West Hartford Advances 200+ 'Vision Zero' Safety Projects This Year, See Where

WEST HARTFORD, CT — West Hartford is continuing to make traffic and pedestrian safety changes across town as part of its Vision Zero initiative, with about 96 roadway safety projects completed so far this year and another 114 under construction or planned before the end of 2026.

The town last week provided an update on the work, which includes new pedestrian crossing signals, curb extensions, raised crosswalks, lower neighborhood speed limits, and other changes aimed at reducing serious and fatal crashes.

Among the projects underway or planned:

• Trout Brook Drive and Park Road: Dynamic no-turn-on-red signage has been installed on the southbound approach. The signs illuminate during the pedestrian crossing phase.
• Trout Brook Drive and Farmington Avenue: Dynamic no-turn-on-red signs are being installed on all four approaches to the intersection.
• New pedestrian crossing signals: Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons, or RRFBs, are in progress at Asylum Avenue and Auburn Road; Farmington Avenue and Walbridge Road; Fern Street and Montclair Drive; Hilldale Road and Peyote Road; Mountain Road and Buena Vista Road; and Prospect Avenue and Merrill Street.
• Quaker Lane South: Curb extensions are being installed at Woodmere Road/St. Charles Street and White Avenue/Seymour Avenue ahead of fall resurfacing. They will replace temporary "quick-build" extensions installed in 2025. The Woodmere Road/St. Charles Street crossing will also receive an RRFB, while one is already installed at White Avenue/Seymour Avenue.
• Fern Street and Steele Road: Raised crosswalks are expected to be installed at Fern Street and Montclair Drive and at Steele Road and Birch Road.
• North Quaker Lane and Middlebrook Road: A raised intersection is planned.
• Tunxis Road: A speed hump is planned near Cornell Road.
• Charter Oak School neighborhood: The town has implemented 25 mph speed limits on 13 streets.
• Smith School neighborhood: State approvals are underway to establish 25 mph limits on another 12 streets.
• Starkel Road: A permanent pedestrian refuge island is being installed near the West Hartford Senior Center, replacing a temporary installation from 2025.
• Brookside Drive: A new pathway is being constructed between Brookside Place and the pathway leading to Bugbee Elementary School, closing a gap in the sidewalk network.
• King Philip Drive and Old Meadow Road: Improvements are underway at the roundabout, where a raised decorative mountable island will replace temporary flexible bollards installed in 2025. The temporary yellow bollards have been removed as construction begins.

The work is part of West Hartford's broader effort to eliminate traffic deaths and severe injuries on town streets by 2033.

The West Hartford Town Council unanimously adopted its Vision Zero initiative in January 2023. The approach is based on the premise that deaths and serious injuries from traffic crashes are preventable and that streets should be designed so inevitable human mistakes are less likely to result in severe consequences.

Among the initiative's principles are prioritizing human life and health in transportation planning, designing transportation systems to account for human error, and recognizing speed as a major factor in the severity of crashes.

In February 2024, the town council approved West Hartford's Vision Zero Action Plan, making it the first Connecticut municipality to adopt such a plan, according to the town.

The plan was developed by town staff, consultants, residents, and task force volunteers and lays out strategies intended to eliminate fatal and severe-injury crashes.

Residents can view a map of completed and upcoming projects on the town's Vision Zero website at this link.

From March 3, 2024: 'WeHa Council Seeks 'Cultural' Change On Traffic Safety'