Downtown Manchester Improvements Project

The Downtown Manchester Improvements Project seeks to transform the Main Street corridor between Center Street and Hartford Road into an accessible, vibrant and equitable "Complete Street" through a comprehensive design that includes traffic and pedestrian/bicycle safety improvements, additional public gathering spaces, and enhanced streetscape complemented with strategic private development.

The Project will make Main Street safer and friendlier to users of all modes of transportation, including, but not limited to, pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, and transit riders.

The Town's staff are continuing to revise and update the concept plan as it formally solicits public feedback through a series of upcoming Open Houses and to pursue additional Federal and State grant funding opportunities applicable to the types of work shown.

This page will be updated as new information becomes available and the Project progresses.

This website is a tool from the ArcGIS web platform called a "StoryMap". It is a narrative driven, mobile friendly website we are using to share all the details about the Project and its Concept.

The links at the top of the page allow you to skip around or revisit different sections of this website. This site can be also shared using this url:  https://manct.us/10 

The following Chapters walk through the basics of Complete Streets as a design concept with additional information on key features proposed within the Downtown Manchester Improvements Project Concept. There are further resources relating to project involvement and documents available for download at the bottom of the page.

As of January 2024 the Project has received its first grant award!

The Town of Manchester has received a $7.5 million dollar grant from the State of Connecticut Department of Economic Development (CT-DECD)! We were selected from a pool of competitive projects in a second round of funding through the CT-DECD's Community Investment Fund.

At this time, the project is only partially funded. Additional funds will need to be secured.

The January 2024 Concept update is live! See the revised Concept in detail as you scroll through the updated  Guided Tour ! Also, you may find the full concept file in the  Additional Resources - Downloads  area of the StoryMap.

Use the link below to learn about the first of a number of upcoming Open House events to discuss with concept with the Town.

(Link opens the Notice on the Downtown Project's Your Voice Matters Manchester page)

It is important to look at and acknowledge Main Street today. This is the starting point for the Concept.

Main Street is a central business district home to small, locally owned businesses such as offices, retail stores, cafes and restaurants.

It is primarily accessible by motor vehicle and has an extensive network of public sidewalk connecting it to on-street parking and Town owned parking lots located on nearby side streets.

This collection of recent, neighborhood photographs take a representative look.

"Complete Streets" are corridors designed and operated to support safety and use mobility for users of all ages and abilities, regardless of whether they are travelling as drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists, or public transportation riders

The following FHWA diagram identifies some of the different features of a Complete Streets corridor.

Please understand that the standard diagram suggests two-way, left-turn (TWLT) lanes are typical for a Complete Street. However, the Downtown Manchester Improvements Project does not include TWLT lanes -- the Concept proposes dedicated Left-Turn Lanes.

Main Street has a crash problem. The heat map to the right shows the historical concentration of crashes that occurred Downtown. The darker the coloration, the higher the number of crashes in that area.

Since 2015 there have been 187 crashes on Main Street in the Downtown area. Out of these 187 crashes:

44 crashes resulted in injuries.

1 crash was fatal.

The remaining crashes results in property damage only.

The fatal and injury crashes represent 24% of all  reported  crashes on Downtown Main Street in this area.

A majority of the crashes that have occurred can be grouped into three categories of crash types. They are:

• Rear-end collisions account for over half (55%) of crashes on Main Street
• 20% of crashes are angle-type crashes (e.g. "T-Bone")
• 10% of crashes are side-swipe by vehicles traveling in the same direction.

By incorporating the components of Complete Streets into a Concept, Main Street can be made safer for every across all modes of transportation.

The Capitol Region Council of Governments (abbreviated as " CRCOG ") is the region's designated Metropolitan Planning Organization which operates a number of regional programs and performs studies to advocate for the region. Manchester is one of 38 Metro-Hartford member municipalities. Other towns and cities include Hartford, West Hartford, East Hartford, South Windsor, and Glastonbury.

