HARTFORD - The state resurfaced 330 miles of two-lane roads this year, more than any year in recent memory.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on Monday said the state’s resurfacing total exceeded last year’s by 25 miles, and is nearly 90 miles more than 2013.
The additional mileage was the result of an additional $5.7 million state investment into the road program and marks the fourth consecutive year of increases in road resurfacing.
“We have stepped up the pace of road resurfacing in Connecticut in recent years, and we are committed to continuous improvement as we work toward a best-in-class highway system for commuters, truckers, and tourists alike,” Malloy said.
“We are committed to maintaining and upgrading our infrastructure so that we can continue driving growth, economic development, and job creation while improving overall quality of life for our residents,” he added. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Meriden Housing Authority delays hiring developer for Yale Acres project
MERIDEN — The Meriden Housing Authority Board of Directors agreed last week to delay hiring a developer to build 10 housing units on property bordering the Yale Acres housing development.
The housing authority received two bids to renovate the four properties, mainly single-family homes, to build 10 housing units with three to four bedrooms for displaced residents of the Mills Memorial Apartments. was the housing authority’s second request for bids. Mills, a downtown public housing complex with 140 apartments, is expected to be razed.
Advanced Green Solutions LLC of Hingham, Massachusetts submitted a proposal, but housing authority members had questions about the company’s financial backing and ability to meet project requirements.
“Why didn’t we draw any significant talent to this project?” MHA vice chairman Michael Buccilli asked at a meeting last week.
Housing authority executive director Robert Cappelletti said the developers need to finance the construction and the housing authority will purchase the completed units.
He feels finding qualified developers is a challenge because the limited size of the project won’t attract larger firms and many of the smaller ones lack financial backing.
Board chairman Cornelius Ivers said financial data was inadvertently left out of the commissioners’ informational packet. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
The $14 million plan would replace an earlier design in the works for several years that called for replacing the two bridges in their existing locations. But Public Works Director Ryan Thompson said the earlier plan would cost an estimated $10 million and wouldn't solve persistent elevation and flooding problems.
The project would be funded 10 percent by the city, 10 percent by the state and 80 percent by the federal government.
The poor condition of the 60-year-old bridges forced the Public Works Department on Oct. 27 to downgrade the weight limit over the canal bridge from 20 tons to 10 tons — allowing short-box delivery trucks, snow plows and school buses, but not 18-wheeler trucks or large, heavy cranes.
The bridges are inspected by the DOT every six months, instead of the normal two-year inspection schedule for local bridges. The Public Works Department also recently repaved the canal bridge to repair crumbling asphalt. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Smooth Roads Ahead: More Miles Paved In Connecticut In 2015
FARMINGTON — Connecticut paved more roads in 2015 than at any time during the past 10 years thanks to warm weather and millions of dollars in additional spending by the state.
The state resurfaced 330 two-lane miles of roadways during the paving season, a sharp jump from previous years.
On a cold morning in a commuter parking lot near I-84 in Farmington, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and others held a news conference Monday morning to hail the paving of nearly 25 more miles than in 2014, nearly 90 more than in 2013, and 165 more than in 2007, which was the lowest in the past 10 years.
As part of a broader emphasis on transportation, Malloy has placed a priority on road resurfacing at a time when commuters have complained about the state's aging infrastructure and weather-beaten roads. As a result, the state spent the most money in 2015 on road resurfacing than at any time in the last decade — $74.6 million vs. $48 million in 2007, according to state statistics. The state transportation department maintains more than 4,000 miles of roads and highways statewide, and the paving has often depended directly on the amount of money spent per year.Donald J. Schubert, president of the Connecticut Construction Industries Association, said the success shows the job can get done in Connecticut.
"We do have to give a little credit where it's due this year," Schubert said. "The weather has been amazing for construction and I think that's played a big part of this. ... We're always looking for more to do and we're looking forward to next year." CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Meeting Tuesday On Controversial Wethersfield Apartment Proposal
WETHERSFIELD — The planning and zoning commission will hold a public hearing Tuesday evening on a proposed 70-unit apartment building off Ridge Road, a project opposed by some neighbors.
