How driving on the I-84 shoulder could improve Danbury congestion without widening Mill Plain Road
DANBURY — The bad news is Connecticut has no plans
to reconfigure Interstate
84’s Exit 2 to reduce rush-hour backups on Mill Plain Road as
part of the state Department
of Transportation’s grand
strategy to reengineer the highway in Danbury.
The good news is that Exit 2's congestion would be relieved
without reconfiguring if a short-term plan to create a shoulder-driving option
for the highway does its job.
“A lot of the congestion on Mill Plain Road is bypass
traffic,” said Neil Patel, principal engineer for the costly and
long-term I-84 improvement project.
“With the improvements of the dynamic lane, we’ll see a (reduction) of that
(bypass) traffic.”
By “dynamic lane” Patel is referring to a $200
million plan that could begin construction in early 2028 to allow
driving on the inside shoulder of I-84 between exits 3 and 7 during highway
backups.
The shoulder lane, which would revert to a shoulder once the
congestion cleared up, is among a handful of short-term projects to
ease highway backups and related traffic jams at city exits that will be
discussed during a meeting on Thursday in Danbury.
The DOT’s overall plan to straighten and widen I-84 is still
a decade away from beginning construction and is expected to cost between $3
billion and $4 billion. The expected completion date is in the 2040s.
“These are mega-projects that take time to get through the
environmental review and the permitting and the construction,” Patel said.
The project has taken so long to plan and execute because it
has grown to involve more than just I-84, which carries a daily average of up
to 120,000 vehicles both ways between exits 3 and 7, Patel said this week.
“In 2018 and 2019 we pivoted … and took a step back, taking
a look at the needs of the corridor as a whole and not just the highway,” Patel
said about a project that the DOT has been studying since 2000.
“The scope expanded.”
A I-84 Danbury project meeting, which is open to the public,
is planned for 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Student Center Room 202 at Western
Connecticut State University’s downtown campus, 181 White St.
The news comes eight years after then-Gov. Dannel Malloy
announced planning
had begun to rebuild I-84 between exits 3 and 8 in Danbury to “improve
safety, increase capacity and improve operations and access to the highway.”
Construction was expected to start by 2022. The project cost: $640 million.
Today, the project extends from the New York state line to
the Exit 8 interchange and includes side proposals to improve traffic patterns
in downtown
Danbury at Exit 5, to streamline traffic in the Danbury
Hospital corridor at Exit 6, and simplify connections on Newtown Road
at Exit 8, among other side proposals.
The DOT’s Kevin Burnham said he understands the frustration
among some in Danbury who are eager to see an end to a decades-old problem.
“Not everything about the I-84 project is long range,”
said Burnham, the I-84 project manager. “People may be concerned about
when everything gets done, but a lot of things are going into design right now,
such as the dynamic lane use and other breakout projects, that will have a more
immediate impact. Those things are going to start reducing congestion in the
near term.”
The shoulder-driving option, once built, would be the first
of its kind in Connecticut. The state DOT has been looking for guidance at
models in Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio, where similar lanes are in use.
The challenge is making the concept work “in our unique
situation” Burnham said.
“We want to get it right the first time,” he said. “This
might be something that we use elsewhere.”
Waterbury approves $37M expansion for Roberto Clemente Dual Language School
WATERBURY — Teachers and parents of students at the Roberto Clemente
International Dual Language School applauded the Board of Aldermen's
unanimous approval Monday of a $37 million bond authorization to renovate and
expand the school.
The renovation and expansion project will enable to magnet
school to expand its unique language immersion program through grade 8 as
originally planned.
The Roberto Clemente International Dual Language School
provides instruction in English and Spanish across all subjects to evenly
divided classes of native English- and Spanish-speaking students.
It opened in 2021 with prekindergarten, kindergarten
and first grade classes. The academic plan called for adding a new grade level
each year until the school reaches the eighth grade in the 2028-29 school year.
The Board of Education is facing a tight time window to
obtain needed state funding for the renovation and expansion project and
maintain its commitment and schedule for taking instruction up to the eighth
grade.
The deadline to apply for state grant that is expected to
pay nearly 80% of the $37 million cost is June 30. The Clemente project must
make the annual school construction priority list that will be forwarded to the
state legislature in late December for consideration in the 2026 legislative
session.
Clemente school parents and teachers testified for the
city funding during a public hearing that preceded Monday night's vote.
"Extending the school to the eighth grade is near
and dear to my heart as it will contribute to the consistency of my child and
all the other children who were promised a biliteracy education," said
Trecia Reid, the mother of a third-grade Clemente student and a member
the school steering committee.
"I am asking you to send a strong message to the
children that they are important and their education and the promise of
a pre-K through 8 grade biliteracy school is important."
Nanichi Rodriguez Velez, Clemente's 2025 Teacher of the
Year, also urged the Board of Aldermen to support the renovation and expansion
project.
"Every day I have the privilege of watching our
children grow, not just learning two languages, but becoming proud of who they
are and where they come from and the cultures that shape them," she said.
