July 3, 2014

CT Construction Digest July 3, 2014

Environmental concerns hold up Church & Morse demolition in Meriden

MERIDEN — The city’s Engineering Department is working on a plan to ensure building and hazardous materials do not fall into Harbor Brook during demolition of multiple South Colony Street buildings. The need for a plan and other issues that have come up in recent months have significantly delayed demolition. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Construction at Southington Middle School increases in summer months

SOUTHINGTON — With school out for the summer, crews have ramped up construction and PCB and asbestos removal at DePaolo and Kennedy middle schools. Once removal work started, no one under 18 is allowed in the buildings or on the property for safety concerns, said Chris Palmieri, the Middle School Building Committee vice chair. The work is part of an $89.7 million renovation project at both schools. Polychlorinated biphenyls, known as PCBs, were found in the caulking of windows, doors and other areas at both schools. PCBs pose health concerns and are required to be removed when students are out of the building. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Contractor questions Southington bridge project, files claim for compensation

SOUTHINGTON — The operations manager for the crane and heavy lifting company that installed two highway bridges over Marion Avenue last weekend said the state Department of Transportation took a “big risk” in tearing out both bridges on the same weekend. “I thought it was absolutely ludicrous when it was first suggested,” said Jon Irwin, operations manager for Marino Crane of Middletown. “It wasn’t the best thought process.” The company is also looking for $300,000 from the DOT to compensate for a last-minute date change for the highway closure. The general contractor on the job, Northern Construction, is looking for compensation for the delay as well.
DOT spokesman Kevin Nursick said state officials had no regrets about the project and that its success spoke for itself. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
 

Amtrak is considering replacing the century-old bridge that spans the Connecticut River between Old Saybrook and Old Lyme. The Connecticut River Bridge, a 1,500-foot steel rolling lift span structure, is "nearing the end of its useful life," said Amtrak. Amtrak recently completed a study that identified two replacement options for the bridge, but would still need to secure funding for the long-term project estimated at $400 million. Either a new bascule (hinged) or a vertical lift bridge would replace the current bridge, which began carrying trains over the river in 1907, according to Amtrak. Today, Amtrak and Shore Line East passenger cars, as well as P&W freight trains, traverse the bridge.
The timeframe for construction of a new bridge could be 2018 to 2021. The Connecticut River Bridge would be Amtrak's latest in a series of bridge replacement projects in the region. Amtrak replaced the Thames River Bridge between Groton and New London in 2008 and the Niantic River Bridge between Waterford and East Lyme last year. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

North Western Community College receives bids for new building

WINSTED — Northwestern Connecticut Community College's plan to build a new multimillion dollar home for its allied health and veterinary technology programs is still caught up in red tape.
The college announced more than four years ago that it was going to demolish the Joyner Learning Center on South Main Street and construct a new 24,000-square-foot building on the adjacent parking lot. The 3.6-acre site is located just before the Route 8 southbound on-ramp. Initially, the problem was getting the funding from the state. The college needed another $16.5 million after it decided not to renovate the Joyner Center for $8 million. The project was estimated to cost $24 million.
Bids for the project were finally opened on April 15. Seven bids were received and they were as follows: O&G Industries Inc., Torrington, $19,763,000; Rizzo Corp., Danbury, $18,880,000; Lawrence Brunoli, Farmington, $19,944,000; The Nutmeg Companies Inc., Norwich, $19,520,000; Worth Construction Co. Inc., Bethel, $18,287,000; K&E Building Corp., Farmington, $19,939,000; and FIP Construction Inc., Farmington, $19,492,000.  Jeffrey R. Beckham, spokesman for the state Department of Administrative Services, said there was a bid protest by FIP, the third-lowest bidder.
"FIP alleged violations of the bid statutes regarding the naming of certain subcontractors and their prices on the bid form, as well as other issues (improper completion of the bid form, insufficient aggregate capacity)," he said in an email. The department denied the bid protest and FIP did not appeal, Beckham said. As a result, Worth Construction is the "apparent" low bidder, he said.
The department, via its division of construction services, must now determine that Worth "is not just the low bidder, but the lowest responsible and qualified bidder," he said. Steven Frazier, the college's dean of administration, said the college has missed breaking ground this summer and most likely this fall, too. It will take two years to construct the building. School officials have said the allied health and veterinary tech programs are in high demand.