another accident at the soliders and sailors memorial arch in bushnell park

i had not read about this one. but it appears to be the sixth in two years. now, the protectors of the arch want to redesign the area and make it more difficult for people to speed around there as well as making the roadway more park-like. sounds like a damn fine plan to me! it's a hartford landmark and it must be preserved. It's Arch Vs. Autos Funds Sought To Protect Monument
By OSHRAT CARMIELCourant Staff WriterDecember 31 2005It's become a habit that a Hartford civic group would like to break.The city's historic Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch was damaged again this week when a motorist hit the structure. The crash knocked out a sizable section of the brownstone bridge leading up to the arch on its north side.The sixth such accident in two years is frustrating to protectors of the arch. But its timing is fortuitous. It comes just as the Bushnell Park Foundation is poised to approve a major street redesign plan aimed at discouraging speeding and reckless driving around the arch. The plan is called "a defensive design against bad vehicular driving," said board member Linda Osten, and it would cost an estimated $2.2 million. And with this week's crash, board members see a fundraising opportunity.On Friday the group announced plans for a Jan. 18 "summit" of state, local and corporate leaders, among others, to make a strong case for money. "We'll make a steppingstone out of a stumbling block," said Osten, chairwoman of the foundation's archway committee. "This will be an opportunity for us to have the conversation."The board is scheduled to vote on the streetscape redesign plan at its January meeting, Osten said.The plan calls for a major facelift of the area around the arch, which is in the heart of Bushnell Park and just northeast of the state Capitol. The plan would widen the sidewalks that run alongside the arch, and narrow the street underneath it by building obstructions that would force a fast driver to slow down. A 25-foot-wide section of the street underneath the arch would be elevated and built out of cobblestone or another material that would dissuade speed. ................