The Regional Transportation Safety Plan (abbreviated as "RTSP"), last updated in 2023, is a study undertaken and published by CRCOG. The RTSP analyzed crash data from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2017, a three-year period. Some of the Manchester-specific findings from the study stand out.

Main Street from Hartford Road to Woodbridge Street was data-identified as a high frequency crash corridor.

The intersection of Main Street at Hartford Road and Charter Oak Street was data-identified as a high crash intersection.

Main Street was ranked by the Regional Transportation Safety Plan as #1 in the Region for non-motorized crash corridors.

That's #1 out of all streets across all 38 member municipalities!

Between 2015 and 2017 there were 6 pedestrian and 2 bicycle involved crashes, 1 of which was a fatal bicycle crash, in the Downtown portion of Main Street alone.

To implement "Complete Streets" the Concept proposes a number of new features that will enhance the existing corridor. These new features are being considered in addition to the existing features found there primarily today: the existing pedestrian sidewalk network, traffic control signals and street lighting, and travel lanes for motor vehicle traffic. Notably, in implementing Complete Streets there is also an opportunity to enhance the remaining features of the corridor such as landscaping/green spaces and public space.

Learn more about select, new features of a Complete Streets corridor scroll to continue or jump ahead to a different Chapter with the links below or the toolbar at the top of the page.

To Jump ahead click below:

•  Cycle Track 
•  Road Diet 
•  Roundabouts 
•  Public Space Enhancements 

The project includes a cycle track which is a bicycle path that is physically separated from vehicular traffic and from the sidewalk. Cycle tracks are intended to be exclusively used for bicycles. On streets where on-street parking is allowed, cycle tracks are located to the curb-side of the parking (in contrast to bike lanes which are typically between parking and the travel lane).

While not the first cycle track in Connecticut we believe this would be the first cycle track of its type in a downtown district.

The cycle track would offer a direct connection between Downtown and the East Coast Greenway at its southern end. It would also offer cyclists a safer north-south route through the center of Town and the ability to safely connect to other pathways throughout Manchester.

The foundation of this project is a road diet, which creates the necessary space for most of the improvements. A road diet typically involves converting an existing four-lane, undivided roadway segment to a three-lane segment consisting of two through lanes and dedicated left-turn lanes at major intersections.

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) studies of road diet projects have found simply reducing the number of lanes dedicated to cars reduces vehicle crashes by 19 to 52 percent as a result of reduced speeds and fewer potential collision points, including far fewer rear-end and left-turn crashes due to providing a dedicated left-turn lane.

There are no shared two-way, left-turn lanes (TWLT) proposed.

The revised illustration here better highlights the improvement to safety.

A conflict point, identified by a white colored diamond, is a possible collision of intersecting paths between different vehicles, bicycles, and/or pedestrians within the roadway area.

In this example the left shows a four-lane roadway with six conflict points and the right shows a three-lane roadway with three conflict points.

By reconfiguring the roadway to include a dedicated left-turn lane at the intersection, the number of conflict points is reduced as the intersecting paths are reduced. This improves the overall safety!

Today, Main Street is generally comprised of four vehicle lanes (two lanes in each direction) and two parking lanes throughout. The parking lanes are a mix of parallel and angle parking spaces depending on which block of Main Street you look at. There are businesses on both sides of Main Street but a majority of them can be found on the east side.

The following illustrations are general representations of different parts of Downtown. Given the unique nature of Main Street, it should be expected that there is no one configuration that will work. To see how the Concept adapts, continue to scroll below.

In the example below, Main Street is very wide with angled parking spaces on both the east and west sides of the road.

Where the road is wider, Main Street could have 3 vehicle lanes: one northbound lane, one southbound lane, and one turn lane at each intersection. The remaining space could be used for parking buffers, the cycle track, and streetscape.

In this part of Main Street there is a mix of parallel parking spaces and angled parking spaces. The signalized intersections do not have dedicated left-turn lanes and left-turning drivers hold up traffic behind them while they wait for a gap.

