STAMFORD, CT — The city of Stamford on Wednesday celebrated the completed lower Summer Street pedestrian promenade project, which officials say will enhance the vibrancy and roadway safety in the area.
Completed in June, the project has transformed lower Summer Street into a more pedestrian-friendly space with expanded outdoor dining and a revamped streetscape design.
Work began in spring 2023, and included widened ADA-compliant sidewalks on both sides of the street, new lighting and plantings, a canopy over the roadway to enhance pedestrian safety and a new bioswale to improve stormwater drainage.
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“It’s such a wonderful addition to our city, and it’s really one step further towards completing our goal of making Stamford a more vibrant, accessible, sustainable and pedestrian-friendly city,” said Mayor Caroline Simmons during a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday morning.
According to Stamford Transportation, Traffic and Parking Bureau Chief Frank Petise, over 6,500 square feet of sidewalk were added along with 300 outdoor dining seats for area restaurants.
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“This project really exemplifies taking roadway infrastructure and using it to make a place for people, to make things safer, and to spur economic development in the city,” Petise said during a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday.
David Kooris, the outgoing president of the Stamford Downtown Special Services District (SDSSD), said many businesses in the downtown area are calling to find out when it’s their street’s turn to be enhanced.
The SDSSD served as a liaison with local businesses throughout the construction process and helped procure hanging baskets, planters and plantings.
“Expect a long rollout of projects like this throughout downtown because this is truly the vision for the future,” Kooris said.
“This project is emblematic of what we’ve tried to do throughout COVID and over the last few years,” he added. “Road safety, pedestrianization, bike infrastructure, public realm, placemaking, outdoor dining — all of the things that we worked hand to glove with the city to mobilize, to make more easy and more flexible throughout COVID, which have now become lasting hallmarks of our downtown and the community is going to be able to benefit from them for decades to come.”
The entire project cost $2 million, with $600,000 coming from the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) in the form of a Community Connectivity grant.
Carlo Leone, a special advisor to CTDOT Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto, spoke briefly and said the project can be used as a model for the rest of the state.
“We’re doing this throughout the state so we’re hoping to replicate this throughout our state to really showcase what can be done in terms of making a city much more vibrant, much more walkable, really enhancing the business community and getting people to walk through and enjoy the services they provide,” Leone said.
Leone noted that Stamford is one of the fastest growing cities, with a 10 percent increase in population over the last decade. He said the influx of residents has opened up the need for these types of projects, and he thanked city officials for responding to that need.
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