If you’re stuck in a traffic jam this Labor Day weekend, it won’t be because of state road work.
Governor Dannel P. Malloy on Thursday said that state Department of Transportation projects will be suspended over the holiday weekend: one of the year’s busiest for traffic as residents and visitors mark the unofficial end of summer.
“Even though we’re moving full speed ahead to transform our state’s transportation system, Connecticut holiday travelers should not have to worry about additional delays because of roadwork this weekend,” Malloy said in a statement. “All construction activities on state roads and highways will be suspended beginning 6 a.m. on Friday, September 4, through 8 p.m. on Tuesday, September 8. Only work of an emergency nature will be performed during that period. We wish all those who are traveling over the weekend to be safe during this time.”
He said the DOT will resurface 340 two-lane miles during this construction season. Crews are about halfway through with the necessary milling and resurfacing work, with a flexible deadline of November 1.“There are dozens of great places to visit in Connecticut, and I encourage our citizens to plan ahead and drive safely,” the governor said.
Malloy encouraged travelers to consult the DOT’s interactive travel map before leaving for a destination. Here it is
Hampton Inn planned for Bridgeport's Steelpointe Harbor
BRIDGEPORT — On a stifling late-summer day at a dust-choked construction site, a cool breeze off the harbor was enough to raise hopes for a long-delayed waterfront development.
In the latest of a series of announcements, Mayor Bill Finch unveiled plans Thursday for a 120-room Hampton Inn, a Hilton brand, to be built at the Steelpointe Harbor development. The six- to eight-story building will be designed with a nautical look, said Bob Christoph Jr., principal of Bridgeport Landing Development, which is part of Miami-based RCI Group.
Construction will begin following completion of work on the waterfront bulkhead, which is ongoing.
“Hilton has given their approval to go ahead with the project,” Christoph said. “It’s exciting. It speaks volumes to where the project has gotten, and the comfort level that national and international brands have with coming to the city of Bridgeport.”
Hilton approved the project within the past few weeks, city officials said.
Hampton Inn has hotels in Shelton and Milford, where rooms are available starting from $109 per night. The only other hotel in that part of the city is a Holiday Inn at 1070 Main St. downtown.
The Hampton Inn will be constructed between East Main and Pembroke streets, with only a waterfront park separating the building from the harbor. A 50,000-square-foot building with office and retail space will constructed at the same time adjacent to the hotel, Christoph said.
Before either can start, work on fixing up the waterfront infrastructure must be completed, which will take 8 to 12 months, Christoph said. In addition to putting in a new bulkhead, the development is raising the shoreline four to five feet to protect from future storms.
“We’re building for the next 30 years,” Christoph said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
New housing development closer to groundbreaking
RIDGEFIELD—Plans to build 54 units of age restrictive housing could be approved as soon as Sept. 8 after the Planning and Zoning Commission closed a public hearing on the proposal Tuesday night.
If the commission approves the plan next week, a 15-day appeals process would begin. If there are no objections, closing on the 10-acre property sale between Ridgefield and developer Charter Group Partners can ensue. The town will be $4.3 million closer to recouping its $7 million investment in the 45-acre former Schlumberger property located in the heart of Ridgefield.
Before the meeting, Charter Group Partners Vice President Jay Metcalfe praised the public hearing process for his proposal dubbed Coach Homes at Ridgefield.
“It’s been an asbolutely stellar experience working with the commission,” said Metcalfe.
The developer’s plan to build 45 single level condos and nine townhouses for people who were at least 55 years old was approved by voters last February. At the time, home costs were expected to start at around $450,000.
Once the closing is complete, Metcalfe said he expects to construction to begin quickly.
“We’re hopeful that we can get into the ground before the frost hits this year,” he said.
The sale of the property on Sunset Lane would mark the second parcel sold of the Schlumberger property that the town purchased in 2012. A five-acre parcel was sold to developer Steve Zemo for $1.25 million.
After the sale the town would still control 30 acres of the property and a citizens committee is studying options for what to do with it.
New harbor dredging plan gains support
The state’s Congressional delegation is supporting a recent plan by the U.S. Army Corps of Enginner’s to dredge harbors and rivers in Connecticut. At the core of the the plan is where to dispose the material that is dredged.
The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection backs the disposal of materials in designated areas in Long Island Sound while New York state and environmental activists are calling for the reuse of sediments. Four sites in the Sound are used for disposal, with two set to close by April unless a management plan is approved.
Rob Klee, commissioner of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said the draft plan identifies several environmentally sound alternatives for materials dredged from harbors and waterways. He cited uses such as beach rehabilitation and marsh restoration, which environmental advocates are demanding as alternatives to dumping sediment and other materials into the Sound. Klee said the Sound must be available for disposal sites because sediment can't always be recycled.
A number of commuters in southwest Connecticut have asked the corps to dredge rivers and harbors in their communuties that have become shallow with sediments and muck. Bridgeport Harbor, in particular, hasn’t been dredged in 50 years.
