Housatonic Trail Extension | Newtown, CT

PROJECT STATUS: PLAN COMPLETE

The proposed Housatonic Rail Trail Extension Plan is a vision to lengthen the Housatonic Rail Trail from Monroe to Newtown’s Fairfield Hills campus. This 3.5 mile extension will help connect Newtown residents to Fairfield Hills, a former psychiatric hospital that Newtown continues to redevelop into a vibrant town center. This trail extension will also give residents an alternate way to travel through Newtown, and increase active mobility opportunities for residents and visitors alike. Street Plans worked with the Connecticut Council Region of Governments and the Town of Newtown to develop a routing plan for the rail trail, as well as plan views and sections for three highlight areas along the proposed routing plan. The highlight area drawings demonstrate the feasibility of extending the Housatonic rail-trail by providing potential design solutions and a material “look and feel” for some of the more difficult sections of the proposed right-of-way.

Photorealistic simulation of the proposed wayfinding sculpture at the Community Center.
Section of how the Housatonic Trail Extension meets the existing asphalt path to the Community Center.