartford gets state funding for mobility hubs as town center construction continues

Work is progressing on the town's $10 million plans to overhaul West Hartford Center, a project that was recently the recipient of state funding that will help the town construct two mobility hubs.

The development of the mobility hubs — which are dedicated spaces for multimodal transportation and could include enhanced bus stops, e-bike chargers, ride share pick-up zones, covered bike parking, and a bike-share program — will be bolstered by $600,000 in state funding secured by state Sen. Derek Slap and state Reps. Jillian Gilchrest, Tammy Exum, Kate Farrar, Bobby Gibson, and James Sánchez.

The concept of mobility hubs, which will be built between the Veterans Memorial and Chase Bank on Farmington Avenue and at the parking lot at Arapahoe Road and LaSalle Road, were first introduced last September when the town revealed the final plans for how it would reconstruct both Farmington Avenue and LaSalle Road.

Those plans no longer included a previously proposed bike lane on Farmington Avenue. Instead, the plan included the two mobility hubs — both located at different gateways to the town center — to be a destination for West Hartford Center patrons seeking to utilize the area by bike or public transit.

The town has also discussed installing a bike lane from Trout Brook Trail and up Farmington Avenue as a way to better connect cyclists with the area.

"These mobility hubs are designed to enhance multimodal transportation options, reduce vehicular congestion, and improve safety for all road users — goals that are foundational to West Hartford's future and to broader regional priorities," Mayor Shari Cantor said. "These hubs will serve as anchors in our efforts to create a more connected, accessible, and safe West Hartford Center."

Work to modernize and update West Hartford Center began in March with the removal of dozens of trees on LaSalle Road and continued through the spring months with the replacement and expansion of sidewalks along some stretches of the street.

That work has since moved into a second phase, with portions of the new sidewalks opening up to the public, meaning construction crews will soon move to other stretches of the roadway. The construction has caused some disruption for local businesses — with one restaurant manager saying in May that the work had an impact on business.

The town said in a recent update that the second phases would stretch from Blue Mercury, which is on the corner of LaSalle Road and Farmington Avenue, down to The Friendly Toast, which is the center's newest restaurant. Work on the opposite side of the street would start in front of Union Kitchen and continue down to the William Raveis offices.

The mobility hubs could be part of a greater plan to reconfigure West Hartford Center, as the town recently showed in a draft of a master plan that consultants have been working on for the last few years that looks at further changes that could be made to the area, including along South Main Street and the town green.

Lawmakers celebrated the $600,000 that West Hartford will receive, with Farrar saying it will "improve more accessible transportation for all in our town and region" and Gilchrest saying the plans are a "forward-looking investment in both our current and future economic vitality."

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