HARTFORD -- Gov. Dannel P. Malloy last week accepted a shortchanged version of his sweeping vision to spend $100 billion over the next 30 years to fix the state's deteriorating rails, roads and bridges.
But that didn't stop Malloy from declaring the funding levels a historic achievement.
"We can now get moving on a best in-class transportation system with this largest investment in state history," Malloy said after the General Assembly adjourned.
While the investment is substantial, it could have been much larger.
The new state budget delays Malloy's plan to divert a half percent of the state's sales tax to the Special Transportation Fund and --at least at this point -- there is no lockbox to prevent lawmakers from raiding the shrinking fund in the future.
More than $315 million in gas tax and other revenue scheduled to go into the STF over the next two years was diverted to the General Fund to pay for deficit reduction and other needs. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Affordable housing complex in Stamford crumbling
STAMFORD -- The cracked glass where a bullet burst through the Trinity Park Apartments entryway in late fall has yet to be replaced.
The building's facade is chipped and potholes are scattered throughout the surface lot.
Inside, the walls need a scrub down and several coats of paint. The carpets are old and stained in places.
"We're living like pigs in this place," said tenant Karen Wood, as she pointed out each aspect of the affordable housing building's flaws. "Nobody should have to live like this. It's filthy."
Wood has been living in the Spruce Street apartment building for nearly 20 years and said conditions inside the building have been deteriorating for at least the last five years.
In November, the city's Environmental Health Department visited the seven-story building and cited property manager Mutual Housing of Southwestern Connecticut with 40 violations.
The nonprofit was cited for garbage in its exterior yard, stained hallway ceiling tiles, mold growth on a unit's bathroom ceiling and wall, unsanitary hallways and ceiling damage due to a roof leak, among other things.
Martey Rhine, Mutual Housing's interim executive director, said she is aware of the issues and they will be addressed this summer when they begin an $8.3 million renovation of the property. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Bethel will finally get a water tank
BETHEL -- As the town moves to raze a long-unused water tank, a hard-fought plan to build a new one is about to become a reality.
Construction of the Eureka Lake tank in the Long Ridge Road neighborhood, which sits within Danbury's city limits, is expected to begin in the fall, said Director of Public Works Douglas Arndt.
The project, which voters approved in a December referendum, is slated to cost under $2.4 million, but officials are still negotiating a contract with the winning bidder, Bristol-based D'Amato Construction.
In the meantime, the town is accepting bids for the demolition of the Hickok Avenue water tank, which has been abandoned for at least a decade. Officials said there is no connection between the two projects.
"It's more or less just a coincidence that the town is getting around to dismantling that tank as we're preparing to build a new one," First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker said.
Bethel spent years in a legal battle with Danbury to build the Eureka Lake tank. Danbury initially opposed the project because it was not in character with the upscale rural neighborhood.
The two municipalities eventually reached an out-of-court settlement after Bethel changed the project to add landscaping and hide the tank from a proposed access road. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
East Hampton High School renovation project on hold
EAST HAMPTON >> The General Assembly adjourned without taking action on an omnibus bill that would have restored full state funding for the high school renovation project. But, the bill is on the agenda of a special session that will meet later this month to take up legislation the General Assembly could not act upon during the regular session.
The state had originally committed to pay half the cost of the $51 million high school renovation project which is currently under way. But earlier this year, the state Department of Administrative Services reversed course. DAS said a continuing decline in enrollment meant the renovated school would be too large for the dwindling student body.
Consequently, DAS said it would not fully fund the state share.
Unless that stance can be reversed, it would mean the town would be liable for an additional $7 million in construction costs.
State Sen. Art Linares, R-33, and state Rep. Melissa Ziobron, R-34, fought to include East Hampton in an omnibus package that would hold half-a-dozen town “harmless,” and restore the full funding.
Ziobron has repeatedly reassured school building committee officials that she was optimistic about the bill’s chances. But in the rush to adjourn by the mandated midnight deadline Wednesday, the omnibus bill was put aside for action later. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Trail expansion in Wallingford
WALLINGFORD — Wearing gray and white wigs and with arms linked together, Cathy Granucci and Mary Mushinsky slowly hobbled through the grass, hunched over, leaning their weight on canes they were carrying.