"Expanding our program through eighth grade means giving our children the
time they need to truly become bilingual and biliterate and ready to take on
the world."
Mayor balks at original plan
The plans for the renovation and expansion project were
scaled back after Mayor
Paul K. Pernerewski and the Board of Aldermen balked at the original
proposal's $81.2 million price last June.
The first plan proposed the construction of 87,000
square feet of building additions. The city's share after state reimbursements
was estimated to be $31.4 million. At that time, it was decided to explore
other options even though that meant pushing the timetable back one year.
The Clemente school is in the former Saints Peter and Paul
parochial school on Beecher Street. The Catholic school closed in 2019, the
city acquired the property for $1.75 million in 2020 and the Clemente
school opened a year later.
The redesigned plan proposes to renovate and build additions
to the existing school building and rehabilitate a vacant convent building
abutting the rear of the school building and connect the two buildings through
a corridor.
The three-story main school building was built in 1926 and a
two-story addition in 1962. The convent building was erected in 1970. School
officials reported inspections determined the two-story, brick building is
structurally sound and suitable for its planned school uses.
School officials plan to locate the seventh and eighth grade
classes in the renovated convent building. The project plan also calls for
constructing a new cafeteria, a full-size gymnasium, dedicated art and music
rooms, a media center and adding elevators in both buildings.
In addition, the plan proposes to replace the roofs on both
buildings, with new heating and air conditioning systems for each. There also
would be added security protections.
School officials said state reimbursements could cover up to
80% of the revised $37 million project cost based on initial consultations with
state officials. The cost to the city would be $7.8 million.
The projected reimbursement rate is 78.9%. That would
represent $29.2 million of the cost. School officials reported the project
could be eligible for up to an additional 5 percentage points because Clemente
offers full-day kindergarten classes.
Superintendent
of Schools Darren Schwartz said the $37 million price includes costs
for fitting out classrooms and other learning spaces.
"Our school brings together families from all across
Waterbury and what unites us is our belief in the power of language, culture
and community," said Velez, Clemente's 2025 Teacher of the Year.
$316M Union Station TOD Revealed
Mona Mahadevan
Two 16-story towers containing 470 apartments and
28,000 square feet of retail and commercial space are now slated to be
built next to Union Station, per the governor’s announcement Wednesday of
a major new transit-oriented development.
Gov. Ned Lamont and state Department of Transportation
Deputy Commissioner Laoise King broke that news in an email
press release.
The governor, Mayor Justin Elicker, and top city and state
officials gathered at that same time in the parking lot just north of Union
Station to hold a press conference about the project.
According to the governor’s press release, the $316.1
million project will be led by Gilbane Development Company and MURAL Real
Estate Partners.
The press release states that, of the 470 new apartments,
118 will be “affordable units.”
At Wednesday’s presser, Elicker said that 20 percent of the
new apartments will be reserved for households making no more than 50 percent
of the area median income (AMI), which currently is around $45,500 for
a two-person household. Elicker said an additional 5 percent of the
new apartments will be reserved for those earning up to 80 percent AMI,
which currently translates to $72,800 for a family of two.
In addition to the 28,000 square feet of retail and
commercial space, there will also be 26,000 square feet of residential
amenities and 294 parking spaces to serve tenants and transit customers.
Construction will unfold in two phases. The first, scheduled
to begin in late 2026 and finish in early 2028, will include 280 units and
393,000 square feet of development. The second phase is slated to begin in
August 2029 and wrap up by November 2031, delivering the remaining 190 units
and 286,000 square feet.
Opening Wednesday’s press conference, Elicker described
Union Station as “the
welcoming mat to the city” and framed the project as part of a broader
initiative to increase the city’s housing supply. This will help “make sure we build, build,
build,” he said, noting that 7,000 apartments are currently in the
pipeline citywide.
King viewed the idea of building more as “really exciting,” though
emphasized that what constitutes appropriate housing depends on
a community’s size and character. Nonetheless, she said, “There is so much land that can
be put to higher and better uses.”
Gilbane CEO Edward Broderick highlighted the
development’s mixed-use, mixed-income vision. His company is committed to
providing “quality
housing that serves a wide range of incomes,” he said. “One day, the short walk from
here and the Green will be filled with spaces where families are happy to go;
where they can get a cup of coffee or lunch.”
MURAL CEO Robin Ziegler echoed that vision for
a vibrant neighborhood, saying the development aims to attract “young professionals, families,
singles, and empty nesters” alike. She said the commercial portion would likely
include both food and retail, selected in coordination with the city
using “a
community-driven and community-centered approach” to ensure they “provide something
for everyone.”
New Haven-based firms Pickard Chilton and Newman Architects
are among the architects chosen for the project.
For Pickard Chilton Principal Adrienne Nelson, one of the
more exciting parts of the project is “the
opportunity for creating an amazing destination along that walk downtown.” In
addition to addressing the housing crisis, she said, “it adds to the community in
terms of creating a sense of place and arrival.”
