The orange signs and alternating traffic on Whitney Avenue mark the final stretch of a project Trumbull has worked on in Long Hill since 2018. The town's October newsletter says sidewalk work has begun between Dunellen Road and the Pequonnock River Trail. One lane stays open, traffic alternates through it, and the town asks drivers to allow extra time.
When the sidewalk is done, someone on the trail will be able to walk up to Main Street along a continuous, signalized route. It ends at a commercial strip whose storefronts have changed in the past year. Over the same months, an Italian market moved into the space a popular breakfast-and-lunch spot left behind, and a second Italian deli was getting its space ready a short way up Main Street. The infrastructure and the businesses are arriving at roughly the same moment.
Eight years, built one segment at a time
The Long Hill Green Improvement Project started with a 2018 planning study, and most of the work has been paid for with grants and local money, CT Insider reported in June 2025. In that story, Trumbull's Director of Economic and Community Development, Rina Bakalar, summed up the goal:
"Our key assets are our trail, our commercial center and our neighborhood. They will be all connected safely."
The pieces have come in a steady order:
| When | Milestone | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Long Hill Green planning study | Became the guide for the area |
| 2022 | First half of the sidewalk | Broadway to Dunellen Road |
| Late 2024 | Traffic light at Whitney Avenue and Main Street | About $900,000 total, with $560,000 from the town and the rest from a state DOT grant |
| 2025 | Long Hill Green redesigned and landscaped | Design called for grade leveling, sidewalks, benches, bike racks and new landscaping |
| Summer 2026 | New flagpole on the Green | Flag visible from both directions on Main Street |
| Fall 2026 | Second half of the sidewalk begins | Dunellen Road down Whitney Avenue to the trail |
In 2025, Bakalar told CT Insider the remaining segment would let "people can travel safely from the trail to the commercial center and vice versa," and said she expected it to be done before 2028. In his October 1 address to the business community, the First Selectman put the cost of the connection at $852,000, all from a State of Connecticut grant. He described it as a safety improvement and the link that will "connect one of our commercial centers directly to our trail system." When he spoke, construction was still "expected to begin shortly." The town's October newsletter says work is underway. Neither source gives a finish date.
What changed at 6528 Main Street
The commercial center at the top of the new sidewalk had its most visible change this year at 6528 Main Street.
That address was home to Marianna's Pantry, run by sisters Melissa Cotto and Marina DeCarli. Patch described it as a breakfast and lunch spot that also offered takeout dinners and specialty coffees. The sisters closed the Trumbull shop on February 20, 2026, when their lease ended, and the Connecticut Post reported their new home at 7365 Main Street in Stratford's Oronoque plaza, with a planned May 1 opening.
Nico's Arthur Avenue Market & Deli took over the space. At the Economic and Community Development Commission's May 12 meeting, the deli was described as fitting out at 6528 Main, with no opening date yet. By October it was on the town's list of businesses that opened in the past year. Arthur Ave Deli describes itself as modeled on Bronx Little Italy institutions such as Casa della Mozzarella. Mozzarella is stretched by hand throughout the day and salumi is sliced to order. The menu runs from crispy chicken cutlets and burrata to panini, and the shelves hold imported Italian groceries.
Trumbull Pizza Company shares the 6528 Main Street address, with thin-crust pizza, pasta, Italian entrees, burgers and wings.
The same May minutes listed Mi Scusi Italian Deli & Catering at 7146 Main Street, also fitting out at the time. It appears on the town's October list of new businesses as well. That puts two new Italian delis on the north end of Main Street in a single year, both within reach of the Green.
In 2025, Bakalar told CT Insider she hoped the area would become "more enjoyable for residents that want to visit some of the businesses, restaurants, stay in the area and have their lunch outside." The Green has since been redesigned and landscaped, and two new delis are close by.
Where the new sidewalk lets out
The trail at the bottom of Whitney Avenue is the Pequonnock River Trail. That is its formal state name, though TrailLink points out the name doesn't appear on the trail's own signs. TrailLink lists access and parking at 126 Whitney Avenue. The full route covers about 14.5 miles between Water Street in Bridgeport and Swamp Road in Newtown, on a mix of asphalt and crushed stone. Some segments are disconnected and linked by short stretches of road.
From the Whitney Avenue end, the two directions are very different walks:
- North, through the Pequonnock River Valley toward Old Mine Park. This stretch is stone dust, firm enough for wheelchairs in most places, and runs through what TrailLink calls the "stunningly scenic" valley. Farther on, the trail meets Monroe Turnpike, Route 111. TrailLink warns that cars there often ignore the flashing trail-crossing beacon.
- South, past Parlor Rock Park and along the river. Parlor Rock was a late-1800s amusement area. A short climb leads to a wooden bridge under Route 25, and then the trail follows the river for more than 3 miles, shaded and lined with rapids and rock outcrops. It continues to Tait Road and toward Twin Brooks Park, which has ponds, wildflower fields and hiking trails across more than 80 acres.
Some practical notes. Because the signs don't use the trail's name, a July 2025 reviewer on TrailLink recommended carrying GPS for route-finding. The getting from Tait Road to Twin Brooks means a short jaunt on Manor Drive, Gregory Place, Laurel Street, Daniels Farm Road and Church Hill Road, and the last two can carry heavy traffic. TrailLink also notes that all Trumbull town parks require a permit parking sticker year-round. For anyone walking down from Long Hill, the sidewalk takes the parking question out of the trip.
Two fall dates on either end of the route
The southern direction goes toward two of this month's town events.
The last Trumbull Farmers' Market of 2026 is this Thursday, October 15, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Twin Brooks Park, with music and food. After that, the market is done until next season.
Ten days later, the annual Kids Pumpkin Fest is on Sunday, October 25, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Town Hall Green, 5866 Main Street. The newsletter lists pumpkin decorating, lawn games, face painting, a live DJ, crafts with Trumbull Nature & Arts Center, a seasonal menu from Brewberry, and touch-a-truck with the Long Hill Fire Department and Trumbull Police. Pumpkins and crafts are available while supplies last.
Neither event is on the Whitney Avenue stretch, and the town hasn't announced a finish date for the sidewalk. While work continues, plan on alternating traffic between Dunellen Road and the trail.
If you live in Long Hill, you've watched this corner change one piece at a time: the light at Whitney and Main, the redesigned Green, the flagpole, and now the sidewalk down to the river. If you're curious how a finished trail link and a refreshed stretch of Main Street might show up in your own home's value, Sandra Calise Cenatiempo is glad to walk through it with you. Let's Connect. Start with a free home valuation.
