The barriers and signs preventing cars from driving through are now a thing of the past and the West Old Mill Road Bridge is open once again after a long rehabilitation project.
First Selectman Peter Tesei, Department of Public Works Commissioner Amy Siebert and other town officials braved frigid temperatures on Monday afternoon to officially open the refurbished bridge. As soon as the ribbon was cut, traffic could once again drive across the backcountry span after six months of detours.
Tesei, whose car ended up being the first one to drive over the new bridge, said the rehabilitation project is part of an ongoing capital improvement effort throughout Greenwich. He said bridge maintenance is a “critical part” of improvement to town infrastructure.
“This is part of a long series of improvements to bridges that traverse the east-west arteries of the town, which are critically important for a number of reasons,” Tesei said. “Life safety service is one of them. We need to get our first responders more expeditiously out to the residents who live here in the backcountry.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
HCC’s Lafayette Hall gets makeover
BRIDGEPORT — Heavy machinery has ripped away the stone stairway and entryway canopy to Housatonic Community College’s Lafayette Hall.
From the inside, the egress has been replaced by a wall with a simple sign: “Watch This Space.”
By this time next year, it will be a new welcome center, and with it a new Lafayette Hall.
“It really is the last piece to a fully renovated Housatonic,” said Steve Bucchero, project manager for Newfield Construction, of Hartford, which is in charge of the project.
The $37.5 million expansion and renovation work will more than double the size of Lafayette Hall, one of two buildings that form the Housatonic campus.
In 1997, enrollment was 2,700; it now stands at 5,369.
When completed in January 2017, the college will have an enlarged library, new science labs and additional offices for student services.
Housatonic President Paul Broadie said the new space will allow the college to better meet today’s employment requirements. The work will also be done in time for the college’s 50th anniversary.
Construction numbers still strong
Construction spending slipped in November from a month earlier but maintained a strong rate of year-over-year growth in all major categories, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials noted that the new spending data demonstrate a great deal of uncertainty within the private sector about the need for new projects while state and local government officials are worried about budget constraints.
“The November data show divergent trends for residential, private nonresidential and public construction,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Compared to October levels, spending dipped overall but climbed for homebuilding, school and office construction. Previously fast-growing categories such as multifamily, manufacturing and lodging construction have stalled for the past two to four months. Yet nearly every type of construction has outperformed its 2014 pace through the first 11 months of 2015.”CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
CT Agenda: Get $100 Billion Transportation Initiative In Gear
Nearly a year ago, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced a massive 30-year, $100 billion proposal to rebuild the state's aging transportation infrastructure. The problem demands a commitment of this scale.
Years of delayed planning and deferred maintenance have taken their inevitable toll. Many of the state's roads and bridges are old and wearing out. Train service from New Haven to New York is slower than it was 30 years ago.
In short, the state needs Mr. Malloy's "Let's Go CT!" The challenge in 2016 will be to fund the project, protect the funds from legislative poaching and set priorities for construction.
Most Pressing NeedsWhen the governor announced the program, some legislators criticized it as a laundry list of his favorite projects. This year the governor and the Department of Transportation need to focus the 30-year project on the state's most pressing needs — the shoreline and the I-91 and I-84 corridors.
The infrastructure initiative includes a $10 billion investment in state and federal funds over the next five years to ramp up the project. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Malloy: Transportation Overhaul Ahead Of Expectations
HARTFORD — With a contentious legislative session barely a month away, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on Monday told reporters that he won't back away from his $100 billion plan to transform the state's transportation network.
"It is critical to the future of this state that we address these issues that we've ignored too long," Malloy said at a press conference at Union Station.
Supported by a crowd of transit advocates and construction union leaders, Malloy said he believes Connecticut residents are willing to pay for better highways, rail lines and bus systems. But they have to be absolutely confident that money designated for transportation doesn't get diverted, he said.
"As we build trust with the people of Connecticut and as they understand that any dollars raised for transportation will only be spent for transportation, they'll rise to the occasion," he said.The governor's transportation finance panel has spent nearly a year studying options such as highway tolls, tax increment financing, a mileage-based driving tax and others. The panel is scheduled to make recommendations this month.
Some lawmakers have said there will be little appetite for new revenue ideas when the General Assembly convenes in February. A series of deficit warnings in 2015 and recent budget rescissions have made a tough climate for new spending initiatives, they say, and the November election will add to the anti-tax pressure. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Hartford, Yard Goats Stadium Developer Meeting On $10 Million Overrun For Ballpark
HARTFORD — The developer of the $56 million Yard Goats ballpark, Hartford's stadium authority and the team's owner will square off Tuesday over more than $10 million in cost overruns — including higher expenses for steel, concrete and plumbing — that the developer blames on expensive revisions made by the city.
