Construction underway on Valley Street aims to bring safer roads to New Haven NBC Connecticut [Video]

New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker, Alder Honda Smith and city engineer Giovanni Zinn joined residents of the West Hills and Amity neighborhoods to announce the start of construction on Valley Street on Tuesday morning.

“It’s a real improvement to the city,” said Mayor Elicker. “The majority of traffic-related incidents, people being injured or fatalities we see on major corridors throughout the city.”

Monya Staggers has been a New Haven resident for nearly 10 years. Staggers says that cars often “zoom” past on her street where children play often.

“My main concern is the safety of the community, with the speed of the cars,” she said. “It’s summertime now. Kids like to go out and play. Roller skate, ride their bicycles.”

From 2019 to 2023, the Valley Street corridor saw 216 crashes, averaging 43 crashes a year.

“Along this road you can get a sense of how dangerous it is over …