Local lawmakers say they’re concerned about issues with the construction timeline and the cost of updates to railroad tracks along the Hartford Line, though a state Department of Transportation representative says the issues shouldn’t affect projects locally.
The Hartford Courant reported Wednesday on a May 11 letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx in which Gov. Dannel P. Malloy noted significant over-expenditures by railroad corporation Amtrak in updates to 62 miles of track between New Haven and Springfield, known as the Hartford Line. Malloy attributed the cost overruns and expected delays in the construction schedule to Amtrak’s failure to manage budgeting and staffing and requested that ownership of the track be transferred to the state.
“Connecticut believes that the only way to fund and own responsibility for the success of this corridor is to transfer ownership of the line to the state of Connecticut,” says a copy of the letter, obtained by The Courant.
In a statement Thursday, Amtrak spokeswoman Christina Leeds said: “We are working closely with the Connecticut DOT and other involved parties to collaboratively address the challenges facing this important and multifaceted project. While we have a different view of the circumstances surrounding this project, we share Governor Malloy’s desire to effectively advance the improvements to New Haven-Springfield corridor and remain committed to cooperatively moving the program forward.”
Representatives from Malloy’s office could not be reached for comment Thursday.
Among other cities and towns, the Hartford Line runs through Berlin, Meriden, Wallingford and North Haven, where new stations with elevated platforms are being built. State DOT spokesman Judd Everhart said that work on this section of the rail line shouldn’t be delayed, however. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Norwich — One of the city’s busiest traffic intersections will be under construction for six weeks in the evening and overnight hours starting Sunday night, as Norwich Public Utilities crews replace a more than 100-year-old sewer line on Washington Street from the end of the Route 2 highway to the The William W. Backus Hospital.
The $500,000 project includes replacing a 1,400-foot cast iron pipe dating to 1909 and a 50-year-old manually operated natural gas regulator, NPU spokesman Chris Riley said. The new polyethylene pipe will be flexible to better withstand disruptions from above or below, Riley said, and the new regulator will be “significantly safer” and can be adjusted from NPU’s control room.
“The equipment and pipe in this area is very old and showing preliminary signs of failure in a few spots,” Riley said. “It is more practical, safe and cost-effective for this work to be done in a staged and scheduled manner and not in response to an emergency.”
Work will start Sunday evening, Riley said. NPU crews will begin staging equipment at 6 p.m. and work until approximately 6 a.m. Sunday through Thursday until about July 10. The final two weeks of work will be done between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Putnam gas line extension project will cost half of original estimate
PUTNAM — Efforts to upgrade the town’s infrastructure will get another boost. Putnam is entering into a series of contracts with Eversource Energy, formerly Yankee Gas, to expand the town’s gas lines and their capacity, Town Administrator Douglas Cutler said.
Cutler originally projected the cost at $1 million, but now says it will be less than half of that.
“The cost of the project has dropped dramatically over the course of our negotiations,” Cutler said. “We thought it was going to be $1 million, then it was $550,000 and now it’s come down to $429,546, which again is even less on the contracts than we expected.”
Putnam has also accounted for all of the costs in projects it has already financed, such as the QuinebaugRegionalTechnicalPark and the high school renovations, Cutler said.
Economic and Community Development Director Delpha Very underscored the importance of the project to the town. Putnam has pushed the capacity of its gas lines to their limits because of the expansion and addition of businesses in the industrial park. Add to that the YMCA being constructed off Kennedy Drive and the addition of the high school and expansion of the lines was required for those projects alone, Very said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Major renovation of Mattabassett District facility complete
CROMWELL — A $108 million expansion and upgrade of the Mattabassett District sewage treatment facility is complete, and officials say they are pleased with the performance of the plant.
The district held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday afternoon to mark the end of the three-year project, which increased the facility's treatment capacity from 20 million gallons per day to 35 million gallons per day.
Most important, officials said, the upgrades greatly cut down the amount of nitrogen in cleaned water discharged into the Connecticut River.
State Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Rob Klee said high levels of nitrogen promote algae growth, which chokes ecosystems in the river and in Long Island Sound.
