At 1:30 p.m., the governor and Commissioner Redeker will hold a press conference to make a transportation announcement regarding I-91, I-691 and Route 15 at the commuter parking lot on Bee Street in Meriden. (for GPS use 366 Bee Street, the commuter lot is one block away)
Murphy pushing for $325M to clean LI Sound
STRATFORD — The town’s Short Beach is getting cleaner, town officials have been saying, and now they’re getting agreement from none other than Curt Johnson, executive director of Save the Sound, a bi-state program of Connecticut Fund for the Environment.
Johnson was at Short Beach last week to meet with U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn, and Stratford Mayor John Harkins.
“You know, it may be hard to believe, but sometimes a little project can produce big results,” Johnson said. “About three years ago, Mayor Harkins took the initiative and improved the bathrooms here on Short Beach, a project that significantly reduced the amount of fecal bacteria that was leached into the Sound.”
Murphy, who initiated the meeting, was there to push for passage of his $325 million Long Island Sound Restoration and Stewardship Act, which he introduced earlier this summer with U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and the New York delegation in an effort to get more federal funding for the restoration of Long Island Sound.
“Yes, parts of Long Island Sound are getting cleaner, but we need to do more,” Murphy said. “There are still too many beaches that have to close during the summer. That’s why the Connecticut and New York delegations are pushing for this bill.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Majority leaders oppose mileage tax
A proposal to charge state motorists by the amount of miles they drive on Connecticut roads has been rejected by Democratic leaders of the House and Senate.
Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff said the proposal recently presented before the Governor’s Transportation Finance Panel, based on a trial in Oregon, is a non-starter with no traction.
Speaker of the House Brendan Sharkey said mileage tolls are not even a legislative proposal at this point.
In response to Republican criticism earlier in the week, they said Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s proposed $100 billion, 30-year plan to overhaul the state transportation and transit infrastructure will not include those kinds of charges.
Duff, in a statement Friday, said in addition to current sources of revenue from fuel taxes, there’s a new law dedicating 0.5 percent of the state’s 6.35 percent sales tax to transportation.
“We know that in order to see our bold vision for a world class transportation system through and to pay for it, other ideas need to be explored,” Duff said, adding that the mileage tax is unproved.
“I am opposed to it and know that there is no appetite amongst Senate Democrats to advance this idea should a formal recommendation come from the governor’s panel,” he said. “Make no mistake, we will find ways to pay for our transportation plan over the long term. First, there must be recommendations from the governor’s transportation panel and then a robust debate in the legislature.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Construction begins on $30M Delemar hotel in West Hartford
WEST HARTFORD — Work has begun at the site of what will be the new, $30 million Delamar Hotel.
"Right now they've put up your standard fencing along the outside of it, and you've got just a couple of bulldozers in there just moving soil around," said project spokesman Steve Jewett. He said preliminary preparation and excavation began in July at the site at the corner of Memorial and Raymond roads. "We're pleased that it's proceeding," Community Services Director Mark McGovern said. He said there were a few complaints from neighbors about construction on Saturday but, "they're allowed to work on Saturday," and "all in all, the process has gone smoothly."
Developers started with a soil cleanup because the parcel is a former public works site and was used to dump fill from Blue Back Square construction. McGovern said there was "nothing toxic" on the parcel, and "it was known to be the first step in site readiness and the site development process."
The project was delayed in the spring when a protected red-tailed hawk was found to be nesting in a tree slated for removal, McGovern said. The developer, complying with the 1918 federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, did not begin work in an effort to leave the bird undisturbed.
But McGovern said that after observation of the nest's single chick, naturalists and the fire department removed the young bird and brought it to a wildlife rehabilitation center in Massachusetts. The bird, which appeared sickly, was cared for but died after about 10 days, McGovern said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Blumenthal calls for major renovations at West Haven's veterans hospital
WEST HAVEN >> The Veterans Affairs medical center needs major renovations and reconstruction to be able to perform up-to-date medical procedures, especially when it comes to women’s health, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Friday.
Blumenthal, D-Conn., took a tour of the hospital with Dr. David J. Shulkin, newly confirmed undersecretary for health at the Veterans Health Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. They also visited the Errera Community Care Center and held a roundtable discussion with female veterans about their concerns.
“The visit very compellingly confirmed the need for major reconstruction and rebuilding” of the medical complex on Campbell Avenue, Blumenthal said afterward. He said Shulkin “noticed particularly that the surgical suites, the operating rooms, are too small” to accommodate “the most modern and advanced form of surgical care.”
While a new women’s clinic is being constructed in Building 2, according to VA spokeswoman Pamela Redmond, Blumenthal said there is a need for an even larger clinic to serve the 16,545 women in Connecticut who have served in the Armed Forces. He said the women at the roundtable talked “about their health care needs: PTSD, OB/GYN, mental health care, and how those needs have not been met in the past.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Fired New Haven workforce official rebuts Harp's accusations
NEW HAVEN >> After months of inquiry and a yearlong tense relationship between city officials and Nichole Jefferson, Mayor Toni Harp has fired her, charging that she abused her power as head of the Commission on Equal Opportunities.
