Alders Approve State Grant To Slow Foxon

Traffic calming medians and lighting are one step closer to coming to a six-lane stretch of Route 80, also known as Foxon Boulevard, thanks to $1.6 million in state funds that city government has now officially accepted.

The Board of Alders voted unanimously to approve that grant during its latest monthly meeting Monday night. The state grant covers the design and construction of those medians on the state-owned Foxon Boulevard between Middletown Avenue and Quinnipiac Avenue.

That was one approval among several on Monday night focused on improving city infrastructure. Another state grant to receive an aldermanic thumbs up was $8.8 million for repairs to the Floyd Little Athletic Center (see more on that below.)

The block of Route 80 in question for the $1.6 million median grant is home to the city’s newest homeless shelter at 270 Foxon Blvd., where residents have expressed concern about traffic safety by the six-lane throughway. It’s also home to such big-box stores such as Walmart and Lowes across the street.

At a Monday meeting in the aldermanic chamber on the second floor of City Hall, local legislators unanimously voted to accept $1.6 million from the state Department of Transportation to fund the medians’ design and construction.

According to a letter to alders submitted by City Engineer Giovanni Zinn, the medians ​“will provide benefits including better illumination, narrowing the roadway, pedestrian refuge, and traffic calming.” The city has agreed to complete the construction process by August 2025.

Quinnipiac Meadows Alder Theresa Morant, whose ward includes that stretch of Foxon Boulevard, celebrated the approval after the meeting.

“Yes! A safer neighborhood, finally!” she said, noting that her constituents have called for traffic interventions there ​“for a while.”

Alders unanimously approved several other steps toward infrastructure upgrades on Monday:

High school gym improvements — Alders voted to accept a $8,769,517 grant from the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development for renovations to the Floyd Little Athletic Center, right next to Hillhouse High School. Those planned renovations include a new roof with solar power generators, a new indoor track surface, and bathroom renovations.

Electric car charging stations — Alders voted to sell a 2,159-square foot stretch on the northern side of Pond Lily Avenue to the state Department of Transportation (DOT) for $4,875. In turn, the DOT will build electric vehicle charging stations by its maintenance office at 140 Pond Lily Avenue. According to a plan submitted to the Board of Alders, the DOT will build 20 such chargers.

An array of sustainable investments — Alders approved the city’s application for a wide-ranging federal $20 millio Environmental Protection Agency grant that would fund numerous initiatives, from composting at public schools to bike access programs to energy efficient buildings.