by Sarah Willson

In a series of public hearings and participations, New Britain residents voiced their support for the construction of the Beehive Bridge, which will be constructed in the city’s downtown area.  City officials say the project, which has been described as “colorful” by Mayor Erin Stewart, has been ongoing since 2012.

Expected to be completed later this year, the $5.6 million construction task will connect “Little Poland” and the downtown area and will include spacious 5-foot-wide sidewalks and bike lanes, according to the Common Council.

About $4 million of the funds for the project come from state grants and the State Bond Commission, with the remainder of the money coming from the city.

Despite the hefty price tag, Ted DeSantos, the principal in charge for the design team of the bridge, said that investing in the downtown area is one of the most important things a city can do.

“Investment in the downtown is dollar for dollar far better than for another municipal investment,” DeSantos said. “We have looked at [towns and cities] that have invested in their downtowns and the rate of job creation is between 50 and 150 percent better in cities where they have made these types of public infrastructure investments.”

DeSantos claimed that the bridge will revitalize the area and attract residents to promote growth for local businesses.

“This is a project that will be classy and timeless and incorporate light so that it will look different day and night,” DeSantos said. “[It will draw attention] day and night at the main street level.”

Like DeSantos, Jerry Dion, the project manager for the bridge project, agreed that the project will “[improve] the whole look of the downtown [area].”

“I think this is fairly necessary,” Dion said. “For the town and for the people in the town.”

The reason for the time-consuming design of the project, 20-year-resident of New Britain Steven Hard said, is because of the amount of work designers have put into making sure that the bridge is exactly how citizens envisioned it.

“People from every single [design company] were intimately involved [in] the planning with the professionals who were called in to design this project,” Hard said. “I went to these meetings and I saw the professionals come back to the next meetings [having changed their plans] based upon input from the community.”

“[There is a lot that has gone into this project] over the course of many years. This is not something that has just been concocted over the course of the last year or so,” Hard said.

Les Majewski, a resident of New Britain, also voiced his support on behalf of the project and advocated for the lengthy amount of time that was put in to ensuring proper precautions were taken.

“We spent hours talking about [this project]. [The designers] gave us different plans and we chose the best one that will be most helpful to New Britain,” Majewski said. “This is something that we have to do because New Britain needs something that people can come [to admire].

Majewski also said that he was hopeful the bridge would attract residents and visitors alike.

“If [tourists] see something beautiful, they will stop, they will come and spend their money and see our businesses. This is something we have been fighting for for many years to bring people from outside of New Britain,” Majewski said. “This is a project that should have been done a long time ago. This one is really good for New Britain.”

Still, one New Britain resident, who chose not to be named, said he was concerned that the six-lane bridge would become a safety hazard.

“In your downtown, you don’t want high speeds. Wider lanes encourage higher speeds,” he said. “[When you have this] you create conditions where drivers feel very comfortable and pedestrians feel very uncomfortable.”

Contractor Mark Laviero will work alongside 80 employees during the construction process, according to the Common Council.