STAMFORD -- It is a cruel paradox of every redeveloping city. Spring marks the arrival of chirping birds ' and the jackhammering of construction crews.
And so it was with little fanfare this month that the city resumed work on the Urban Transitway, a federally-funded, road-widening initiative that is designed to alleviate traffic around the downtown train station by providing an alternate route through the city's East Side.
The latest construction, which follows a winter hiatus, marks a continuation of the project's $52-million second phase that began in 2013. By its completion, there will be a four-lane roadway on Myrtle Avenue between Elm and East Main streets, a three-quarter-mile stretch.
While city officials are planning to minimize traffic disruption, they are also expecting the work along East Main and Myrtle Avenue to be more logistically challenging for contractors.
"It's harder because it's a more congested area," said Ann Brown, a project manager. "There are more businesses and homeowners, and a lot of driveways."
The city has prohibited parking on East Main Street between Myrtle Avenue and Lincoln and Lockwood avenues during the latest construction phase.
Eventually, there will be no parking along the Transitway, a controversial decision but one that was reached following several public meetings on the design. "We do not have room for parking," Brown said, adding that many business owners rejected the idea of recessed parking because it would require them to give up more property. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
$2M made in repairs o Pleasure Beach
BRIDGEPORT -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provided $2 million to repair the breakwaters off of Pleasure Beach, city officials said Monday.
The repairs to the structures along the beach will protect the 71-acre barrier island from erosion and storm damage. The work has been completed ahead of this year's beach season.
"Last year, we reopened Pleasure Beach to the public after decades of closure and neglect," Finch said. . "Now, we're seeing further investment that will help safeguard the barrier island and the thousands of visitors who enjoy this newly reopened gem in our city."
U.S. Rep Jim Himes and U.S. senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy worked to secure the federal grant for the city, said Brett Broesder, spokesman for Mayor Bill Finch.
An amusement park had operated at Pleasure Beach from the 1890s until 1966; the only bridge providing visitor access burned 30 years later.
Access was restored last summer via free water taxis, and Finch said more than 25,000 people visited the restored and rebuilt facilities.
"Last year, we reopened Pleasure Beach to the public after decades of closure and neglect.
"Now, we're seeing further investment that will help safeguard the barrier island and the thousands of visitors who enjoy this newly reopened gem in our city," the mayor said.
Damage from Tropical Storm Sandy in 2012 affected about 4,500 lineal feet of the breakwater, and the repairs were funded from the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013, according to a statement from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
State wants to increase stop work order fines
State regulators are looking to get tougher on employers that skirt Connecticut's labor laws.
The legislature's Labor and Public Employees Committee recently approved a bill that increases fines on employers who violate stop-work orders to $2,500 per day from $1,000 per day.
Stop-work orders are issued by the state Department of Labor to employers who knowingly misrepresent employees as independent contractors, or fail to pay worker's compensation insurance or minimum wage, among other violations.
The Hartford Business Journal reported last November that the labor department was increasing its efforts to crackdown on Connecticut's underground economy.
But state labor investigators have warned that the current civil penalty of $1,000 per day isn't a sufficient deterrent, causing some companies to ignore stop-work orders and continue jobs even though they are violating state law.
The Foundation for Fair Contracting in Connecticut, an organization that lobbies for construction worker's fair wages, suggested the state increase the penalty to $10,000 per day but Labor and Public Employees Committee members agreed to only a $2,500 fine.
The measure has support from the state Department of Labor. The bill is now headed to the Senate.
— Greg Bordonaro
Shoppes at Avalon back before Glastonbury zoning commission
GLASTONBURY — With construction yet to begin on The Shoppes At Avalon project, Developer John A. Sakon is returning to the town plan and zoning commission with a proposal for more buildings.
Last month, the commission approved Sakon's plan for a 94,640-square-foot retail and restaurant development. Sakon will go before the commission again Tuesday night with a proposal that includes a plan for two additional 4,500-square-foot buildings.
Sakon has hired Diggs Construction of Hartford, a minority-owned company, to build Avalon. It is intended to feature upscale restaurants and stores similar to West Hartford's Blue Back Square and South Windsor's Evergreen Walk.
The commission will hold a public hearing on the proposal at 7 p.m. in town council chambers of town hall.
The commission will also hold a public hearing on a proposed sidewalk network from Welles Street to Glastonbury Boulevard along Naubuc Avenue. The plan needs a flood zone permit since work will be done in the flood plain. The commission will also hold a hearing on parking areas planned by the town at Arbor Acres and Greyledge Farm open spaces on Marlborough Road. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
More bidders sought for Lyman Hall athletic complex in Wallingford
WALLINGFORD >> The supervisor of the school district’s buildings and grounds department says he is concerned there won’t be adequate competition among bidders for the proposed upgrade of the Lyman Hall High School athletic complex.
Mark Deptula convinced the Board of Education to give its informal approval to spend a couple of additional weeks soliciting more bids the project. Deptula told the board’s Operation’s Committee that he expects the first round of bids to yield only one or two bidders when it closes later this month.
“That puts us in a scary position that could have a major impact on the overall costs of the project,” Deptula said. “I’d feel a lot better if we had six or seven bidders.”
The district and the town’s purchasing office had been soliciting bids from a list of contractors that are pre-approved by the state for municipal projects. But the state has multiple lists of pre-approved contractors and Deptula said he will spend the next couple of weeks trying to attract new bidders.CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE