Riverwalk South and the Riverfront Gateway

Riverwalk South will complete the basic Hartford Riverwalk and is the most complicated piece due to its existing site conditions and limitations.  The programmed future use of this section also dictates some of our design criteria, in that a portion of the walkway needs to accommodate both pedestrians and daily service vehicles, including trailer trucks and buses bringing supplies and passengers to and from the riverboats at Mortensen Riverfront Plaza. The design and construction of this project is further complicated by the presence of soil contamination from past industrial uses of the site.
Once complete, the walkway will start in Charter Oak Landing and stretch 3700 feet north to Mortensen Riverfront Plaza and will include a new park entrance, Riverfront Gateway, which will connect the Riverwalk to the Coltsville and the Charter Oak and Sheldon Neighborhoods.  The paved and lighted walkway will vary in width from 14 feet to 18 feet to accommodate the different user groups and service vehicles.  Like all other projects, Riverfront Recapture will include an abundance of landscaping along the walkway to add to the natural beauty of the river.


Riverfront Recapture has secured partial funding for the design and permitting of this project through the State of Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development and the Capitol City Economic Development Authority.  In addition, Riverfront Recapture worked with the Capitol Region Council of Governments and the City of Hartford in 2009 to secure Phase II Environmental Investigation services for the project funded with American Recovery & Reinvest Act dollars through the Federal Environmental Protection Agency.

 
A significant amount of funding still needs to be raised for the construction of this project which is estimated to cost as much as $25 million.  To date, Riverfront Recapture has secured $1.2 of Federal Transportation and Equity Act for the 21st Century funds through the Department of Transportation. Another $5.1 million of CCEDA Riverfront funding has also been set aside for the project, leaving a funding gap of almost $20 million.  To close the gap, Riverfront Recapture applied for additional construction funding in 2009 from several Federal agencies that if fully awarded, would provide enough money to complete the project.

To view a PDF map of Riverwalk South and the Riverfront Gateway, click here.

Design Team:	Richter & Cegan Landscape Architects and Urban Designers, Inc.
	Close, Jensen, & Miller PC
	Legnos & Cramer, Inc.
	Fuss & O’Neil, Inc. with support from the Capitol Region Council of Governments
Owner:	City of Hartford

Bulkeley Bridge Lighting

In October 2008, Riverfront Recapture, in a public private partnership with the Connecticut Department of Transportation, celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Bulkeley Bridge by adorning the bridge with temporary LED lighting.  The LED lights illuminated the bridge’s arches and structure in a variety of color and lighting schemes for the entire month and were highly acclaimed by our park visitors and were the highlight of the national American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials annual conference held in Hartford.


With the success of the temporary lighting, Riverfront Recapture and the DOT have agreed the architectural lighting should be made a permanent feature of the bridge and intend to convert the 44 temporary lights to a permanent installation.  In addition to the existing 44 LED flood lights, more color changing LED lights will be added at each end of the bridge along with a series of white lights that will make patriotic displays more vibrant on national holidays.

 
Once a funding source has been secured for the project, a lighting consultant will develop plans for converting the temporary lighting to permanent, the project will be bid, and hopefully made operational by the end of 2010.  Once complete, the lights will be owned by the DOT, powered through the existing highway lighting system, and jointly operated by the DOT and Riverfront Recapture.