On the question of parking — where 294
spaces will be available at the end of construction — King said she “think[s]
it’s going to be sufficient” for residential and commercial uses. Commuters,
she added, will be encouraged to use a multi-modal transit center planned
for the station’s West Lot, which is currently in the design phase.
Newman Architects Principal Melinda Agron agreed. Based on
data collected by her firm, many parking garages in New Haven are
underutilized, demonstrating the city’s reduced demand for parking, as well as
providing another parking option for the building’s future residents. “It takes a cultural shift
to get used to the idea that we don’t need as much parking,” she said.
City spokesperson Lenny Speiller told the Independent that
this newly announced development project will not impact the existing Union
Station Parking Garage, which has 876 parking spaces. He also noted that the
state Department of Transportation is planning to build an additional parking
garage on the West Lot. That new garage will have 400 to 600 new
parking spaces.
Wednesday’s announcement comes nearly four years after the
city, state, and parking authority struck an agreement in 2021 to
build up the lot just north of Union Station into a new mixed-use
development. By late
2024, four developers had responded to a request for qualification for the
project: Gilbane, Spinnaker, Richman Group, and Twining Properties.
Electric Boat acquires former Macy's space in Crystal Mall
Brian Hallenbeck
Groton — Electric Boat, lately in real estate-acquisition
mode, announced Wednesday it’s done some shopping at Crystal Mall in Waterford,
purchasing the former Macy’s department store property that’s been vacant since
2021.
In a news release, EB said it intends to convert the former
store, a 121,000-square-foot building, into facilities for engineering,
training and laboratory units, as it ramps up production of the Columbia- and
Virginia-class submarines it builds for the U.S. Navy.
EB said it expects to eventually put about 700 employees at
the mall location, the first of them as early as 2027. It referred to the
7-acre site on Route 85 off Interstate 95 as “ideal,” with plenty of parking
and ready access to local businesses. The site is about 5.5 miles from EB’s
Groton shipyard.
EB currently employs more than 24,000 people.
“We are delighted to expand our footprint in southeastern
Connecticut," Mark Rayha, EB’s president, said in the news release. “Over
the past two years, we successfully worked with the Navy, Congress and the
administration to secure funds that enable us to increase wages for the
nuclear-powered vessel workforce and allow for significant additional
investments in capacity, shipyard processes and systems.
“This acquisition is another example of effectively
leveraging those funds to move important support functions out of the shipyard
and maximize the production value of our waterfront footprint.”
Rayha was referring to the Navy’s recently awarding EB a
$12.4 billion contract modification for construction of two Virginia-class
submarines authorized during the 2024 fiscal year. A portion of the funding was
earmarked for shipyard improvements and employees’ wage increases.
Soon after the announcement of the award, EB management and
the Marine Draftsmen’s Association, a 2,500-member labor union, reached
agreement on a new five-year contract that included raises totaling 30.6% over
the life of the contract.
EB has received nearly $2 billion worth of additional
contract modifications this year.
U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, hailed EB’s ongoing
expansion.
“The acquisition of the Waterford location and other recent
property acquisitions by our nation's largest submarine builder underscore the
pivotal role our state plays in strengthening America's national security,” he
was quoted as saying in EB’s release.
EB did not disclose the purchase price of the former Macy’s
property, and no documentation related to the sale had yet been filed with the
Waterford Town Clerk's Office.
Land records show the property was owned by CRJ Waterford
LLC, an entity controlled by Charles Robert Jones, who bought it for $4 million
in 2021. Jones, a Nashville, Tenn.-based developer, has acquired, restored and
repurposed historic properties and malls around the country.
“The Town of Waterford is thrilled to welcome Electric
Boat," Waterford First Selectman Rob Brule said in EB’s release.
"Electric Boat's expansion to our town is a significant investment that
reinforces our strong maritime history and our commitment to economic
development for our community.”
Brule did not respond Wednesday to a message seeking further
comment.
It was not immediately clear what effect EB’s purchase of
the former Macy’s location might have on the rest of Crystal Mall, a
once-thriving regional shopping hub that has struggled to survive, as many
malls have. The former Macy’s property is one of two pieces of the mall not
owned by the Namdar Realty Group, the other being a Sears store that closed in
2018.
Namdar, which purchased the main mall, including 535,500
square feet of retail space, for $9.5 million at auction in 2023, indicated a
year ago that it was exploring selling the mall or pursuing a partnership with
another entity interested in redeveloping it. That the entire mall property has
multiple owners has been seen as a major complication.
On Wednesday, Namdar’s chief operating officer did not
answer messages seeking an update on the mall’s prospects.
In January, EB purchased 55 acres of land in North
Stonington for construction of a 480,000-square-foot warehouse, paying the
Mashantucket Pequot Tribe $5.5 million for the property. In May, it bought the
former Garbo Lobster property and adjacent land, a total of about 2.5 acres, at
415 Thames St. in Groton for $3.6 million and a one-acre commercial lot at 435
Thames St. for $1.5 million.