SHELTON-State Department of Transportation officials will discuss their planned $9 million renovation of the Commodore Isaac Hull bridge during a public hearing Wednesday beginning at 7 p.m. in the city hall, 54 Hill Street. The planned renovation which will include painting, catwalk upgrade and repairs to the steel, fencing, railings, drainage and navigation is expected to being in the spring of 2017 and be completed in the fall of 2018. Federal funding will be used. The bridge which connects Shelton to Derby and is part of the annual Memorial Day celebration, was built in 1951 and spans 1,578 feet. In 1990 additional trusses were added to increase the width to allow for the addition of on and off ramps. Project plans will be available for inspection during the session at which the public is invited.
Airport work to close Stratford road
After years of delays and fighting between Bridgeport and Stratford, work is set to begin on the construction of an airport safety area at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford.
The work will require the realignment of Main Street (Route 113) to make way for the safety area. The entire project will cost $46 million. A portion of Main Street (Route 113) in Stratford will be closed starting on Wednesday, Nov. 5, the state Department of Transportation has announced. It will be closed to all vehicular and pedestrian traffic between Sniffens Lane and Dorne Drive beginning on “or about” that date. The project consists of excavation and removal of all hazardous material from the site identified as “Raymark Waste,” improvements to the Runway Safety Area adjacent to Runway 24, construction of an Engineered Materials Arrestor System to replace the existing blast fence adjacent to Runway 24, rehabilitation of existing Runway 6-24, various drainage improvements, the relocation of State Route 113 and various mitigation activities for wildlife habitat and wetlands impacts. For years, many Stratford residents and officials had opposed the project because they were concerned the airport would expand. But in 2013, with increased pressure by federal officials and court decisions, an agreement was reached between Bridgeport and Stratford.
Runway 6-24 and its ominous blast fence have been cited as a factor more than a half-dozen accidents over the years, the most tragic of which occurred on the foggy night of April 27, 1994. Eight people died in the fiery crash of a chartered twin-engine Piper that night; the lone survivor was the co-pilot, who was badly burned. Although that crash was blamed on pilot error, the FAA concluded at the time that had the blast fence not been there, the crash would have been survivable. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Stamford developer angers residents with delayed hearing
More than 100 people went to City Hall Monday night to speak out about something important to them. Minutes later, they left -- angry, throwing their hands in the air, murmuring to themselves, a few shouting over their shoulders, "We'll be back." Many carried backpacks and briefcases because they were commuters who rushed from the train station to catch the 7 p.m. public hearing.
But it ended before it began. The hearing was about a Zoning Board proposal that would give the city some control over plans by the state Department of Transportation and its private developer, Stamford Manhattan Development Ventures, to replace the dilapidated train station parking garage with a million-square-foot office, residential, retail and hotel complex. Commuter parking would be moved farther away from the train platforms, and 180 spaces would be added, though there is demand for many more. The DOT says it can do what it wants with the train station property because it is owned by the state. The DOT and Stamford Manhattan Development Ventures stand to earn revenue from their proposed complex, but the amount is unclear. The plans are "proprietary" because they are the property of Stamford Manhattan Development Ventures, a private developer, the DOT has said. The plans are private even though the project will be built on public land using $35 million in state taxpayers' money. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
City bridge paving to wrap up next week
MERIDEN — Road work throughout the city continued Tuesday, as crews worked to pave four bridges and crack-seal some smaller roads. Though most work is expected to finish in the next week, at least one city official is still frustrated by the pace. One of the long-awaited improvements that will wrap up this week is the repaving of the portion of East Main Street that crosses over Interstate 91. Work on the bridge began at the end of September, and was delayed for weeks because the bridge required more extensive repairs than expected. The city is responsible for repaving, while the state Department of Transportation is responsible for repairing the bridge structure.
Associate City Engineer Howard Weissberg said the state “removed and replaced soft concrete sections” as well as repaired some of the bridge joints. The deterioration was caused by water and road salt seeping into the concrete, he added. To protect the cement structure in the future, a waterproof membrane needed to be laid on the road, immediately followed by asphalt paving. “The membrane contractor had to be coordinated with the paving contractor, because we didn’t want the paving contractor to have to mobilize twice,” Weissberg said. Now that the DOT has finished repairs, the section of East Main will be waterproofed and paved on Thursday. The delay has frustrated local drivers and city officials. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Proposed multi-utilities installation plan unveiled in Stafford
A joint meeting of the Planning & Zoning, Economic Development and Conservation Commissions at the Stafford Senior Center on Oct. 21, unveiled a unique multi-utility installation plan that could net huge economic development in town. Town Engineer Dennis Milanovich described a nearly two-year effort to convince YankeeGas to take the town up on a proposal to install a more-than-20-mile gas trunkline coming in from Enfield and Somers along Route 190. Besides the need for natural gas service, Milanovich also noted that Johnson Memorial Hospital is desperately in need of hooking into a public water and sewer system. "By combining a sewer and water line with gas expansion, we could employ a magnitude of scale that would reduce the unit cost for each," Milanovich said. The proposed plan would involve installing a water main from the Dunkin Donuts and the sewer line from Chelle's Diner both to the top of the hill on Route 190. He said town staff has discussed the idea with officials from what would be five major users on the line - Johnson Memorial Hospital, TTM, 3M, the Big Y, and American Woolen - and they have all agreed to support the effort. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE