Silas Deane Highway Revitalization

In an attempt to address economic conditions within the Silas Deane Highway corridor, the Towns of Rocky Hill and Wethersfield formed a partnership and made a commitment to revitalize the Silas Deane Highway spanning both towns. Utilizing Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP) grant funds, the towns jointly hired a consultant team to evaluate and conceptualize a revitalization plan for the 3.46-mile corridor from Route 15 in Wethersfield to Dividend Road in Rocky Hill entitled, "The Silas Deane: A Vision for Reinvestment, Wethersfield and Rocky Hill, Connecticut", prepared by Fuss and O'Neil, completed in 2006. Also funded was a market assessment study prepared by RKG Associates.

The Fuss and O'Neil plan laid out a framework in which to begin the economic revitalization of the entire Silas Deane Highway, identifying the project area as a "Town Center." This framework recommends design modifications to the existing highway at specific points, implementation of a façade program and zoning regulation changes. 

Phases

In response to the Fuss and O'Neil plan, the Town of Rocky Hill applied for, and received, a number of STEAP grants to fund the design and construction plans for the Silas Deane Highway Streetscape, as well as the implementation of a façade improvement grant program. Improvements consisted of:

• Roadway reconfigurations
• Intersection safety improvements
• Creation of two pocket parks
• New sidewalks
• Landscaping
• Street furniture
• Decorative lighting
• Decorative crosswalks
• Decorative plantings
• Banner installations

The projects were spaced out into three different phases; with Phase I being completed in 2013, Phase II completed in 2015, and Phase III completed in 2022.