The City of Stamford recently started construction on a brand-new public plaza downtown, at the corner of Bedford Street and Forest Street.

For the last five years or so, the small parking lot there had been turned into a makeshift outdoor dining area, but now, the city is planning on making it permanent, with a 9,500-square foot plaza, including 19 trees.

Aside from looking better, city data says the intersection of Forest Street and Prospect Street, which is right on the same corner, has one of the highest rates of pedestrian crashes in Stamford, and this project will seek to address that.

The city is putting in a new traffic signal to replace the old one, while new elevated cross walks are being built - raised above the ground like speed humps.

The full projected is expected to cost $3 million, with $2 million coming from the state, and the rest coming from the city, and is expected to be done in the summer of 2026

Until then, the city is planning to have extra police officers around to help out with some street and sidewalk closures that might pop up.