A new analysis conducted by the Connecticut Department of Transportation has determined adding travel lanes in both directions on I-95 from Greenwich to North Stonington as well as on I-84 between Waterbury and Danbury will produce economic benefits of nearly $40 billion — more than three times the cost of both projects combined.
The projects would boost most sectors of the state’s economy, particularly the manufacturing, retail and tourism industries, in the form of new business, wages and an increase in Connecticut’s gross state product, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said in announcing the findings.
“It’s not just about quality of life — our transportation system is directly tied to our state’s economic future and our ability to grow jobs,” Malloy said. “The DOT’s analysis demonstrates that, by acting now, we will see dramatic benefits in the long term.”
According to the transportation department, daily traffic varies widely but, on average, the I-95 corridor accommodates more than 135,000 vehicles daily, including more than 18,000 trucks on some portions. Adding a lane in each direction on I-95 across southern Connecticut will produce $15.5 billion in new business sales, add $9 billion to Connecticut’s gross state product, and add $6.3 billion in new wage income to workers. The widening itself will cost $10.7 billion and support between 11,000 and 19,000 construction jobs over a 10-year ramp-up construction period.
An estimated 80,000-plus drivers utilize the I-84 corridor. Widening the highway between Danbury and Waterbury could produce $4.4 billion in new business sales, add $2.6 billion to the gross state product, and add $1.8 billion in new wage income to workers, the economic analysis concluded. The total cost of the project is $1.5 billion and will support 4,000 construction jobs.
The study team considered a range of impacts in its assessment, including environmental impacts, safety impacts, improvements in access to markets for businesses and access to jobs for workers, improvements in logistics productivity, improvements in travel times and reliability, and changes in vehicle operating costs. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
NYC mass transit funding ironed out for next 5 years
NEW YORK >> The New York City region’s mass transit capital spending program will be funded for the next five years under a deal being announced by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio. The $26.1 billion agreement announced Saturday will pay for infrastructure repairs and improvements for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
The fund had become the latest front in the ongoing feud between Cuomo and De Blasio. They sniped at each other in recent weeks over how much the city would contribute. City officials upped their offer to $2.5 billion late this week on the condition that the state not tap the capital fund for other uses.
The state agreed and is contributing $8.3 billion. The deal should prevent further delays to ongoing capital projects, including the construction of the Second Avenue subway line.
Stonington restarts work on closed high school athletic field
Stonington — The town has announced that work has begun to rebuild the all-purpose field at the high school, which has been closed for the past year after work by the original contractor resulted in unsafe playing conditions.
The town had hired Aqua Turf Irrigation of Orange even though a Google search showed that the company had run into similar field problems in Weston and Canterbury and walked off those jobs. Town officials said they were not aware of those problems and had checked the references provided by Aqua Turf.
Public Works Director Barbara McKrell had said that the town had to hire Aqua Turf because it was the low bidder and that state law required the town to hire the firm submitting the lowest qualified bid. But the law did not apply in this circumstance and town regulations allow it to “reject any and all bids, if in their judgment, it is in the best interests of the town to do so.”
After the town closed the field, it notified the insurance company that held the performance bond for the project that Aqua Turf was in default for failure to construct the field according to terms of the contract and make corrections.
The town then began negotiations with the bonding company to decide if the bonding company would hire a firm to repair the field or reimburse the town for the money it paid Aqua Turf. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Groton to seek $53 million more in state school construction funding to solve racial imbalance
Groton — Superintendent of Schools Michael Graner plans to seek special legislation that would grant Groton 80 percent reimbursement from the state for its proposed three new schools, reducing the cost to taxpayers to about $41 million.
The school construction proposal, called the Groton 2020 Plan, would build one new middle school adjacent to Robert E. Fitch High School, and two new elementary schools at the sites of Carl C. Cutler and West Side middle schools. Three of the district's oldest elementary schools would close.
The total cost is estimated at $191.7 million, some of which would be paid for by the state, leaving a net cost to local taxpayers currently estimated at $94.8 million.
But Graner told a liaison committee of the town and city councils, Board of Education and Representative Town Meeting last week that he believes Groton can make a compelling case that since the schools are necessary to correct racial imbalance, the district should receive a "diversity" reimbursement rate of 80 percent. He presented the idea Thursday to the Groton School Facilities Initiative Task Force and those present unanimously supported his effort in a straw poll.
"We've had years of racial imbalances that we've addressed with redistricting, and it has failed every time," Graner said.
Graner has also spoken to state Reps. John Scott and Aundre Bumgardner, both Groton Republicans.
"It sounds like it's something we ought to try to pursue," said Scott, who spoke briefly with Graner Friday morning. "We did decide that we would make official plans to get together and decide specifically what we're going to ask for in the next legislative session. If multiple local legislators buy into the plan, it could work." CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Canterbury, LaFramboise Sand and Stone come to agreement
CANTERBURY - After a decade of lawsuits, the town of Canterbury has finally settled on an agreement with the owner of a sand and gravel business.
LaFramboise Sand and Stone of Canterbury, Rawson Materials of Putnam and the town have compromised on a settlement plan allowing the companies to use a haul road to eliminate heavy trucks from traveling through residential areas along Wauregan Road and surrounding properties in Brooklyn.
Both Wayne LaFramboise, owner of LaFramboise Sand and Stone, and Peter Kelly, chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission, expressed happiness and relief with the agreement.
“I’m very pleased and very happy with Planning and Zoning and everyone who worked hard on this,” LaFramboise said.
Since November 2012, residents of Wauregan Road in Canterbury and Maynard Road in Brooklyn have complained about truck traffic and noise from LaFramboise ’s company, which delivers sand and gravel to Rawson Materials in Brooklyn.
Those complaints have decreased since a court injunction in fall 2013 limited the number of trucks hauling gravel to 52 loads per day on average, a limitation LaFramboise said has had a devastating impact on his business.
Originally, both Rawson and LaFramboise applied for two special exceptions and a text amendment from the town in order to use the haul road that would take the trucks off the narrow Wauregan Road.
In a surprising last-minute move, the three applications were retracted, and a new proposal was put forth during the Oct. 8 Planning and Zoning meeting.
Under the new agreement, all trucks will only travel across Wauregan Road, with traffic signals installed by the companies at a new location, eliminating all traffic from traveling on Wauregan Road. The existing LaFramboise Sand and Stone driveway will be closed.
LaFramboise said he foresees the new route opening at the beginning of the year. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
The fall landscape in some Griswold neighborhoods will be significantly altered this year, as much-needed repairs to Glasgo Dam get underway with a drawdown of Glasgo Pond.
The $4 million project, which is projected to take more than a year, got underway after Labor Day, with water being diverted around the dam through a sluice. Over the course of weeks, the lakebed has slowly been revealed, as the Pachaug River continues to course through its riverbed in the Doaneville neighborhood of Griswold.
State officials initially planned to start repairs on the 170-year-old dam last year, but property owners around the lake protested when their dug wells began drying up. Their pressure persuaded the state to delay the job for a year, allowing them time to drill deeper wells or make other arrangements. Local officials worked with lending institutions and well-drilling companies to offer affected residents low-interest loans and top priority for drilling projects.
Workers from D'Amato Construction Co. in Bristol are planning to reinforce the original stone dam structure with concrete armoring and steel cables. They will also install new gates to allow for faster drawdown in the future. The dam will still be faced with its original stone and topped off with soil and grass to retain its historic appearance. The dam was constructed in the mid-19th century to service the Glasgo textile mill. Since the mill's closure, it has provided a recreational spot for local swimmers, boaters, and fishermen. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE