Manchester's Route 44 Gets Safer, Narrower

0:00It's March 25th. This is Hartford News today, AI-powered stories from your city. Connecticut's Department of Transportation plans a road diet on a one-mile stretch of Route 44 in Manchester. The project aims to boost safety on this busy east-west commuter route by cutting one lane in each direction. They'll add a center-left turn lane and wider shoulders for bikes and pedestrians all for $3.4 million. Design work starts this spring, with construction wrapping up in 2027. The road currently runs at a 35 miles per hour speed limit, with two lanes each way, no median, and spotty sidewalks. Officials say average daily traffic of 9,000 vehicles fits federal guidelines for this kind of change. Road diets have popped up across the state in places like New Britain, West Hartford, and Hartford. These redesigns shrink traffic lanes to make room for safer walking and biking paths. From 2020 to 2025, this Route 44 section saw 51 crashes, mostly tied to tricky left turns from side streets.

1:04The overhaul should slash crashes by 26 percent, preventing about 13 incidents over 5 years. Narrowing lanes simplifies those left turns, cutting hazards from multiple oncoming streams. Planners expect no big hit to travel times and even better flow by clearing out turning backups. Local pushback on social media calls it wasteful and fears more congestion, but the dot insists it enhances the area's livability without slowing. Folks down. This could set the tone for safer streets ahead in Manchester.