The urban renewal movement of the 1950s and 1960s left its mark on cities across Connecticut, but perhaps one of the most painful was in New Haven.
Construction of Route 34 got underway only after the Oak Street neighborhood was demolished, forcing the relocation of 880 families and 350 businesses. Then, the highway — intended to connect the city to Orange and Derby and make it easier for people to visit and shop in New Haven — was never completed.
<a class="mobilestorylink" href="http://mobilepictures.courant.com/gallery.php?counter=0&slug=hc-new-haven-route-34-development-pictures-20120703"><b>PHOTOS: New Haven's Route 34 Historic Development </b></a>
The city was left with an expanse — nicknamed "the highway to nowhere" — that separated the city's downtown from many of its neighborhoods, Union Station andYale-New Haven Hospital.