HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut's lingering budget problems are prompting questions about whether the state can afford Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's proposed 20-year, $100 billion plan to overhaul aging roads, bridges and rail lines.
Despite calls to put "people before projects" — a phrase used by family members of the intellectually disabled who are worried about Malloy's mid-year budget cuts to human services — the Democratic governor is standing by his massive initiative. He contends people don't understand how years of underinvesting in transportation have harmed the state economically.
"I think people seize arguments to try to bolster the point that they want make without examining the consequences of a lack of investment," he said in an interview with The Associated Press, adding how the traffic congestion cost in Connecticut is $4.2 billion annually.
"No one disagrees that Connecticut is under-invested in transportation. Everybody wants a better transportation system, but nobody wants to pay for it," he said, adding how years of underfunding transportation occurred because that money has been raided for other programs.
"It's always something before projects," he said. "But eventually, the projects come home to roost."
Republican and Democratic legislators in recent weeks have voiced concerns about the $103 million in mid-year budget cuts Malloy is making to help balance the $20 billion state budget, just three months into the new fiscal year. Some are suggesting scaling back funds earmarked for transportation to help offset cuts to hospitals, mental health care, day programs for people with developmental disabilities and other initiatives.
"My opinion is, transportation should still be an option," said Rep. Cathy Abercrombie, D-Meriden, the co-chairman of the General Assembly's Human Services Committee. "I still don't believe we have to do everything in this budget, not at the expense of our families who are being hurt by these cuts." CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Eversource files Northern Pass application with state panel
West Hartford Center just got denser.
A pair of North Main Street developments — an 18-unit apartment building and a 16,800-square-foot office building, both in the shadow of Blue Back Square — are proving their promoters and the town justified in proceeding with their multimillion-dollar investments.
Developer Niko Koutouvides has signed leases for half the $2,000- to $3,000-a-month units in his apartment building at 24 N. Main St., but so far only four or five units are occupied.
Diagonally across the street, landlord David Sessions and his realty partners have filled all but 800 square feet on the ground floor of their new office building at 15 N. Main that opened earlier in the month. Major tenants Janney Montgomery Scott Securities and temp office-space provider Regus are West Hartford newcomers.
Just down North Main, the Kaoud family is converting the former Masonic lodge into street-level retail topped with 24 apartments. On the edge of Blue Back Square, across from Whole Foods, work is underway on the Delamar West Hartford luxury hotel.
In the town's Bishops Corner neighborhood, the former Haven Health Care nursing home is being converted into 64 apartments. On North Main, in an existing apartment property across from Big Y Supermarket, a developer is adding more units. On Steele Road, a 150-unit luxury apartment community is rising. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Construction brings excitement, risk to Hartford
Scaffolding, cranes and inevitable construction project delays are once again in Hartford's future. There is a buzz in the air surrounding several large construction projects presently in the design or construction phase in and around Hartford.
Construction on the Yard Goats' ballpark is moving full speed ahead on the border of Hartford's North End as part of the new $350 million Downtown North mixed-use development plan. The University of Connecticut is also in the design development phase of UConn Hartford, where classes are expected to begin as early as fall 2017. A few other projects include Trinity College's purchase of the former Travelers Education Center at Constitution Plaza, the fairly recent completion of the XL Center's $35 million facelift, the $25 million Intermodal Triangle Project connecting Bushnell Park to public transportation, potential renovations to the Goodwin Square office tower and, of course, the much anticipated I-84 viaduct project.
While growth and construction is exciting and stimulates our local economy, it is important for those in the industry, including public and private owners, developers and contractors, to be mindful of the inherent costs associated with project delays. Public and private owners rely upon construction professionals to estimate the duration of a project so that associated hard and soft costs can be quantified and properly budgeted.
