Advocates for a better-funded state transportation system will get their chance next week to appeal to Connecticut’s gubernatorial candidates face-to-face in North Haven. The campaigns for Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Tom Foley confirmed Thursday they will attend a forum at Monday sponsored by Moving Transportation Forward in CT, a coalition of nearly three dozen chambers of commerce, construction trades and businesses, environmental advocates, regional planning agencies and municipal groups. During a mid-August press conference at Union Station in Hartford, the coalition challenged the gubernatorial candidates to support increased funding to overhaul the state’s aging transportation network, even if it means tax increases or tolls. The group also asked the candidates to attend a public forum devoted exclusively to transportation issues. But both Malloy and Foley have ruled out tax hikes. And while each has said he is willing to discuss tolls, neither has proposed them. According to event organizers, Monday’s forum, set for 9 a.m. at the Best Western Plus at 201 Washington Ave., North Haven, each candidate will appear on stage separately, offering opening remarks and fielding questions from transportation advocates.
DOT seeks public input on Route 9 changes in Middletown
MIDDLETOWN >> The stop sign that halts traffic merging onto Route 9 North from Route 17 may give way to an acceleration lane, and another on-ramp may disappear altogether. Department of Transportation officials will meet with city residents on Sept. 23 to discuss a proposal to transform the stop-and-merge setup, relocate an intersection beneath the highway and eliminate the entrance from Harbor Drive. DOT staffers will hold an open forum at City Hall beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 23 with a formal presentation scheduled for 7 p.m.
“This project is designed to develop a plan that will enhance the safety of vehicles at the on-ramp of Route 17 onto Route 9 North, which has a high frequency of accidents,” DOT staff wrote in a prepared statement Wednesday. “The proposal includes the widening of the existing bridge immediately north of the stop-controlled on-ramp to accommodate a full length acceleration lane and remove the stop-control condition,” according to the statement. The wider lane “would be facilitated by the relocation of Union Street, Harbor Drive and River Road … further east across Sumner Brook, which would require the construction of two new bridges, and the realignment of the three intersecting roadways.” “This concept also proposes to close the existing on-ramp onto Route 9 North located at the north and of Harbor Drive and transform Harbor Drive into a local access road with on-street parking, and various pedestrian amenities.”“This is an important change for Middletown and the state really needs to hear from residents whether … they support this potential solution,” Rep. Matthew Lesser, D-100th, said in the same prepared statement. “The current on-ramp is one of the most accident-prone intersections anywhere in Connecticut and it limits access to our city’s waterfront.”
MERIDEN — While it’s still pending approval from a slew of final inspections, city and construction officials differ on when they expect the new wing of Platt High School to open for teachers and students. The new wing, parts of which are visible from Coe and Oregon avenues, should open Sept. 22, project manager David Cravanzola said during Thursday’s School Building Committee meeting. Cravanzola leads Torrington-based construction company O&G Industries in the $111.8 million reconstruction project. “We’re just doing punch list items now,” Cravanzola said.
Committee consultant Glen Lamontagne said, however, “I think we’re probably a week off of what Dave (Cravanzola) predicts.” The new portion of the school will be used as a freshman academy, and includes 60,000 square feet of classrooms, science classrooms, a media center, and band and choral rooms. Final inspections by the fire marshal, building inspector, and an elevator inspection were completed this week. Cravanzola said there were “a couple little hang-ups” in the elevator inspection, and a re-inspection was set up for the coming week. The results of the fire marshal’s and building inspector’s reports weren’t known at Thursday’s meeting because the inspections overlapped with the meeting time. A final certification of occupancy inspection will be complete this coming Wednesday. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
OSHA's current regulations mandate that only the hospitalizations or serious injuries of at least three employees be reported after any one incident. "Hospitalizations and amputations are sentinel events, indicating that serious hazards are likely to be present at a workplace and that an intervention is warranted," Michaels said in a statement. Michaels said the reporting will kick off a conversation between OSHA and employers to prevent future occupational injuries and deaths. He said some incidents may require only a phone call or two to try to address a serious accident, while others may necessitate an inspection team visiting a facility. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Hartford would pay less to lease stadium under losing bid
HARTFORD — The city's cost of leasing a minor league ballpark from the company that lost a bid to develop land north of downtown would have been less than the proposed leasing costs by the winning bidder, newly released documents show. The difference — hundreds of thousands of dollars a year — is based on the different ways the two developers would structure the lease for the city.
Hartford would pay an average of $4.12 million annually over 25 years to lease a stadium from DoNo Hartford LLC, the winning bidder, according to DoNo's proposal. That plan includes a $47.13 million ballpark as part of a $350 million overall development. A proposal from the losing bidder, Boston-based CV Properties LLC, shows that the company would have charged the city an average of $3.72 million a year over the 25-year life of the lease. Under that plan, which the city released this week, CV Properties said it would have built the stadium for $51.6 million. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Enfield roofer fined nearly $300K
Federal authorities have fined an Enfield roofing contractor nearly $300,000 for willful safety violations at two New Britain work sites. The Gleason Roofing Co,, which has a history of serious violations, "deliberately and repeatedly" failed to use the mandated fall-protection gear for workers at the two job sites, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration said in a statement Wednesday. The gear is as simple as an anchor, lanyard, and harness, yet the Gleason workers "were using nothing" as they pulled shingles from roofs, said Warren Simpson, director of OSHA's Hartford office. The company faces four "willful" and two serious violations, for which OSHA has proposed $294,000 in fines. The company can contest the fines or try to negotiate a settlement. A representative of Gleason Roofing did not immediately return a voicemail message seeking a response Wednesday afternoon. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Contractors have till Oct. 1 to submit bids for I-84
ACTUAL BID DATE IS OCTOBER 1
WATERBURY -- The deadline for contractors to submit bids for the Interstate 84 widening project between Exits 23 and 25A is Sept. 17. The state Department of Transportation began soliciting bids for the $400 million project on June 25. The DOT says work will begin in spring 2015 and will be completed by 2019. The I-84 reconstruction includes adding a third lane in each direction, realigning the highway near Harpers Ferry Road to eliminate an S-curve, eliminating the Plank Road on-ramp and Exit 24 off-ramp in the westbound direction, and extending Plank Road so that it runs from Scott Road to Harpers Ferry Road. Also, there will be improvements to many local roads, including Hamilton Avenue, Harpers Ferry Road, Scott Road, Reidville Drive and East Main Street. All existing traffic signals will be replaced. The project calls for constructing nine highway bridges, one pedestrian bridge, 20 retaining walls and six box culverts.