Beehive Bridge

City of New Britain

New Britain’s downtown corridor has suffered since Route 72 bisected the city in the 1960s. The Beehive Bridge was designed to bring light, life, and reconnection to downtown.

COLLABORATION ART INTEGRATION RESULT UNITING A COMMUNITY

Location

New Britain, CT

Services

Complete Architectural Services, Art Services

Project Size and Type

Adaptive Reuse

Schedule

Completed September 2019

Collaboration

Through broad-level participation, a great number of passionate people contributed to defining aspirations and reviewing concepts during public input sessions and steering committee meetings. Ultimately, this collaborative process created a large community of advocates for the project.

Art Integration

Integrated artwork has always been an essential part of human culture and was considered critical to the project’s success. Sweeping illuminated railings, four whimsical bees and a metal hive sculpture celebrate the City’s industrial history and also highlight New Britain’s status as a growing center for the arts in a bright and forward-looking way.

Result

The result is an adaptive reuse bridge that provides a memorable experience for the people of New Britain, along with the rest of Connecticut. What was previously a five-lane thoroughfare has been reinvented with reduced lanes, expanded sidewalks, large planters, and bike lanes. New pocket parks provide an opportunity for respite along Main Street. It is a reinvention of the city that belongs to, and reflects, its citizens.