A road diet here would provide for dedicated left-turn lanes -- a safe place to wait outside the flow of traffic to make that left-turn. Reallocated space can be used for the cycle track, streetscape, and amenities. Some areas may also benefit from some limited flex-space along their frontage.

Another wide area on Main Street that could be re-envisioned through a road diet.

Where dedicated left-turn lanes are not necessary, a painted median could be provided. It could get an aesthetic treatment with colored, stamped pavement (such as brink or coblestone) in the center island. The image below shows temporary, removable planters such as those used when Purnell Place is closed.

In addition, space is reallocated not just for the cycle track, but also additional flex-space in front of some of the businesses!

In the southern end of Main Street there is limited, existing on-street parking available. Wells Street is the only intersection on Main Street with a dedicated, southbound left-turn lane. At School Street there is no left-turn lane and no left-turn traffic signal arrow for the School buses to wait in!

The road diet would provide northbound and southbound left-turn lanes as needed at its intersections. This would allow different and safer timing of the replacement traffic control signal.

In addition, additional on-street parking could be provided along with crossing the cycle track to the Bennett Academy side of Main Street at the School Street intersection.

Below represents what this could look like. A center buffer is shown for the segments between intersections where there would be no-left turns. It too could get an aesthetic treatment as mentioned above!

Remember, there is no one-size fits all road diet!

A road diet is tailored to adjust to the space and needs of each block along Main Street.

These samples are not all inclusive of the concept plan and are provided to demonstrate examples of the different ways we would adapt a road diet to fit and improve Main Street!

Another significant component of this project are the proposed roundabouts: one at the intersection of Main Street at Center Street and East Center Street and a second at the intersection of Main Street at Charter Oak Street, South Main Street and Hartford Road.

A modern roundabout is a circular intersection where drivers travel counterclockwise around a center island. There are no traffic control signals or stop signs. Drivers entering the roundabout yield to traffic already in the roundabout, then enter the circulating roadway and exit at their desired street. Roundabouts are designed to accomodate vehicles of all sizes, including emergency vehicles, buses, and truck and trailer combinations.

Modern roundabouts are different from rotaries and other traffic circles. For example, roundabouts are typically much smaller than the large, high-speed rotaries still in use in some parts of the country and require vehicles to negotiate a sharper curve to enter. As a result, travel speeds in roundabouts are slower than speeds in traffic circles.

• A safer alternative to traffic signals and STOP signs. The tight circle of a modern roundabout forces drivers to slow down, and significantly reduces the likelihood of the most severe types of intersection crashes: right-angle, left-turn and head-on collisions.
• Improve traffic flow and are better for the environment. Research shows that traffic flow improves after traditional intersections are converted to roundabouts. Less idling reduces vehicle emissions and fuel consumption. Studies by the Federal Highway Administration have found that roundabouts can increase traffic capacity by 30 to 50 percent compared to traditional intersections. Since roundabouts improve the efficiency of traffic flow, they also reduce vehicle emissions and fuel consumption.
• Safer for pedestrians. Pedestrians walk on sidewalks around the perimeter and cross only one direction of traffic at a time. Crossing distances are relatively short and traffic speeds are lower than at traditional intersections.

The CRCOG recently conducted a consultant led  Roundabout Screening Study.  Over 8,000 intersections within the Hartford-metro region were reviewed to identify intersections that could accommodate a roundabout to make significant improvements to the safety of that intersection.

To identify locations for further evaluation, the locations were ranked preliminarily based on a score weighted by:

1. Number of injury and fatal crashes;
2. Average daily traffic volume; and
3. available right-of-way (public land between property lines).

Main Street at Center Street ranked #260 out of 8,000

Main Street at Charter Oak Street ranked #264 out of 8,000

Roundabouts are improving safety in Connecticut! A 2023 news story in the CTMirror (" Four Corners no more: CT turning intersections into roundabouts ") highlighted the modern roundabout at Routes 82 and 85 in Salem, CT. This location experienced a 55% decline in crashes and a 90% reduction in injury-related crashes in the three-year period following construction completion of the roundabout.