Many construction projects today consist of renovations to an existing building or involve multiple phases or projects managed separately as part of a single owner's construction program. It is very difficult for designers on such projects to account for and incorporate all existing conditions into their drawings and specifications and for contractors to anticipate all future coordination issues. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Eversource files Northern Pass application with state panel
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The utility seeking to pull Canadian hydropower into New Hampshire filed its application with state regulators Monday, five years after the project was proposed.
Hartford, Connecticut-based Eversource has proposed a 192-mile transmission line from Pittsburgh to Deerfield, carrying 1,090 megawatts of hydro-power produced by Canada's biggest hydro generator, HydroQuebec. That's enough to power a million homes and supporters say it will help to trim energy costs for consumers in New England, who pay some of the nation's highest costs for electricity.
"Today's filing marks another important milestone in our effort to deliver a clean energy solution that our customers desperately need in order to diversify our power supply and stabilize energy prices," said Bill Quinlan, president of Eversource operations in New Hampshire.
The filing to the Site Evaluation Committee comes after a week of good news and bad news for the region's electricity users: Energy analysts are forecasting lower heating oil prices this winter but last week, the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts announced it would shut down by June 2019, taking its 680 megawatts off the grid.
After vocal opposition to the overhead lines, especially through scenic areas in the White Mountains, Eversource in August announced it would bury 60 miles through the mountains and reduce the height of some of its poles. In Monday's application, the company said that after listening to people during public appearances since the August proposal, it was modifying 60 more power poles to address complaints about the impact on views.
Beyond the visual and environmental effects, critics of the power lines say they would damage property values and do little to trim costs for New Hampshire customers while benefiting users in thirstier Southern New England markets. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
A pair of North Main Street developments — an 18-unit apartment building and a 16,800-square-foot office building, both in the shadow of Blue Back Square — are proving their promoters and the town justified in proceeding with their multimillion-dollar investments.
Developer Niko Koutouvides has signed leases for half the $2,000- to $3,000-a-month units in his apartment building at 24 N. Main St., but so far only four or five units are occupied.
Diagonally across the street, landlord David Sessions and his realty partners have filled all but 800 square feet on the ground floor of their new office building at 15 N. Main that opened earlier in the month. Major tenants Janney Montgomery Scott Securities and temp office-space provider Regus are West Hartford newcomers.
Just down North Main, the Kaoud family is converting the former Masonic lodge into street-level retail topped with 24 apartments. On the edge of Blue Back Square, across from Whole Foods, work is underway on the Delamar West Hartford luxury hotel.
In the town's Bishops Corner neighborhood, the former Haven Health Care nursing home is being converted into 64 apartments. On North Main, in an existing apartment property across from Big Y Supermarket, a developer is adding more units. On Steele Road, a 150-unit luxury apartment community is rising. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Construction brings excitement, risk to Hartford
Scaffolding, cranes and inevitable construction project delays are once again in Hartford's future. There is a buzz in the air surrounding several large construction projects presently in the design or construction phase in and around Hartford.
Construction on the Yard Goats' ballpark is moving full speed ahead on the border of Hartford's North End as part of the new $350 million Downtown North mixed-use development plan. The University of Connecticut is also in the design development phase of UConn Hartford, where classes are expected to begin as early as fall 2017. A few other projects include Trinity College's purchase of the former Travelers Education Center at Constitution Plaza, the fairly recent completion of the XL Center's $35 million facelift, the $25 million Intermodal Triangle Project connecting Bushnell Park to public transportation, potential renovations to the Goodwin Square office tower and, of course, the much anticipated I-84 viaduct project.
While growth and construction is exciting and stimulates our local economy, it is important for those in the industry, including public and private owners, developers and contractors, to be mindful of the inherent costs associated with project delays. Public and private owners rely upon construction professionals to estimate the duration of a project so that associated hard and soft costs can be quantified and properly budgeted.
Many construction projects today consist of renovations to an existing building or involve multiple phases or projects managed separately as part of a single owner's construction program. It is very difficult for designers on such projects to account for and incorporate all existing conditions into their drawings and specifications and for contractors to anticipate all future coordination issues. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE