It’s not uncommon to see chairs and couches under the highway, but this latest configuration of furniture has appeared as a “free reading room.”

 

The space can be found on what the CT DOT had been calling an effort to mitigate the closure of Flower Street, despite the east-west orientation of the path. It is open to pedestrians and cyclists, taking them from Flower Street to Broad Street on the north side of the railroad and busway. At one point the State set out large planters of vegetation, but those did not take well, having been haphazardly placed in the shadow of the Aetna viaduct.

 

The space includes benches, a chair, a coffee table, an end table, and a book shelf that has been partially stocked. An employee of a nearby media outlet commented that it was “weird.”
This is not a City- or State- sponsored or approved park. Its creator encourages people to add books and board games, which can be done by going there and dropping those items off.