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said he and the state’s congressional delegation supports the plan because of the importance to Connecticut’s economy. “Long Island Sound waterways support $9 billion in annual economic output, including 55,000 jobs throughout the region,” Blumenthal said. “Additionally, the region supports numerous federal and military facilities that rely on the accessibility of the Long Island Sound waters. Without dredging, the region will experience an estimated 15 percent drop in related economic activity over the next two decades.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Berlin High School renovation project on schedule and on budget
BERLIN — The renovation of Berlin High School is both on schedule and on budget, its project manager said. Gilbane’s Tom Smith, who is overseeing the project, said the building is not only in good shape in terms of its financial status and schedule, but that some parts are being turned back over early. He said the former science rooms were completed before the start of this school year, which helped clear up some scheduling conflicts administrators were expected to encounter. Seven total rooms were turned over early.
“At this point, essentially two thirds of the school is done,” Smith said. “And we’ve gotten a lot of good reviews.”
Mayor Rachel Rochette, who is the mother of a BHS freshman, said the major stride forward the project took this summer was not only an important piece in terms of staying on schedule, but for the general psyche of the students as well.
“Very important that they went in and saw a change,” she said. “What a difference a summer makes.”
Fellow Councilor David Evans, who has two daughters at BHS, added that he has also heard positive feedback regarding the school.
Smith said that a “substantial” amount is left in the contingency budget as well as in allowances, and that any rumblings of the project budget swelling are completely false at this point.
“I’m happy to say it now, we are on schedule and this is still an $84 million job, not a $100 million job like we’ve heard,” he said.
Deputy Mayor William Rasmussen Jr. reiterated that those who are under the impression that the project will exceed its budget are misinformed.
“Just for clarification on all the numbers, this was never a $100 million project. It was never more than an $85 million project,” he said. “I see that $100 million figure and hear it every week and it drives me crazy. It was never a $100 million project.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Hub bridge in place in Meriden
MERIDEN — The 300-foot pedestrian bridge was hoisted into place Thursday at the downtown Hub park. A crane company spokesman called it the largest bridge of its type the company has maneuvered.
The 60-ton bridge spans the park and Harbor Brook, uncovered last week for the first time in decades. Crews have been building the bridge abutments for weeks, and a crane operating specialist was called in to lift the prefabricated bridge structure atop the support piers.
The Middletown-based Marino Crane, a division of Barnhart Northeast Inc., lifted the bridge into place.
Al Ouellette, a sales representative and former crane operator at Marino, said that in his 32 years at the company, “as far as pedestrian bridges go, this one is the largest that we’ve put together that’s a single-stand bridge.”
Pieces of the bridge were fabricated at a company in Alabama, and were delivered this week on a convoy of five trucks, which needed special oversize load permits from the state Department of Transportation to cross into Connecticut. Until the permits were issued, the trucks were parked in Fishkill, New York, near the Hudson River.
Ouellette said crews pieced together three of the delivered parts to create the main, center part of the bridge. The remaining two pieces make up the ends of the bridge.
“First they put the three sections together, then they had to break down the crane and move it to set the fourth and fifth sections,” Ouellette said. “It was quite a job.” He added that Marino was subcontracted by Hartland Building-Restoration Co., which supplied the iron workers.
Considerations for the lift plan were worked out a month or so in advance, Ouellette said, in order to keep an orderly and safe procedure for building and lifting the bridge into place. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
The general contractor on the project is Torrington's O&G Industries, which said it expects to complete the job by April. O&G has a $3.1 million contract with the state Department of Transportation.
Besides the 260-foot-long platform, O&G is building a new egress stair tower, decorative railings and ornamental fencing, as well as new electrical and communication rooms within the station, which is located on Amtrak's New Haven-Springfield line.
There will also be new lighting, signage, information display systems, video surveillance, fire alarms and bird control devices, according to O&G.
Oxford says no to tax plan for plant
First selectman: Town will lose out on money from Towantic
OXFORD — Voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposed tax stabilization package Thursday that would have seen the owners of the Maryland-based CPV Towantic Energy Center pay $112 million in lieu of taxes over 22 years. Residents were asked by a show of hands during a standing room only meeting in the Oxford High School auditorium to vote yes or no on the proposal — 192 said "yes" and 331 voted "no." The room erupted in cheers when the vote was tallied.
Competitive Power Ventures, the developers of the plant, have conditional approval from the state to build a 785-megawatt combined-cycle power plant on Woodruff Hill Road near the Waterbury-Oxford Airport. The company still needs an air permit from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, which has indicated it is likely to grant the permit.
First Selectman George R. Temple, a strong supporter of the project, said the power plant will still be built but that Oxford will just get less money — a total of $52.8 million on Thursday.
"I can't renegotiate because you can't ask someone to bid against themselves," he said, adding that Oxford already has a contract with CPV but that he renegotiated for more tax revenue recently because the power plant was producing more energy.
"I am proud to live in a town that can turn its nose away from $60 million," he said.
