Description
The entrance to Front Street from Middletown Ave/Rt 80 is a dump. It is an underpass filled with weeds, garbage, tags. It is dark, always, making it dangerous. And the fence, allowing anyone access to the river, is broken in several places. Isn't this DOT's responsibility? And what does this entrance say about our neighborhood - one which we are trying to revitalize... The new Q terrace looks great, but it is adjacent to a dump.
82 Comments
JC Faber (Guest)
Anonymous (Guest)
Anonymous (Guest)
Anonymous (Guest)
Ben (Guest)
On State Street we as businesses have to pay to have them cleaned every week.
I am trying to begin a conversation with the DOT about ways to beautify and improve our underpasses in New Haven.
np (Guest)
ben (Guest)
Those are great suggestions.
I would like to do more with the overpasses than just clean them and maybe these people would help in starting that conversation.
Additionally I guess we should get a sign if we are already doing the work :-)
Ben (Guest)
The adapt a spot program is on hold for now.
The conn. dot will not allow for murals under overpasses or anything of the sort as it is a "distraction to pedestrians and the motoring public"
Brian Tang (Registered User)
Carmine.Cavallaro@ct.gov (Guest)
Anonymous (Guest)
Brian Tang (Guest)
Excellent! I hadn't heard.
It occurred to me that my previous comment might have sounded like rhetorical questions. However, I really only intended to ask if anyone knew if the issue had been adressed. Next time I'll try to be more careful with my wording. I apologize for any confusion I might have created.
Steve Brown (Registered User)
Definitely still a problem. Or rather, apparently, a problem AGAIN.
I'd heard at least one suggestion that this area be "reconfigured." Would it be feasible to take down the fence, chop the weeds, and allow the underpass to be a de facto extension of the Dover Beach park? It might not be pretty, but it'd way a heck of a lot better than what's there now.
Ben (Guest)
Beansie's Mom (Guest)
JLB (Guest)
LBB (Guest)
Mike (Guest)
Steve Brown (Registered User)
All due respect Mike, but this is illegal dumping on GOVERNMENT-OWNED PROPERTY, and I don't see it as at all unreasonable to (1) expect the government, the owner of the property, to keep it clean, and (2) to expect the government, whose job it is to enforce the law, to do something to prevent this from happening.
Neighbors have taken it upon themselves to clean this area multiple times, but people continue to dump garbage there. So I guess they're not "taking the hint" as you suggest. And we're not talking about beer cans and condom wrappers here, they're dumping furniture, tires, etc, things we cannot just throw in a bag and toss out, or we would.
If you look around this neighborhood you will see plenty of us doing what we can to keep it clean. We're taking plenty of ownership here. We also have a reasonable expectation that those authorities who ARE responsible for this area will do their part as well.
Frank (Guest)
JLB (Guest)
DEZ (Guest)
Julia (Guest)
JC (Guest)
JC (Guest)
Still a disgrace... Again, this is THE entrance to a neighborhood trying to revitalize itself. What legal means to we have to ensure that this be fixed? New fence. Trimming of weeds and replacing with landscaping. Lights. Painting over of tags. Regular garbage pick-up.
Whose responsibility is it?
Timc (Guest)
Steve Brown (Registered User)
Timc (Guest)
joey (Guest)
JC (Guest)
CT Livable Streets Campaign (Registered User)
The DOT and the city have a moral responsibility to maintain this area in good condition. When they built the highway through the neighborhood, that was their promise to New Haven. It seems clear that, for whatever reason, government is seriously neglecting its responsibilities.
Orchestrating an official appeal to Governor Rell by the Mayor, Board of Aldermen and local community residents would probably be the most effective course of action here, particularly around the issue of lighting.
ConnDOT spends billions per year on roads (heavily funded by the general taxpayers, not by gasoline taxes) and can not properly light an underpass in our neighborhood?
np (Guest)
JC (Guest)
Still, a fallen down fence.
More and more tags sprayed painted. I thought there was a task force to paint over tags asap. They've been up for a month and growing in number.
John (Guest)
FairHavenRes (Guest)
BB (Registered User)
FairHavenRes,
When we have done these pick-ups we have called DPW in advance and they have come and picked up that weekend or the following Monday.
You guys should organize a clean-up.
Jeannette Faber (Guest)
Brian Tang (Registered User)
As long a community cleanup is something we can do...I know this is short notice, but, Jeannette, FairHavenRes, and co., if you'd like to organize cleanup for MLK Day (Mon. 1/18) I think I could get you a group of about a dozen volunteers from Yale. Just let me know soon enough so I can email the student organizer to get it on the list of projects for the MLK Day of Service.
Which reminds me, if anyone (I'm talking to you, Ben) has a project for MLK Day that could use volunteers, you can email Jaison Oliver directly at jaison (dot) oliver (at) yale (dot) edu to try to get your project added to the list. I know they had a shortage of projects and a surplus of volunteers last year because I didn't get to participate because all of the spots were full by the time I thought to sign up. I want to make sure that doesn't happen again.
BB (Registered User)
Hey Brian, (I'm listening :-)
Thank You for reminding me.
Lets look on SeeClickFix and see if we can find some good Community improvement volunteer activities.
The underpass at East Street is still in bad shape and could use some love.
The others have gotten remarkably better since we started paying attention and maintaining them.
