Advocates press for Marginal Drive restoration

WEST HAVEN — Its name may be Marginal, but Kathie Hebert believes it could be something significant.

Marginal Drive, a road that runs along the West River and connects New

Haven’s Westville neighborhood to the Allingtown neighborhood in West Haven, is underutilized and has not been recognized for its potential in recent years, Hebert said.

Hebert, a West Haven resident involved in cleanup and beautification efforts along West Haven’s shoreline, has been meeting with like-minded people in both New Haven and West Haven for weeks. Her ultimate goal is to lobby the two city governments to work together to revitalize Marginal Drive into a well-lit, properlymaintained trail for jogging, biking and birding.

“We’ve come up with a proposal that University of New Haven students have worked on with me to revitalize Marginal Drive, to hopefully connect UNH to Southern (Connecticut State University),” she said.

Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media From left, Stephanie FitzGerald, Julian Thomas, Kaylin Stevick and Kathie Hebert at the closed portion of Marginal Drive in West Haven.