This study is now complete. This page includes descriptions of public engagement that occurred during the Study development. Thank you for your participation in the Study. Go to the About the Study page to see a schedule overview for this project.
This Public Information Meeting provided an opportunity for residents and business owners to learn about proposed recommendations and options for transportation safety improvements and circulation changes for downtown Norwich. Attendees provided feedback to the Project Team about the recommendations and get questions answered. This feedback will be critical for guiding the final recommendations of the Chelsea Harbor/Downtown Norwich Mobility Study.
Wednesday, June 5, 2024, 5:00-7:00 PM
Norwich City Hall, Room 335
100 Broadway, Norwich, CT (MAP)
Meeting Resources:
6/5/24 Meeting Recording (YouTube)
6/5/24 Meeting Presentation (PDF, 5.7MB)
6/5/24 Meeting Notes (PDF, 0.2MB)
Transportation Alternative Concepts: Downtown - Option 1 (PDF, 6.0MB)
Transportation Alternative Concepts: Downtown - Option 2 (PDF, 6.0MB)
Transportation Alternative Concepts: Downtown - Option 3 (PDF, 6.0MB)
6/5/24 Meeting Press Release (PDF, 0.2MB)
6/5/24 Meeting Flyer (PDF, 1.4MB)
Picture from the event:
The Project Team partnered with the City of Norwich and the Norwich Community Development Corporation to install a tactical engagement demonstration in downtown Norwich, which makes temporary changes to a part of Main Street to test ideas and gather community feedback on potential improvements that could be implemented from the Mobility Study.
June 11 & 12, 9:00am - 4:00pm
Location: Cliff St. and Main St., Norwich, CT
By Chelsea Groton Bank and Otis Library (MAP)
Event Information:
Rediscover Norwich Flyer (PDF, 3.0MB)
Crosswalk Painting Flyer Flyer (PDF, 1.6MB)
For more information on the project, visit https://envisionnorwich360.com/en/projects/tactical-urbanism-1
Picture from the event:
The project team had a tent at Howard T. Brown Park where we shared proposed recommendations for making improvements and changing transportation in downtown Norwich to address speeding, safety, congestion, and mobility for all users in downtown! We also walked around downtown providing information on the proposed recommendations to businesses and residents, and answering questions and getting feedback on the recommendations. Thank you to all those who participated!
Tuesday, May 7, 2024, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Howard T. Brown Memorial Park
100 Chelsea Harbor Drive (MAP)
Meeting Resources:
5/7/24 Walk Around Handout (PDF, 1.3MB)
Picture from the event:
Potential alternatives to the traffic circulation and flow through downtown Norwich was presented to the City Council on March 18th. Linked below is the recording of that presentation and the slides from the meeting.
Monday, March 18, 2024
Meeting Resources:
3/18/24 Meeting Recording (YouTube)
3/18/24 Meeting Presentation (PDF, 5.7MB)
The meeting provided an opportunity for residents and business owners to learn about the project’s purpose, provide invaluable input for the development of recommendations and allow the public to get in-person answers from the project team.
Wednesday, October 25, 2023 - 5:00-7:00 PM
Otis Library Community Room
261 Main Street, 2nd Floor, Norwich, CT (MAP)
Meeting Resources:
10/25/23 Meeting Recording (YouTube)
10/25/23 Meeting Presentation (PDF, 5.5MB)
10/25/23 Meeting Notes (PDF, 0.2MB)
10/25/23 Public Information Meeting Flyer (PDF, 4.0MB)
Pictures from the event:
The Study Team attended this event to provide information on the purpose and scope of the study and take feedback on mobility issues in the downtown Norwich area. Thank you to all who participated! More information about the event »
September 19, 2023 - 5:00-8:00 PM
Chelsea Parade
Norwich, CT (MAP)
Pictures from the event:
The Study Team attended this event to provide information on the purpose and scope of the study and take feedback on mobility issues in the downtown Norwich area. We got a lot of great feedback at this event. Thank you for dropping by!
August 23, 2023 - 6:00-8:00 PM
Howard T. Brown Memorial Park
100 Chelsea Harbor Drive (MAP)
8/23/2023 Event Handout (PDF, 1.3MB)
Pictures from the event:
View all survey responses (PDF, 0.3MB)
The public survey, which stayed open for responses from mid-August to November 22, 2023, garnered 384 total responses to the survey, with 383 in English and one in Spanish. Seventy-six percent of the respondents live in Norwich, while the remaining quarter represent a variety of other towns in the region. Twenty-nine percent travel through downtown to get to other destinations, while 24% visit downtown to work or study, and another 24% visit downtown for shopping, errands, entertainment, or visiting restaurants. The majority drive through downtown and don’t walk much (64%), another quarter drives into downtown and walks around, 6% use transit downtown, and 5% typically walk or bike downtown. A majority (58%) do not bike in downtown Norwich, and 22% feel it is unsafe or very unsafe to bike in downtown Norwich. Thirty-nine percent feel that walking in Norwich is good or great, and the remaining respondents feel it is average (31%) or poor to very poor (23%).
Q5. What is your level of safety and comfort walking in Downtown Norwich? (choose one)
There are many different concerns people have with getting through the study area. They include unsafe drivers (47%), traffic congestion (41%), lack of parking near their destination (40%), long traffic signal wait times (34%), high speed traffic (26%), conflicts with people walking (16%), and issues with wayfinding (9%).
The survey also asked about how people perceive the Franklin Square Roundabout, which was installed in 2021. Overall, people think the roundabout works well or very well (71%) while 26% believe it does not work well or works very poorly.
Finally, many different areas of downtown were referenced as places where people feel it is unsafe or unappealing to walk or bike in. Areas on Main Street by the Post Office and Court House were mentioned, as well as near City Hall, Washington Square, getting from downtown to the marina/intermodal center, Water Street, and Market Street. Speeding was also brought up as another concern people have, and difficulty using pedestrian crossings.
Q8. If you often drive through the study area, do you experience any problems when driving in Downtown Norwich? (check all that apply)