The company had planned to pay Oxford $7 million in upfront costs before construction and that the plan would have brought in $5.3 million to the grand list.
CPV's $1 billion project has been approved by the Connecticut Citing Council contingent upon a favorable review of that plan, an air permit from DEEP, and a favorable review from the Federal Aviation Administration, which has ruled that the project's two 150-foot smokestacks would have no adverse effect on the safety of aircraft landing at the nearby airport.
Selectman Dave McKane, the only Democrat on the three-member board, said he does not support the power plant but wants to get the best deal possible for the town.
"I think there is a better offer out there," he said.
Voters also rejected the company's offer to give Oxford roughly $50,000 a year for youth recreation, and property near the power plant that Temple said could accommodate an industrial park with 12 building lots. Resident Paul Coward said he does not believe Oxford was getting a good deal in the proposal voted upon Thursday night.
He said that if the company was taxed on its appraised $1 billion value, it would pay about $17 million a year in taxes, far less than the $5.3 million it offered.
"I don't care whether you are for or against it: do the math," he said. "These are the numbers. Charge George R. Temple to go back and renegotiate this document. That is a pristine piece of property, and CPV is salivating to get it but they can't salivate on our backs."
Resident Stephen Brown said he did not support the proposal because of the tact CPV has taken thus far. He pointed to letters he received from the company praising Temple for renegotiating the contract. "I understand that $122 million is a lot of money, but the impact it will have on the nature, structure and character of this town is not something I want to see," he said. "I don't think it's a good idea to sell our town to CPV. I don't think they will be a neutral player in our town politics. I understand the need for economic growth, but we need smart growth, not any growth."
Part of I-84 project seen finishing by October's end
WATERBURY — Construction of a three-barrel box culvert for the new alignment of the Mad River under Plank Road is ahead of schedule and should be finished before the start of winter.
The work, which is part of the reconstruction of Interstate 84, requires Plank Road to be closed between Harpers Ferry Road and Brookdale Lane. However, because the work is moving more quickly than expected, the plan is to reopen that section of Plank Road by the end of October, said Project Engineer Christopher Zukowski, who is overseeing the I-84 project for the state Department of Transportation.
"We accelerated a lot of things out there," Zukowski said. Also, the warm weather has kept the Mad River water level at a minimum.
The new box culvert will be composed of pre-cast concrete blocks, scheduled to be installed on Sept. 9. The river is being moved west of its current pathway, largely to make room for a new city water main.
On Thursday afternoon, workers at the Plank Road construction site were pouring concrete for the cutoff walls of the soon-to-be installed box culvert. The cutoff walls will sit underneath the culvert to prevent water from seeping underneath it.
Also, workers will build wing walls to support the road above the culvert and to hold back earth material. Meanwhile, a sand bag cofferdam has been installed along the Mad River to keep water from meandering into the construction zone.
Once the box culvert and three wing walls are installed, the Mad River will be diverted so it flows through two of three culvert barrels. That will enable workers to build the fourth wing wall, which falls in the current path of the river.
After that, the river will be opened up to flow through all three barrels. The new Mad River will follow a more clearly defined channel, reducing the size of its flood plain, before running underneath I-84. Contractors have installed a new stream bed for the Mad River, under the watch of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. It features vortex weirs, which are channel structures that "create pooling effects for the fish," Zukowski said.
"The fish in the river won't even see concrete," he added. Although most of the work will be finished this fall, the White Oak Lane detour will go into effect again in spring 2016, while workers install a retaining wall along Harpers Ferry Road, requiring part of Plank Road to be closed.
"We accelerated a lot of things out there," Zukowski said. Also, the warm weather has kept the Mad River water level at a minimum.
The new box culvert will be composed of pre-cast concrete blocks, scheduled to be installed on Sept. 9. The river is being moved west of its current pathway, largely to make room for a new city water main.
On Thursday afternoon, workers at the Plank Road construction site were pouring concrete for the cutoff walls of the soon-to-be installed box culvert. The cutoff walls will sit underneath the culvert to prevent water from seeping underneath it.
Also, workers will build wing walls to support the road above the culvert and to hold back earth material. Meanwhile, a sand bag cofferdam has been installed along the Mad River to keep water from meandering into the construction zone.
Once the box culvert and three wing walls are installed, the Mad River will be diverted so it flows through two of three culvert barrels. That will enable workers to build the fourth wing wall, which falls in the current path of the river.
After that, the river will be opened up to flow through all three barrels. The new Mad River will follow a more clearly defined channel, reducing the size of its flood plain, before running underneath I-84. Contractors have installed a new stream bed for the Mad River, under the watch of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. It features vortex weirs, which are channel structures that "create pooling effects for the fish," Zukowski said.
"The fish in the river won't even see concrete," he added. Although most of the work will be finished this fall, the White Oak Lane detour will go into effect again in spring 2016, while workers install a retaining wall along Harpers Ferry Road, requiring part of Plank Road to be closed.