“A pedestrian who is hit by a car going 20 mph has a nine in 10 chance of survival. If hit by a car going 40 mph, the chance of survival is one in 10,” said Bushee. He said the slowed speeds make it easier for a cyclist to ride through the roundabout.  

 FHWA: Do you know the rules of the roundabout? 

 FHWA: Pamphlet on Modern Roundabouts 

In addition to traffic safety benefits, the road diet offers a rare opportunity to enhance the streetscape and create additional public space in downtown, making it a more interesting and vibrant location to gather, do business and socialize.

By reducing the road width, certain sections of Main Street will be able to expand the width of sidewalk space, creating additional space for more outdoor dining, sidewalk sales, food vendors and other creative commercial and social activities.

The addition of native plantings and more street trees will provide shade and environmental benefits while beautifying the area, allowing Main Street to thrive economically, socially, and naturally.

This is a short, guided tour of the Downtown Manchester Improvements Project Concept Plan and renderings with different stops along Main Street highlighting aspects of the project. Click the pictures to expand and see more detail. Some Tour Locations have more than one picture!

Links to concept documents are provided under the  Additional Resources  section.

When the project advances to the Design phase, Downtown Main Street's on-street parking will be reviewed in more detail regardless of on-street parking space layout.

It is a good idea to revisit the on-street parking within each block to confirm it meets the public's need with regards to accessible parking spaces and also other restrictions such as loading zones and hourly parking restrictions to balance the needs of customers and businesses.

The number and location of accessible (handicap) parking within the project limits will be reviewed for ADA conformity and current needs. ADA or accessible (handicap) parking spaces can be accommodated in a variety of ways based on the block's overall parking layout (i.e. angled parking spaces, parallel parking spaces, etc.) and space available.

Additional accessible parking spaces, accessible aisles and/or ADA ramps may be installed or upgraded to ensure a compliant and accessible path from the space(s) to the sidewalk is provided.

Parking restrictions needed such as those for drop-off locations (e.g. designated rideshare pick-up/drop-off location) and loading/unloading zones for deliveries or customer uses can be identified.

Ridership and formal bus stop needs will be discussed with CTTransit, the local bus operator in Manchester. This will help the designers determine the best locations for identifying stops through the posting of bus stop signs and the best location(s) for the installation, replacement, or relocation of bus stop shelters.

There are currently no CTTransit bus stop locations where buses "dwell." Meaning that the bus parks and idles for a time longer than that needed to pickup and discharge passengers. Dwell stops along a bus route are sometimes best served with a bus pull-off area so the bus can sit outside of the travel way avoiding the need to block traffic. If there is no need for buses to regularly dwell then that greatly reduces the need for bus pull-off areas within the project limits.

The Department of Public Works' Engineering Division and Department of Planning and Economic Development representatives presented the concept to the Board of Directors on January 4, 2022. An excerpt from the meeting is shown below via YouTube.

The Town's efforts towards the Project goal stretch back much further than the unveiling of the proposed Concept. Two timelines highlight the Town's efforts: one illustrating efforts in the past to the present date and the other timeline illustrating anticipated future milestones as a simple estimate of how the project could advance.

Tentative dates are shown to help provide a picture and are subject to change as the Project evolves. No final decisions as to the final scope, proposed improvements, or ideas shown/available on this website have been made. The public input process is just beginning.

Links to relevant media and webpages are included, when available, below.

The following are events and key milestones from the past to present date relating to the progress of the Downtown Manchester Improvements Project.

As information becomes available and new milestones are achieved, the timeline will be updated.

The timeline as of January 29, 2024 is shown below.

 Jump to latest Timeline Event: February 2024! 

The following timeline events are not yet scheduled and the future timeline is a very optimistic estimate. At this time, no design work has been completed nor have the final improvements been selected.