"The commission would be interested in hearing what the neighbors who are most affected, as well as the rest of the community, have to say about this project," Peter Gillespie, director of economic development and planning, said. "It's a project worthy of significant public input."
The proposed apartment building at 291 Ridge Road would be the first market-rate apartments to be built in town in about two decades. It would include 31 one-bedroom and 39 two-bedroom rental units. The 5.3-acre parcel, the site of an abandoned retirement home for priests, is overgrown and has fallen into disrepair.
Mark Zweifler, a member of Ridge Road Development Group, LLC, the developer, said his company expects to give an approximately 45-minute presentation before the hearing begins."Our entire team will be there," Zweifler said. "We will listen to all comments, and things that are reasonably doable we certainly want to do. Our goal is to make the town and the residents as happy as possible without affecting the economics of the project that would make it unbuildable." CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Oxford power plant gets OKs from state DEEP
OXFORD — State environmental officials have concluded a proposed 785-megawatt power plant in the town's industrial park will not significantly harm air quality, despite concerns raised by area residents.
On Monday, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection announced it has issued permits to CPV Towantic Energy, LLC, that set air pollution control requirements and limits on air emissions for the construction of the company's dual-fueled power plant off Woodruff Hill Road near the Waterbury-Oxford Airport.
"The permits require the facility — which would burn natural gas, with the capability to burn a limited amount of distillate oil if the natural gas supply is curtailed — to comply with some of the most stringent air pollution control requirements in the country and meet emissions limits designated to protect human health and the environment," DEEP stated in a news release.
The proposed $1 billion power plant would generate electricity that will be fed into the regional power grid and provide electricity for Connecticut and neighboring New England states, according to DEEP.
Maryland-based Competitive Power Ventures, which is operating in Connecticut as CPV Towantic Energy, has received all approvals necessary to begin construction, including the go-ahead from the Connecticut Siting Council, which oversees the siting of power facilities and transmission lines, hazardous waste facilities and other miscellaneous infrastructure, including telecommunications sites.
However, the Siting Council's approval of the power plant has been challenged by a group of vocal intervenors in the area. They have appealed the Siting Council's ruling, which may delay construction efforts.
On July 2, attorney Steven Savarese filed a lawsuit against the Siting Council on behalf of the town of Middlebury and several other nearby property owners, including Oxford Greens Association, Middlebury Land Trust, Marian R. Larkin, Greenfields and the Lake Quassapaug Association, among others.
That case is pending at New Britain Superior Court; the Siting Council is headquartered in New Britain. Pretrial conferences are underway.
CPV spokesman Braith Kelly Jr., senior vice president for external affairs at CPV, said the company is pleased with the DEEP ruling.
"We're excited after an exhaustive and thorough review to have completed the process," he said. "The environmental review for a project like this is as exhaustive as any review you will undertake, and the science that is applied in that process doesn't allow for error or overstatement or understatement."
To comply with permit conditions, CPV will use post-combustion controls to limit the emissions of nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds. The use of natural gas as the primary fuel, along with the latest turbine technology, will limit the emissions of particulate matter, DEEP stated.
"Analysis of the permit application by DEEP staff determined that the project will not cause or contribute significantly to a violation of the federal National Ambient Air Quality Standards," the news release stated. "The emissions from the turbines will be subject to either continuous monitoring and/or recurring (smoke) stack testing to ensure compliance with the permit terms and conditions."
DEEP held a public information hearing on the project at Oxford High Schoolin September and allowed online comments until Sept. 24 before issuing a response to the comments. Those questions and responses can be found on the DEEP website under search term "Towantic response."
Wayne McCormack, founder of "Stop Towantic Power," said he is disappointed in the DEEP ruling. He said DEEP officials told him and other opponents the department would not rule on the permits until after the appeals process was completed.
"We're deeply disappointed that they misrepresented themselves to us; shocked, actually," he said. "What's the effect of this? Regionally throughout Connecticut and New England, they meet the guidelines and on a national scale this is going to be a drop in the bucket. But it will have a major impact locally. It is obviously going to be affecting a pristine area that has no pollution currently."