Naugatuck Avenue to see major drainage upgrade
MILFORD — A 1,100-foot section of Naugatuck Avenue in the heart of the city’s Devon section will see a major drainage upgrade in the coming weeks as part of a continuing effort to harden Milford’s infrastructure to hurricanes, floods and other calamities.
Christopher Saley, director of the Department of Public Works, said Monday that the yearlong, $3.5 million project will about double the carrying capacity of the storm sewers along Naugatuck Avenue between Bridgeport Avenue and the point where it crosses Beaver Brook.
“This is something that Mayor (Benjamin) Blake has been trying to get going for a long time,” Saley said, adding that the Board of Aldermen approved bond money for the design of the project back in 2007.
But since Hurricane Sandy raked the city three years ago, there has been increased urgency to complete drainage and coastline infrastructure projects.
“With the increase in the severity of rain events that we’ve been seeing over the last 10 years or so, we’re finding that that the storm drain system that’s there now is completely inadequate,” Saley said.
“This is a part of the city that has flooded a lot more than it used to.”
Officials say that the existing drain pipe is 18 inches in diameter at Bridgeport Avenue, increasing to 24 inches by the time it reaches Beaver Creek. The project will double this size of the pipe to 36 inches at the north end and 48 inches where it enters Beaver Creek.
“The pipe has to be pretty deep and there are a lot of utilities in the street, so it’s an involved project,” Saley said.
Work will be done by the Coastline Construction Company.
Saley said that the project will begin, proceeding south to north, in about 3 weeks. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Southbound traffic heading to New Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge September 27
NEW HAVEN >> Take the opportunity to take a walk and party on the new southbound Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge on Sept. 19 because, eight days later, traffic will begin speeding across the span.
“We were originally going to shift all the traffic in April of 2016, so we’re doing this six months earlier than anticipated,” John Dunham, assistant district engineer for the state Department of Transportation, said Wednesday.
The Sept. 27 move will take southbound vehicles off the first half of the bridge, which has been carrying traffic in both directions for three years. There will still be only three lanes in each direction for now.
“We still have a little bit of work to do” to connect to Interstate 91 and Route 34, Dunham said. “By November of 2016 everyone will be in their final position, but this is good news. This will definitely help everyone out in that area."
The bridge itself was completed in May and the construction workers from the Walsh/PCL Joint Venture contractor held their own party then. The reason there still will be only three lanes is that some permanent connections have to be made with I-91, Interstate 95 and Route 34.
“We’re doing some temporary work that we originally didn’t plan on” in order to open the bridge early, Dunham said. “But we felt it was beneficial to do this. … There’s still interchange ramp work that needs to be completed.” The extra work cost about $500,000, within the contingency budget of the $417 million bridge project, Dunham said.
As he did for the northbound side, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy will visit on Sept. 18 to dedicate the bridge, named in honor of those who died in the Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese attack in Hawaii.
Then on Sept. 19, the public will be able to walk the length of the 1.5-mile-long bridge. Refreshments will be served and there will be family-friendly activities, as well. Transportation to the bridge will be from Hamilton Street and Ives Place. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Grants sought for repair of Main Street
NAUGATUCK — The borough will seek $3.6 million in grants to repair a portion of the pockmarked North Main Street in the Union City section. On Tuesday, the Board of Mayor and Burgesses gave Mayor Robert A. Mezzo authority to apply for the funding from the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments, which reviews and administers state grant applications from its member communities.
The borough describes North Main Street in its grant application as an urban minor arterial road, which is highly traveled and runs parallel to Connecticut Route 8 and connects exits 27 and 28. The portion that will be fixed has a mix of residences and businesses, including a pub, a funeral home, an automotive transmission shop and a package store. The proposed project would include repaving about 2,400 linear feet of North Main Street from Calvin Street to Union Street, installation of 3,000 linear feet of new sidewalk, storm drainage system repairs and improvements.
Mezzo recently submitted a letter in support of the application to Rick Dunne, executive director of the Naugatuck Valley COG. "North Main Street is an important link from the highway to the adjoining neighborhoods and surrounding area," he wrote. "Reconstruction of this section of North Main Street will improve traffic flow and aid in revitalizing this area of Naugatuck to the benefit of the businesses, residences and community facilities located there."
Public Works Director James Stewart, a certified professional engineer and land surveyor, states in his application that the existing roadway pavement is in poor condition and sidewalks are deteriorating.
"Road drainage is inadequate, ponding of water is a significant problem during heavy rains," he wrote. "The road also has two sets of trolley tracks embedded in the asphalt which are reflecting through the pavement and should be removed."
He said there are no anticipated right of way issues or environmental impacts from the project. He said the Connecticut Water Co. has completed a water main replacement project on the road this summer, and Eversource has scheduled a gas main replacement on North Main Street for summer 2016. The sanitary sewer lines in the area have been video inspected and have been determined to be in serviceable condition, Stewart wrote. If the application is approved, the municipality would have to pay $250,000 in design fees, but the $3.6 million worth of construction would be entirely state grant funded. If the grant is approved, the design and construction plans would need to be approved by the state Department of Transportation, a process that would likely push construction back until the summer of 2017, Stewart said.