Jefferson has denied all the charges and has promised to sue for defamation of character, while Cherylnn Poindexter, president of Local 3144, which represents management, is looking to fast-track labor arbitration on the matter.
“You have engaged in intimidation, attempted bribery and corruption with contractors doing business with the City of New Haven,” Harp charged in her letter to Jefferson.
Jefferson has been executive director of the CEO for more than a decade and also is the secretary-treasurer of Construction Workforce Initiative 2, a pre-apprenticeship training program for residents interested in working in construction.
Its aim is to produce a labor pool of women, minorities and New Haven citizens which contractors could tap to fill a certain percentage of jobs on city-owned building sites, as required by ordinance. It was put under the jurisdiction of the CEO in June 2003.
Harp refers to CWI 2 as Jefferson’s “private entity” and said she sought donations from contractors “whose employment practices you were entrusted to enforce while affiliating yourself with the city despite being warned not to do so.” The CEO fines contractors who are out of compliance with the hiring rules. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Mad River bridge to be readied for demo this week
Preparation work will begin this week for demolition of a bridge east of Hamilton Avenue carrying Interstate 84 over the Mad River.
The work is part of the I-84 reconstruction project, which is overseen by the state Department of Transportation and slated for completion by 2020.
The bridge over the Mad River is the second bridge to undergo demolition [--] and eventually will be rebuilt [--] on the stretch of I-84 between Washington Street and Pierpont Road. The bridge carrying Hamilton Avenue over I-84 was partially demolished two weeks ago.
Also this week, a temporary bridge will be constructed to haul material across the Mad River to the area of the new I-84 roadway.
Meanwhile, construction will continue on the new Exit 23 westbound off-ramp, which is north of its current location.
It will intersect with Hamilton Avenue at nearly a 90-degree angle, providing better visibility.
Also, the northern abutment of the Hamilton Avenue bridge over I-84 is being constructed. An earth-retaining system is being installed before construction of the southern abutment begins.
A cofferdam is being installed for construction of a new Exit 25 eastbound bridge over the Mad River.
Rock blasting will continue on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, between 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., in two locations: along Reidville Drive near Harpers Ferry Road and along I-84 west of Hamilton Avenue.
During each blast, traffic will be stopped on I-84, Hamilton Avenue, Harpers Ferry Road and Reidville Drive for safety reasons.
Also occurring this week:
Jacking of a sewer pipe under the highway, east of Hamilton Avenue, will continue.
A detour remains in place between Harpers Ferry Road and White Oak Lane, where water and sewer work is underway.
Crews are installing wing-wall footing for a box culvert on Plank Road.
Along I-84 eastbound west of Hamilton Avenue, construction of the outside widening and shoulders will begin.
On the median between Harpers Ferry Road and Austin Road, excavation will occur and lighting conduits will be installed. Also, the shoulders will be reconstructed.
Along I-84, west of Harpers Ferry Road, workers are placing fill and constructing a roadway.
On Reidville Drive, one lane will be closed intermittently with alternating traffic for excavation and trucking of materials.
Sand bags are being installed in the Mad River to divert water and allow widening of the river channel.
Retaining walls are being installed south of the Exit 23 eastbound on-ramp and along the Exit 23 eastbound on-ramp.
The state DOT has established a waste stockpile area on Route 322 in Southington, near Exit 28. Materials will be trucked from the site to a disposal facility.
CT and NJ take opposite paths in transportation funding
ARTFORD — When debate swirls over the proposed 30-year, $100 billion overhaul of the state's transportation network, some voices argue that Connecticut is glaringly unique in its woes, a poster child for either overtaxing or undertaxing, short-sighted underspending or rampant waste.
The bickering arises in discussions of the $567 million CTfastrak busway, the failing century-old bridges along Metro-North's main line, or the staggering cost to rebuild elevated highways in Hartford and Waterbury.
Regardless of which party they blame, many voters see Connecticut as somehow alone in its woes, an island of failure surrounded by 49 thriving states.
But the past several years of partisan struggle over federal aid to highways and transit systems shows otherwise. Staunchly liberal states such as Massachusetts have run into troubles with their mass transit budgets despite pumping in billions of dollars, and voters last fall jettisoned a measure to automatically raise gas taxes to match inflation. Legislators in Minnesota — site of the I-35W bridge collapse —rejected a bill this spring to raise new transportation funds.
At the same time, conservative strongholds such as South Dakota, Idaho and Utah raised their gas taxes this year after state leaders concluded there was no alternative to generating new revenue. In right-leaning Missouri, voters last fall rejected raising the sales tax to pay for highway maintenance backlogs and the transportation department responded by warning it would close some small bridges, impose weight restrictions on others and cut maintenance to thousands of rural roads.
As falling gas tax revenues cripple the federal highway trust fund, state aid for bridge and highway repairs has fallen flat or declined in most states. And that's happened in an era when analysts say highway and transit budget needs are rising, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE