The Rizzo Companies have teamed up with the Danbury School System to do major updates and renovations on three of its schools. Construction has started on all three projects, which help aid the City of Danbury to meet the challenge as the student population grows over the next few years.
Shelter Rock Elementary School will see a new three-classroom addition, a new two-classroom addition, a new cafeteria addition, modifications to an existing classroom and a new parking lot and student drop-off area. The first phase of this project has already been completed, which allowed for a smooth opening to the 2013-2014 school year. Stadley Rough Elementary School will receive a new three-classroom addition, with a staircase and elevator connecting two stories, a new cafeteria addition, new parking lot and student drop-off area, and alterations to the existing basement including a classroom, two bathrooms, two storage rooms and a corridor. The first phase of this project was also completed on time. Finally, the biggest project will see the conversion of an existing elementary school into Mill Ridge Middle School. In a $13.5 million dollar project, Rizzo and their subcontractors will transform the building into a new space where children can learn in a new and updated environment. Approximately 1,000 square feet of space will be added to the existing 61,400 square feet, and the school will be updated in line with new life safety and accessibility codes. The layout will be reconfigured with new finishes, roof, and windows. Mechanicals, updated electric and data work, along with a renovated gym with new equipment, will also be added. The exterior will also be updated with a new student drop-off area, separate parking area, new drainage system, updated utilities, new plantings, curbs, sidewalks and paving.
New NB lanes on I-95's Moses Wheeler Bridge to open soon
Driving across the Moses Wheeler Bridge between Milford and Stratford is about to change.
The state Department of Transportation says a traffic shift is scheduled for Friday night into Saturday to realign Interstate 95 northbound travel lanes and to allow for the demolition of the existing northbound lanes.
The northbound traffic shift realigns the three northbound travel lanes onto the new section of the structure.
One lane of traffic will be closed at 7 p.m. Saturday so that preliminary work can begin on the realignment efforts, which include the resetting concrete barrier, adjusting signing and applying pavement markings.
The shift will be completed by 7 a.m. Sunday.
With the opening of the new northbound portion of the bridge, the remaining portion of the old Moses Wheeler Bridge on I-95 will be taken out of service while work continues on the center portion of the new bridge.
Lane closure information:I-95 Northbound Only
Reduced to single lane of traffic from 10 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday.
Special advisory:
I-95 lane widths are reduced to 11 feet during construction and the legal speed limit is 45 mph between Exits 33 and 34.
History:
Construction began on the Moses Wheeler Bridge Foundations Project in September 2009 under a $52.2M contract with general contractor O&G Industries, Inc. of Torrington. Project changes amounted to $8.3 million bringing the contract total to $60.5 million. The changes included the addition of 4 foundations slated to be performed in the Bridge Reconstruction Project. Completing this work early contributed to the $40M in savings realized by the State during the competitive bid process for the second bridge. The Foundations Project was completed on schedule in November 2011.
The $166.5 million bridge section of the project was awarded to the joint venture of Walsh Construction Company and PCL Constructor’s Inc. (WPJV) on July 8, 2011. The project is anticipated to be completed in late 2016 a year ahead of schedule.
For more information on the Moses Wheeler Bridge project, click here.
Demolition taking down the former AES Thames Plant
Montville - A national environmental contractor has purchased the now-defunct coal-fired power plant on Depot Road and is moving forward with a salvage and demolition project. Stephen Durkee, president and CEO of the Arizona-based Interstate Construction Services, said the company was unable to find a buyer for the intact plant and is now focused on selling usable assets and scrap metal.
The plant was formerly owned and operated by AES Thames Inc., which filed for bankruptcy in February 2011. ICS purchased the plant from the bankruptcy court for $2.5 million in December 2012 and recently began the demolition process, Durkee said. He expects the demolition to be finished within six to eight months. Durkee said ICS specializes in the removal of hazardous materials, demolition and site restoration, and has been working closely with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection "from day one." In August 2012, the trustee in the AES Thames bankruptcy case filed notice that he planned to abandon the buildings, machinery, chemicals and other remaining items at the site of the plant, claiming that the property and assets were of inconsequential value. At the time, Montville Mayor Ronald McDaniel said the notice was filed because insurance lapsed and was expected to be withdrawn. Despite that, the DEEP filed an objection to the abandonment, arguing that there were no safety measures to prevent contamination of the Thames River, which borders the Depot Road property. Durkee said his company is uniquely equipped to handle environmental obligations, including a large pile of coal that is located on the site, and that he has been keeping the DEEP as informed as possible throughout the demolition process.
DEEP honors new Southbury water treatment plant
Connecticut environmental and educational officials on Tuesday praising a new Southbury wastewater pump station that will improve water quality in Transylvania Brook, which is a tributary to the Pomperaug River. The Department of Developmental Services operated a wastewater treatment facility at the now demolish Southbury Training School that had reached well beyond its design life and its discharge was contributing to water quality in the area. In June, the Division of Construction Services removed the discharge from the site and put in a new pump station to send all flows to the Heritage Village Water Pollution Control Facility. DDS, DCS, and the Department of Energy & Environmental Protection held a ceremony Tuesday morning to recognize the importance of the upgrade to water quality in the area.
CT awarded $2M to give to construction firms
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $2 million to Connecticut for municipal and government contractors to purchase or retrofit construction equipment.
The purpose of the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act funding is to upgrade construction equipment engines to reduce pollution. Connecticut has received $5 million in DERA funding since 2008.
Construction firms have until Jan. 15 to apply to the state Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. Contact Pat Kelly in the DEEP Bureau of Air Management at Patrice.Kelly@ct.gov.
New Haven Coliseum Redevelopment to begin in 2014
The redevelopment of the long-vacant New Haven Coliseum property could begin as soon as next summer, the developer says, now that a key agreement with the developer has been approved by the city. The Montreal-based developer, Live Work Learn Play, plans a $360 million development of hundreds of residential units, a hotel, an office tower, shops, restaurants and public spaces. The development is part of an even larger vision to stitch back together New Haven's downtown, divided in the 1960s by the Route 34 connector, which was never finished.
"This will create a brand new sense of arrival into New Haven," Max Reim, LWLP's co-managing partner and founding principal, said Tuesday. "Highways will give way to mixed-use urban boulevards. We'll be reconnecting neighborhoods."
Late Monday, New Haven's board of aldermen approved a development and land transfer agreement with LWLP and helped clear the way for a redevelopment that has been contemplated since the Coliseum was demolished in 2007. If built as planned, the as-yet-unnamed development would unfold over the next seven to 10 years.