City, Park New Haven Prepared for Opening of New Gateway Campus Downtown

Park New Haven, Town Green Special Services District, and the City’s Department of Transportation, Traffic and Parking Officials Make Preparations to Welcome Gateway Community College Downtown

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — (August 30, 2012) — As the first day of classes is soon approaching on September 4th, Park New Haven; Town Green Special Services District; and the City of New Haven’s Department of Transportation, Traffic and Parking, are working together with officials at Gateway Community College to prepare for the arrival of thousands of new students, staff and faculty to their new home on Church Street in Downtown New Haven. To ensure that the transition to the new campus Downtown is a smooth one, this group has taken measures to prepare for the impact of so many new faces and cars heading to downtown New Haven at the same time on the same routes. The following is a list of steps taken and highlighted facts.

Parking

  • 1,300 covered parking spaces are available to Gateway Students/Staff/Faculty.
  • Parking spots are split between the new Gateway Community College Garage (entrance on Crown Street.)- 600 spaces; & Temple Street Garage (entrances on Crown Street, George Street., and MLK Blvd.) – 700 spaces.
  • These 1,300 parking spaces are more than Gateway had at both their Long Wharf and North Haven Campuses combined.
  • Gateway parkers are being instructed to fill the new Gateway College Garage first before parking in the Temple Street Garage.
  • Students/Staff/Faculty have been issued ID/Key Cards which will gain them quick, easy access to the garages, as well as exit.
  • Park New Haven will have attendants at each entrance to both the Gateway College and Temple Street Garages to assist parkers with information and directions.
  • In the event that all 1,300 spaces at both the new Gateway College Garage & Temple Street Garages are full:
    • Park New Haven Attendants will notify Gateway-affiliated parkers that the garage is full and to park at the Old Campus Surface Lot on Long Wharf from which they can board a shuttle to the Downtown Campus.
    • Park New Haven Attendants will also be issued directional flyers to be handed out when the garages are full. These include a message about the facility being full, directions and a map to the surface lot on Long Wharf.

“Lots of people coming to New Haven is a great challenge to face, but we also want to make sure that we have a clear plan to address what will be the inevitable times of crowding, confusion and frustration over the first weeks of such a large new operation. It will all be good in the end and the collaboration and cooperation of the Park New Haven team will help get us there quickly, said Park New Haven Board Chairman, Matthew Nemerson.

 

Shuttle Bus

  • Gateway will be operating a shuttle bus from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM, Monday through Thursday.
  • The shuttle will run on 20 minute intervals to and from the new campus from the surface lot at the old campus on Long Wharf.
  • The shuttle will also be an alternative to driving into Downtown, and will service those who choose to park at the Long Wharf surface lot.

 

Transit & Bicycles

  • To welcome the students to downtown, and as an alternative to parking, the City of New Haven will be offering Students/Staff/Faculty a free 31-day bus pass with CT Transit.
    • Currently, well over 500 students have taken advantage of the CT Transit bus passes.
  • The new Gateway Garage also has a 90-bike rack system enclosed in the garage, with access from Crown Street. There are also lockers and showers available for Students/Staff/Faculty on the lower level of the North Building.

 

“The City’s Department of Transportation, Traffic and Parking has been working with officials from Gateway and our partners at CT Transit to offer alternative transportation options to driving single occupancy vehicles to and from campus,” said Director, Jim Travers.

“We’re urging students to carpool, use mass transit, walk, or bike to the new campus Downtown. Our department has worked with our partners at CT DOT and will have added signage for those arriving to Gateway via I-95 into Downtown New Haven. We also will have Traffic Engineers on-site during the first week of classes, fine tuning the system as traffic patterns emerge. We have taken these steps, worked with officials from every agency over the past year on this, and we’re ready.”

“As there is during the first days of classes at any college in any city in the nation, there will be some additional traffic. New Haven is exciting, vibrant, and a destination for the arts and culture, and Gateway’s new Downtown Campus is an important part of the fabric of Downtown,” adds Travers.

 

Advanced Communications

  • Park New Haven and Gateway officials have distributed letters to Gateway students detailing the parking operations and procedures.
  • Gateway has also informed students about their transportation options – including bicycling.
  • The City will be briefing local news outlets to remind commuters of the possibility of additional vehicular and pedestrian traffic in the Downtown area when classes begin.
  • Town Green Special Services District has been in communication with Downtown Merchants and their key constituents to make them aware of the increases in traffic and to prepare for new patrons Downtown.

 

“We’re excited and ready for students and staff of Gateway Community College to take full advantage of everything that Downtown New Haven has to offer,” said Win Davis, Executive Director, Town Green Special Services District. “Our shops, restaurants, and attractions Downtown are all excited to welcome the Gateway community, and our Downtown Ambassadors will have a presence to give any assistance or answer questions from folks coming Downtown maybe for the first time,” adds Davis.

 

On-Site

  • Town Green will have additional Downtown Ambassadors presence around the blocks surrounding the college to assist with directions and guidance.
  • The New Haven Police Department is providing a supplemental traffic detail around the Gateway Campus as well.
  • The City will be monitoring traffic signals and cameras in real-time to mitigate any possible traffic backups in the immediate area surrounding Gateway.
  • Signage is being erected at I-95 Exit 46, both North and Southbound ramps, to direct Students/Staff/Faculty to the new campus. The City will continue to work with CT DOT on signal and signage operations related to Gateway.
  • Park New Haven, City of New Haven, and Town Green officials will all be on-site during the opening week to ensure things run smoothly, and that all procedures put into place are being followed.

 

Social Media

  • Both Park New Haven and Gateway officials will be monitoring social media via Twitter and Facebook to give updates (as needed) to Students/Staff/Faculty on parking availability and other important updates.
  • Park New Haven can be followed on Twitter @ParkNewHaven.

 

For more information on Park New Haven and the New Haven Parking Authority, please visit www.parknewhaven.com.

 

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