Artwork next right?
Brian Tang (Registered User)
JC (Guest)
John (Guest)
Organizing a cleanup is a nice thought but the city/state needs to step up and get some lights put in first. I'd like to know if the people who think a volunteer cleanup is a good idea pay the EXTREMELY high property taxes that New Haven has imposed on people that actually invest in the city.
We pick up garbage in our Fair Haven neighborhood every day, I cant do any more.
BB (Registered User)
Hi John,
Ben Berkowitz - Tax Payer On State Street for Home Property and Vehicle Property.
I'd rather my tax dollars not go towards the things that I can not do with my community.
The majority of people that have participated in our clean-ups are tax payers.
FairHavenRes (Guest)
Wojtek Voytec Wacowski (Registered User)
Wojtek Voytec Wacowski (Registered User)
Jon (Guest)
It seems this underpass is the place to throw garbage out the window as one drives by. I cant imagine people park there and eat.
What I dont get is the new housing built there on the river has more lights than some cities do but just 100 yards away it is a dark garbage pit.
Steve Brown (Registered User)
I believe this problem is tied to the nearby landfill. Unscrupulous individuals that either find the landfill closed or have their items turned away may be using this as their alternative. As such, the problem is quite persistent. That's why the only way to curb the problem is to make it less attractive of a location for illegal dumping.
Obviously lights in the underpass would be a good first step, but I'm also curious what others think about a more radical solution: removing the fence altogether and incorporating this area into the adjacent Dover Beach park. Obviously being under a bridge it wouldn't be the crown jewel of the park, but seeing as the rest of the park is generally pretty clean, I think this could help a lot. Just an idea.
Jon (Guest)
Steve, thats a good idea. I know of places that have used these areas as skate parks with success. Dover park is clean and I have to guess the neighbors pick it up every day.
I believe the lights would/WILL help but it still seems like a magnet for dumping. Expanding the park somehow could change that.
JC (Guest)
More fencing is down along Middletown Ave just before one turns right onto Front. It is still dark - no lights. This INVITES people to dump garbage and spray paint tags. LIGHTS that work, PLEASE. I like Steve's idea of extending the park. Maybe putting sidewalks on the east side to discourage cars pulling over to dump. However, can we please start with lights?
JC (Guest)
Still no lights.
JC (Guest)
JC (Guest)
We have lights! Thank you.
The one last thing to fix is the fence under the overpass, the fence that runs along the pillars parallel to the river.
JC (Guest)
JC (Guest)
Steve Brown (Registered User)
I'd like to get a meeting scheduled to explore the idea of expanding Dover Beach park under the bridge and all the way to Middletown Ave. As I've suggested in the past, I support removing the fence entirely and turning this area into part of the adjacent park to discourage the illegal dumping. My concern is that simply repairing the fence isn't going to stop the dumping, since most of the dumping is right on the side of the road, outside the fence.
I'm pretty sure that some government department has been attending to this site, because garbage is still regularly being dumped and someone is picking it up. For starters does anybody know who has been responsible for that so that we can involve them? And who would we follow up with about trying to convert this no-mans land into at least a presentable green space?
Q Terrace is expanding, and Dover Beach Park has been getting some much needed TLC this year as well. Now is an opportune time to try and solve this problem for good while expanding a valuable resource in Fair Haven.
JC (Guest)
CT Livable Streets Campaign (Registered User)
JC (Guest)
JC (Guest)
JC (Guest)
JC (Guest)
JC (Guest)
Beansie's Mom (Guest)
DOT - Destroying Our Towns (Guest)
You can try contacting the DOT, through their web form:
http://www.dotdata.ct.gov/contacts/contact.aspx
I wouldn't get my hopes up that they will respond or actually do anything about it.
BB (Registered User)
I passed this on to the DOT as well. I do have to say that they have been very responsive to many SeeClickFix issues but part of the problem is that our neighbors treat these spaces awfully.
We have been working with the DOT on this project: insideoutnhv.com as an example of the DOT being a good neighbor.
JC (Guest)
Josiah J (Registered User)
jc (Guest)
JC (Guest)
Still a wreck - no changes.
JC (Registered User)
Justin Elicker (Registered User)
I just reached out to the State to fix the lights. I'll let you know what I hear back. Thanks for reporting this JC.
Justin Elicker
Ward 10 Alderman
justin.elicker@gmail.com
CT Livable Streets Campaign (Registered User)
Thank you Justin. DOT should keep the space clean if they are responsible for it.
The State Legislators should be engaged if DOT repeatedly ignores the needs of the people who live next to their facilities.
JC (Guest)
Frontstreeter (Guest)
JC (Guest)
Mo (Guest)
JC (Guest)
Justin Elicker (Registered User)
Thanks for keeping on top of this JC. I just contacted the state again. They responded to me the first time saying they would look into it but it appears nothing was done. I hope this time will work. If not, please let me know.
Justin Elicker
Candidate for Mayor of New Haven
justin.elicker@gmail.com
JC (Guest)
Now we need new fencing. Signs that state it is illegal to dump and that those who do will be fined.
I hope the neighborhood community group can help to beautify this entrance to our neighborhood - maybe murals, a welcome sign, cutting weeds, landscape the area, etc.
BB (Registered User)
Stängt JC (Guest)