"Today you're putting online an expanded new treatment plant that will handle more water and clean it to higher standards and hold down costs for our communities and ratepayers," Klee said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Bidders offer visions for former New Haven bus depot site
NEW HAVEN >> As anticipated, two bidders are vying to develop the closed CT Transit bus depot on State Street. Jason Carter of Carter Management Company and 1175 LLC State submitted a request for proposals for the almost 7-acre parcel in the Mill River District, as did Digital Surgeons in combination with Urbane Newhaven LLC. Digital Surgeons is a branding and marketing company located across the street from the depot whose chief executive officer is David Salinas, while Urbane Newhaven LLC is headed by Eric O’Brien, a developer and a co-owner of CrossFit New Haven.
Both Digital Surgeons and CrossFit are located at 1175 State St., which is owned by Carter.
Carter, according to his biography, has owned, built and managed a billion dollars of Manhattan real estate since 1978, including reconstruction of seven National Landmarks in Soho, four buildings uptown, the Walter Kerr Theater and 22 Central Park South. This is in addition to new construction.
Carter got interested in New Haven after his many trips to the city while his four older children took turns attending Yale University. Salinas said he and his partner view the project as a place for entreprenuers to locate, while 10 percent of the property will be set aside as incubation space for startups. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
“The equipment and pipe in this area is very old and showing preliminary signs of failure in a few spots,” Riley said. “It is more practical, safe and cost-effective for this work to be done in a staged and scheduled manner and not in response to an emergency.”
Work will start Sunday evening, Riley said. NPU crews will begin staging equipment at 6 p.m. and work until approximately 6 a.m. Sunday through Thursday until about July 10. The final two weeks of work will be done between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Putnam gas line extension project will cost half of original estimate
PUTNAM — Efforts to upgrade the town’s infrastructure will get another boost. Putnam is entering into a series of contracts with Eversource Energy, formerly Yankee Gas, to expand the town’s gas lines and their capacity, Town Administrator Douglas Cutler said.
Cutler originally projected the cost at $1 million, but now says it will be less than half of that.
“The cost of the project has dropped dramatically over the course of our negotiations,” Cutler said. “We thought it was going to be $1 million, then it was $550,000 and now it’s come down to $429,546, which again is even less on the contracts than we expected.”
Putnam has also accounted for all of the costs in projects it has already financed, such as the QuinebaugRegionalTechnicalPark and the high school renovations, Cutler said.
Economic and Community Development Director Delpha Very underscored the importance of the project to the town. Putnam has pushed the capacity of its gas lines to their limits because of the expansion and addition of businesses in the industrial park. Add to that the YMCA being constructed off Kennedy Drive and the addition of the high school and expansion of the lines was required for those projects alone, Very said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Major renovation of Mattabassett District facility complete
CROMWELL — A $108 million expansion and upgrade of the Mattabassett District sewage treatment facility is complete, and officials say they are pleased with the performance of the plant.
The district held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday afternoon to mark the end of the three-year project, which increased the facility's treatment capacity from 20 million gallons per day to 35 million gallons per day.
Most important, officials said, the upgrades greatly cut down the amount of nitrogen in cleaned water discharged into the Connecticut River.
State Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Rob Klee said high levels of nitrogen promote algae growth, which chokes ecosystems in the river and in Long Island Sound.
"Today you're putting online an expanded new treatment plant that will handle more water and clean it to higher standards and hold down costs for our communities and ratepayers," Klee said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Bidders offer visions for former New Haven bus depot site
NEW HAVEN >> As anticipated, two bidders are vying to develop the closed CT Transit bus depot on State Street. Jason Carter of Carter Management Company and 1175 LLC State submitted a request for proposals for the almost 7-acre parcel in the Mill River District, as did Digital Surgeons in combination with Urbane Newhaven LLC. Digital Surgeons is a branding and marketing company located across the street from the depot whose chief executive officer is David Salinas, while Urbane Newhaven LLC is headed by Eric O’Brien, a developer and a co-owner of CrossFit New Haven.
Both Digital Surgeons and CrossFit are located at 1175 State St., which is owned by Carter.
Carter, according to his biography, has owned, built and managed a billion dollars of Manhattan real estate since 1978, including reconstruction of seven National Landmarks in Soho, four buildings uptown, the Walter Kerr Theater and 22 Central Park South. This is in addition to new construction.
Carter got interested in New Haven after his many trips to the city while his four older children took turns attending Yale University. Salinas said he and his partner view the project as a place for entreprenuers to locate, while 10 percent of the property will be set aside as incubation space for startups. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE