NEW YORK (AP) — A concrete weight dangled for hours from a crane 40 floors above a street on Monday, leading officials to close a long swath of a major thoroughfare near Carnegie Hall as a precaution until workers finally guided it safely to the ground before the evening rush hour started.
The heavy cube made it to the Manhattan pavement on Monday afternoon after workers spent hours lowering it inch by inch. The crane had been frozen with its load in midair since about 7 a.m., when a generator stopped working, construction field supervisor Mike Lucas said. The closure on 57th Street created gridlock in an especially bustling area and raised fears that the weight could spiral out of control amid a forecast of strong storms that hit the city shortly after the weight reached the ground. The street reopened to traffic and pedestrians afterward.
WALLINGFORD — Pending approval by the Planning and Zoning Commission next week, a firehouse with unique aesthetics will be built on North Farms Road.
“It looks very much like it belongs on the property,” Deputy Fire Chief Rich Heidgerd said of plans for a new volunteer firehouse to be built on 11 acres of land at 866 North Farms Road. “It looks like a barn, or a dairy farm.” The firehouse would replace the current facilities for the North Farms Volunteer Fire Department, at 636 Barnes Road. For several years, the town looked into replacing the Barnes Road station. In 2011, the North Farms Road property, once owned by dairy farmer George Simpson, was purchased by the town. Old barns on the property were demolished to make way for the firehouse, which won’t look like a typical brick and mortar building, according to plans. In keeping with the neighborhood’s farming tradition, the new firehouse will blend into the landscape, Heidgerd said.
On Thursday, the final piece of the Northeast Utilities-NStar merger will be put in place.
Charles Shivery will retire his final leadership position, ending a near 10-year reign as the president, chief executive, and chairman of one of only 17 Connecticut Fortune 500 companies and what is now New England's largest utility firm.Shivery's rule as NU leader started in December 2003 and lasted until he orchestrated the $5 billion merger with Boston-based NStar. When the deal closed on April 10, 2012, Shivery relinquished his president and CEO titles to Tom May, NStar's long-time chief executive.Now, 18 months later and per the merger agreement, Shivery will hand over the chairman title to May, although he'll remain a board member."He ran a successful shop," May said. "He firmly believed his corporation was only as good as its reputation." As the long-time head of an investor-owned, regulated company, Shivery's legacy will vary by those who remember it. For shareholders, he grew the company's stock price from $19 per share when he took over to $36 at the time of the merger, to $41 today.
Full power restored to Metro-North Monday
NEW HAVEN — The Metro-North New Haven line with service to and from New York City was fully restored Monday morning, the railroad announced."Regular New Haven Line Service is in effect Monday morning, October 7, following the successful activation of a major new electrical substation at Mount Vernon," the railroad announced on its website.Amtrak also announced on Saturday that its Acela train service between Boston and New York City returned to its full schedule on Sunday.Metro-North and Amtrak Acela service have been hobbled since Sept. 25, when power from the Mount Vernon, N.Y. substation that fed electricity to the New Haven Line failed. Crews since then have been hurrying to complete a new substation that already was under construction.
North Branford looking to pave new path torward development
NORTH BRANFORD >> Widening and repaving of Route 80, the town’s main artery, has been a slow project as town drivers know too well. But as it comes together, the town will try to develop a clear economic development vision as it deals with some showcase properties — considered key to broadening the tax base and bringing North Branford’s appearance and business opportunities into the 21st century. The next step in that development process is coming soon, with the Town Council recently green-lighting a process involving Alan Plattus, a professor of architecture and urbanism at the Yale School of Architecture, running a “charrette” in town to gather input and ideas about development.
Watertown waits for approval on road projects
WATERTOWN -- As the Public Works Department starts getting ready for winter, many road projects are awaiting approvals from local and state authorities.
The reconstruction of Vaill Road from its intersection with Meadowcrest Lane to Orchard Lane is set to begin Monday and should be completed in December. Cocchiola Paving will improve the road and install new drainage.
Charles Shivery will retire his final leadership position, ending a near 10-year reign as the president, chief executive, and chairman of one of only 17 Connecticut Fortune 500 companies and what is now New England's largest utility firm.Shivery's rule as NU leader started in December 2003 and lasted until he orchestrated the $5 billion merger with Boston-based NStar. When the deal closed on April 10, 2012, Shivery relinquished his president and CEO titles to Tom May, NStar's long-time chief executive.Now, 18 months later and per the merger agreement, Shivery will hand over the chairman title to May, although he'll remain a board member."He ran a successful shop," May said. "He firmly believed his corporation was only as good as its reputation." As the long-time head of an investor-owned, regulated company, Shivery's legacy will vary by those who remember it. For shareholders, he grew the company's stock price from $19 per share when he took over to $36 at the time of the merger, to $41 today.
Full power restored to Metro-North Monday
NEW HAVEN — The Metro-North New Haven line with service to and from New York City was fully restored Monday morning, the railroad announced."Regular New Haven Line Service is in effect Monday morning, October 7, following the successful activation of a major new electrical substation at Mount Vernon," the railroad announced on its website.Amtrak also announced on Saturday that its Acela train service between Boston and New York City returned to its full schedule on Sunday.Metro-North and Amtrak Acela service have been hobbled since Sept. 25, when power from the Mount Vernon, N.Y. substation that fed electricity to the New Haven Line failed. Crews since then have been hurrying to complete a new substation that already was under construction.
North Branford looking to pave new path torward development
NORTH BRANFORD >> Widening and repaving of Route 80, the town’s main artery, has been a slow project as town drivers know too well. But as it comes together, the town will try to develop a clear economic development vision as it deals with some showcase properties — considered key to broadening the tax base and bringing North Branford’s appearance and business opportunities into the 21st century. The next step in that development process is coming soon, with the Town Council recently green-lighting a process involving Alan Plattus, a professor of architecture and urbanism at the Yale School of Architecture, running a “charrette” in town to gather input and ideas about development.
Watertown waits for approval on road projects
WATERTOWN -- As the Public Works Department starts getting ready for winter, many road projects are awaiting approvals from local and state authorities.
The reconstruction of Vaill Road from its intersection with Meadowcrest Lane to Orchard Lane is set to begin Monday and should be completed in December. Cocchiola Paving will improve the road and install new drainage.