“Long climb,” said Granucci, laughing as she looked up to get a peek at the crowd of people sitting and watching her.
Town officials, trail advocates and members of the public gathered behind the Yalesville on the Green apartments for a groundbreaking ceremony Friday morning to celebrate the start of Phase 3 of the Quinnipiac River Linear Trail.
Granucci and Mushinsky, co-chairs of the Quinnipiac River Linear Trail Advisory Committee, wore costumes in a light-hearted acknowledgment of the 10 years it took to plan and fund the 2.25-mile expansion, which will connect the trail from Community Lake to downtown Yalesville.
“Here we are, we finally have our last permit,” said Mushinsky. “There were days when we thought we would never make it to this point.”
In October 2014, the state awarded a $150,000 grant to construct a 208-foot pedestrian bridge that will connect the trail from Fireworks Island to downtown Yalesville. The total cost of the third phase is expected to be $2.8 million with $700,000 coming from the town.
Fireworks Island was home to M. Backes and Sons Inc., a company that produced fireworks. In the past there were some explosions on the island. With the completion of phase three of the trail, the island will become a place for people to enjoy nature. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
With three of five voting members affirming approval, and conditional application language on the way, Costco's Exit 56 master plan is headed for a green light by Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) majority vote at its next meeting on June 18.
The PZC met June 4 to finalize its discussion concerning Costco Wholesale Co.'s request for a special exception permit and to review the master plan submitted as part of Costco's Planned Development District (PDD) application. The special exception Costco's seeking would allow large-scale retail into a current light industrial/small retail zone accessible from I-95 at Exit 56. The development would be created by connecting five individual, contiguous parcels currently owned by different entities.
Phase One of the PDD would include the construction of retail buildings totaling some 160,000 square feet to create a Costco wholesale club and gas station facility on the majority of the 44 acre parcel. Phase One would also include an access drives and a "ring road" for interior circulation for the entire development. Phase Two would add seven to-be-determined retail/commercial buildings later on. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
The PZC met June 4 to finalize its discussion concerning Costco Wholesale Co.'s request for a special exception permit and to review the master plan submitted as part of Costco's Planned Development District (PDD) application. The special exception Costco's seeking would allow large-scale retail into a current light industrial/small retail zone accessible from I-95 at Exit 56. The development would be created by connecting five individual, contiguous parcels currently owned by different entities.
Phase One of the PDD would include the construction of retail buildings totaling some 160,000 square feet to create a Costco wholesale club and gas station facility on the majority of the 44 acre parcel. Phase One would also include an access drives and a "ring road" for interior circulation for the entire development. Phase Two would add seven to-be-determined retail/commercial buildings later on. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
HARTFORD — If the I-84 viaduct replacement requires moving the Amtrak line, should West Boulevard be extended past Broad Street to provide a parallel route for Capitol Avenue?
Could Capitol Avenue be redesigned with a sharp turn to connect to Park Street to better link downtown and Parkville, and should the Sigourney Street highway ramps be done away with to accommodate bicycle traffic? The state transportation department has stressed that the design forum wasn't intended to make decisions about the project, but instead gave engineers a wide spectrum of ideas and public perspectives to consider when the time comes to choose how and where the viaduct will be located.CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
NEW HAVEN >> Fresh off passage of a budget that will designate 0.5 percent of the state sales tax for transportation projects, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and state transportation officials on Friday visited the harborside highway construction site to announce the completion of a new roadway connecting northbound Interstate 95 to Interstate 91, a milestone in the project to rebuild the interchange.
The traffic shift was completed last weekend, another step in $2 billion interchange project, which by summer 2016 will have traffic on I-95 north take a right-hand exit to get to I-91, rather than the left-hand split drivers must take now. “We’re taking these massive projects and big investments,” Malloy said, while drivers honked as they whizzed by. “Why are we doing it? Because it’s good for residents and good for our economy. Gridlocked highways and unreliable, slow commutes are a long-term threat to Connecticut’s state economy.”
Malloy said Connecticut drivers spend the equivalent of a 40-hour workweek stuck in traffic each year because of “unnecessary congestion. I’m not talking about accidents. I’m not talking about work being done on the highway,” he said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE