The Common Council unanimously approved $798,000 in funding for additional engineering and related design services for the Wall Street Corridor Improvement project at its meeting on Tuesday.
The total cost for the overall project is now “north of $27 million,” Assistant Director of Transportation, Mobility, and Parking Garrett Bolella told the Economic and Community Development Committee on June 6.
“We have $18.4 million in a combination of state and federal funding and we’re actively pursuing that gap in additional grant funding,” Bolella noted.
As a part of that $18.4 million, the city received a $5.5 million federal grant through Congressman Jim Himes, but that money has to be allocated by September 2026.
That funding is supposed to cover what was “Phase 3” of the Wall Street project, which includes many of the streets around Wall Street, including River Street, Commerce Street down to the railroad tracks, and a portion of Main Street that “falls within the project area.”
Bolella said they’re moving that part up now to become the new “Phase 2” to meet the federal timelines, and the additional $798,000 will cover the design concepts and preliminary engineering for that section.
Previously, the second phase included work along Wall Street from the historic bridge west to West/Belden Avenue, and along Belden Avenue, including the intersection with Mott Avenue. That work will still happen, Bolella said, noting that it will now come after the new Phase 2. This section is state funded, Bolella said, and is more than 30% designed.
The Phase 3 design plans will also make it easier to secure grant funding with a “proof of concept and design for the entire area at once,” Bolella said.
“This is a tremendous project—very few municipalities have the opportunity to reimagine their downtown,” he said.
Council member Jalin Sead, who represents the district that contains Wall Street, said that he and fellow representative Nicol Ayers were appreciative of the project to support the Wall Street area.
“We both love you guys in traffic and TMP, everything you guys are doing in Wall Street, truly it is the year of Wall Street,” he said, adding that he and Jim Travers, director of Transportation, Mobility, and Parking recently did a walking tour of the neighborhood. “The community knows you guys. We were stopped numerous times by business owners, property owners—that was just heartwarming. The community is really excited.”
Bolella said the department has finalized the construction plans for the first phase of the project, which is the East Wall Street area, and preconstruction activity is “well underway.”
The substantial “bulk of work” will begin in August, Bolella said, and the department is planning a groundbreaking ceremony for the community on August 1. They’ll also be hosting a public meeting in the late summer or early fall to share all the feedback they’ve received and unveil some of the future phases of design.
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