Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, Riverside Park first opened in 1898, featuring waterfront access and space to gather and promenade. A popular and well connected park, the Hartford Courant described it as “paradise for the children of the East Side” in 1907. The installation of flood control dikes in the 1930s separated the community, increased further by the construction of I-91 in the 1960s. When I-91 was widened in the 1970s, the overpass was built to connect North Hartford to Riverside Park and the Connecticut River. Today, the overpass is aging and out-of-date; accessible only through a remote street and parking lot, requires climbing five flights of non-ADA compliant ramps, and leaves people in a disconnected area of the park. The completed Riverlink will improve the connection to the river through streetscape and pedestrian bridge improvements.
The Riverlink is part of a larger “Hartline” vision which seeks to foster economic development, enhance recreational opportunities, expand bike and pedestrian paths, and reconnect neighborhoods to each other and the river itself through a 6-mile linear park and trail.
Under the leadership of the iQuilt Partnership and City of Hartford, Agency is working alongside TYLin, Langan Engineering & Environmental Services, Ummo<, HLB Lighting, and CHA Consulting to improve the connection back to the riverfront through a new pedestrian bridge and streetscape. After kicking off with an existing conditions analysis this summer, the team is currently working to create three concept alternatives which will be presented to stakeholders this fall.
Organizations like iQuilt Partnership and Riverfront Recapture have been working to build relationships and connect the community to the riverfront through pop-ups, focus groups, visioning sessions, public workshops, and programming. Future engagement for the Riverlink will honor and complement these efforts to listen and learn from the community.
Click here to follow the Riverlink’s progress, and here to learn more about the project.
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