There are a number of different ways to be involved in the Project as it moves forward -- see below for more information:

The Town has established a public involvement page on Your Voice Matters Manchester for the Downtown Manchester Improvements Project!

Sign up now to receive updates, be able to provide input on the concepts shown here and to stay involved in future events as the Project continues.

Sign up for Town updates and be in the loop on what's happening in your neighborhood! We will shared updates relating to the Downtown Manchester Improvements Project by email on Manchester Matters too!

The Town has started a series of Open House Events for the public to learn more about the Concept and to provide feedback. Specific information for each of these events will be posted on the  Manchester Matters project page .

The following was made available to guests at our series of Downtown Manchester Improvements Project Open House Events. Revisit the information below:

The Town of Manchester Board of Directors adopted a Complete Streets Policy which requires the considerations of all users during the planning, public engagement, design, and construction of a project. From the policy:

The Town of Manchester will provide an integrated and balanced transportation network for pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, public transit, emergency responders and all other users, regardless of age or ability. Complete Streets will directly contribute to improved safety, health, equality, economy and environment.

 Complete Streets Policy Document 

The following are direct links to the concept document as one PDF file type document. Note the file is large and may take some time to download and display. If it does not display correctly in your browser, open the file using Adobe Reader.

 January 2024 Main Street Concept (Charter Oak St to Center St)  File Type: PDF, Size: 35 inches by 118.7 inches large format

This project's ArcGIS StoryMap webpage can also be shared using the shortened link:  https://manct.us/10  Select links to other stories and external news on the project are listed below:

• Mirmina, Austin. "Can downtown Manchester return to a 'meeting place'? Roundabouts, space for bicylists [sic], pedestrians part of town's plan." Journal Inquirer, 12 March 2022,  https://www.journalinquirer.com/towns/manchester/can-downtown-manchester-return-to-a-meeting-place/article_64665b10-a185-11ec-88b1-0b118570430a.html . Accessed 14 March 2022.
• Smith, Brianna. "Improving Downtown Main Street: A look into the Downtown Manchester Improvements Project." Better Manchester, 7 March 2022,  https://bettermanchester.com/2022/03/improving-downtown-main-street-a-look-into-the-downtown-manchester-improvements-project/ . Accessed 7 March 2022.
• Villanova, Joseph. "Library referendum OKd in landslide vote." Journal Inquirer, 9 November 2022,  https://www.journalinquirer.com/towns/manchester/library-referendum-okd-in-landslide-vote/article_e95d2b0a-6007-11ed-9a94-9f1c2e7860cd.html . Accessed 8 December 2022.
• Bedner, Eric. "Tong building purchase OK'd - with reservations." Journal Inquirer, 7 December 2022,  https://www.journalinquirer.com/towns/manchester/tong-building-purchase-ok-d-with-reservations/article_11d0f9d8-7645-11ed-9fc9-7b840f59ce51.html . Accessed 3 January 2023.
• Office of Governor Ned Lamond. "Governor Lamont, Senate President Looney, Speaker Ritter Announce $99 Million in State Grants To Support Economic Development in Historically Underserved Communities State Bond Commission Approves Second Round of Grants Under the Community Investment Fund 2030." Press Release, 6 April 2023,  https://portal.ct.gov/Office-of-the-Governor/News/Press-Releases/2023/04-2023/Governor-Lamont-Senate-President-Looney-Speaker-Ritter-Announce-99-Million-in-State-Grants . Accessed 29 January 2024.
• Condon, Tom. "Four Corners no more: CT turning some intersections into roundabouts." CTMirror, 26 November 2023,  https://ctmirror.org/2023/11/26/ct-roundabouts-rotary-circle-traffic-safety/ . Accessed 27 November 2023.

 Connecticut Department of Transportation Roundabout Fact Sheet 

 Bike Lane Pamphlet for Drivers 

 Bike Lane Pamphlet for Cyclists 

 Bike Lane Pamphlet for Law Enforcement 

• Department of Public Works & Engineering Division ( Website )
• Department of Planning and Economic Development ( Website )