NEW HAVEN, Conn. — For over 50 years, Downtown New Haven has been cut off from the Hill neighborhood, including Union Station. But that is slowly changing.
Since 2013, New Haven's landscape coming off I-91 and I-95 has begun to change. Over the next couple of years, the city will become far more connected through the Downtown Crossing project.
The limited-access highway, known as the Oak Street Connector, that for 50-60 years has funneled traffic into New Haven, is slowly disappearing.
By 2025, motorists won't even know it was ever there.
Phase three of Downtown Crossing is now well underway.
The mission to reconnect downtown New Haven with Union Station, the medical district, and the Hill neighborhood continues with the construction of 101 College Street, a 10 story 500,000 square-foot building, to include lab, research, and meeting space, which will be completed in 2023.
It is expected this commercial building will add up to 1,000 jobs and opportunities for New Haven Public Schools students.
"With a new classroom right inside 101 College for real-world practical experience as well as support for teachers so that they are preparing students for jobs in science and science and technology jobs that are growing today," said Mayor Justin Elicker(D-New Haven).
"We continue to build up our capacity to teach biology, math, chemistry, and computer science," said Dr. Ilene Tracey, the Superintendent of New Haven Public Schools.
NHPS educational partners at Southern Connecticut State University and Gateway Community College will also have a presence in 101 College Street. And Yale University will be an anchor tenant.
"Since 2000, over 75 startups, based on Yale intellectual property, have taken root in New Haven," said Peter Salovey, President of Yale University.
One of those startups, Arvinas Pharmaceutical, will move its headquarters into 101 College Street.
"I believe it signifies a huge opportunity to excite and attract scientists and other R & D teams to Connecticut," said John G. Houston, Ph.D., President of Arvinas, Inc.
In November, phase two of Downtown Crossing is expected to be completed. Orange Street and South Orange Street will cross the connector for the first time with a quicker route to the train station.
Once 101 College Street is completed in two years, the final phase of Downtown Crossing gets underway as Temple Street and Congress Avenue are connected above this access road that now leads into a parking garage beneath College Street.
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