Hartford's overpasses and walking

I like reading Real Hartford, which has great insights into this city's politics, culture and daily life.  While many people who live in and outside of Hartford tend to think of it as a ghost town after five, Real Hartford reminds us that a lot is happening away from our city's empty sidewalks. There was another great post today about the terrible state of Capitol Ave. between the UHaul rental center and Laurel St.  Hidden underneath Interstate 84 and the railroad tracks, this part of town is an urban planning nightmare.  The writer was on the way to La Paloma Sabanera (if you haven't been, it's the neighborhood coffee shop that you thought Hartford didn't have) and found that the sidewalk was icy and unsalted and covered with broken glass straight out of a bar fight.  The same sad conditions are present on my own commute to work along Park St. as it passes under Interstate 84.  When you drive to work along these major commuter arteries, it is easy to ignore the blight, but on foot, it's hard to ignore.  Over the years, there has been some talk of removing the so-called Aetna Viaduct, the stretch of 84 that runs over Capitol Ave. and past the Aetna HQ into downtown.  Turning 84 into a boulevard or sending it underground would be a great step forward for walking in Hartford.

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