In a 96-page document submitted to the authority Dec. 24, the developer, Centerplan Cos., and its affiliate, DoNo Hartford LLC, outlined how revisions by the city resulted in mushrooming costs for Dunkin' Donuts Park: $2.8 million for heating, ventilation and air conditioning; $2.7 million for structural steel; $1.7 million for concrete; and $1.6 million for plumbing.
Some of those changes include:
•An increase from 870 tons to more than 1,300 tons of steel, largely due to exterior field lighting and an increase in brick and block masonry.•More expensive kitchen equipment and concession areas than budgeted, and added kitchen equipment and sinks in areas that had been originally depicted as open space.
•Electrical installation changes that resulted in the main service size being increased from 1,600 amps to 2,400 amps, requiring twice as many distribution panels and other items. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Stafford Officials Break Ground On Woodland Springs Senior Housing Community
On Monday, Dec. 21, with shovels firmly planted in the ground, local and state elected officials, members of the Stafford Housing Authority and the Housing Revitalization Committee, representatives from Big Y, and many other key supporters broke ground on the soon-to-be-built first phase of the Woodland Springs senior housing community project.
The project will replace the existing, decades-old 110-unit Avery Park senior housing complex.
"This is a much needed, anticipated, and forward-thinking project for Stafford. We really need more affordable housing," said First Selectman Tony Frassinelli. "It was great to have so many people here for the groundbreaking and to have Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman as a keynote speaker. She was a real driving force in making this happen, and the governor has really pushed for more affordable housing."
"Over the past five years, we've invested nearly a billion dollars in affordable housing. More than 7,000 affordable units have been built, and another 3,000 are under construction throughout the state," said Wyman. "It is thanks to the great work being done in Stafford and towns like it that we are making real progress in ensuring residents – seniors, veterans, and our workforce – can afford to work and live in all Connecticut communities." CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUEConnDOT’s I-84 Widening Project Will Make Road Safer, Increase Capacity
Interstate 84 winds through the city of Waterbury, Conn., with two lanes of traffic in each direction navigating a substandard “S” curve alignment near Harpers Ferry Road. Approximately 125,000 vehicles travel on the 55-year-old highway every day. High traffic volume causes congestion due to lack of roadway capacity and design deficiencies in ramps and weave areas.
This segment of I-84 was designed to handle approximately 34,000 vehicles per day, but currently handles more than 105,000 vehicles daily.
On March 30, 2015, the Connecticut Department of Transportation, in collaboration with the Federal Highway Association, Lochner, AECOM, Ammann and Whitney, AI Engineers Inc., Comprehensive Environmental Inc. and I-84 Constructors joint venture, launched the I-84 Waterbury Project to widen a 2.7-mi. (4.3 km) segment between Washington Street and Pierpont Road.
Designed to improve safety, operation and highway capacity, the project will add a third lane and full-width shoulders in each direction to improve traffic flow and reduce current and future traffic congestion along the mainline and the local roadways. It also will realign the roadway near Harpers Ferry Road to eliminate the “S” curve, reconfigure interchange ramps and relocate the Mad River and Beaver Pond Brook.
Project Details
The reconstructed corridor will have 12-ft. (3.6 m) wide shoulders on both sides in each direction of travel and three 12-ft. wide travel lanes. A 10-ft. (3 m) wide concrete barrier section will divide the lanes traveling in different directions. Additionally, a 12-ft. auxiliary lane will be added on I-84 westbound between the on-ramp from Harpers Ferry Road and the off-ramp to Hamilton Avenue.C
According to the Wilton Bulletin, the proposed reconstruction includes realigning approximately 1 mi. (1.6 km) of I-84 in the vicinity of Harpers Ferry Road to eliminate the sharp reverse-curve alignment. Approximately 2,000 ft. (609.6 m) of Reidville Drive will be relocated to accommodate this realignment. On the north side of I-84, a new frontage road, referred to as Plank Road East, will be constructed parallel to I-84 between Scott Road and Harpers Ferry Road. Roadway improvements are proposed for several streets. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Manager for I-84 project keeps things on track
Christopher Zukowski is in charge of the state Department of Transportation's Interstate 84 reconstruction project.
Since May, the massive construction project has been a part of everyday life for many people in Greater Waterbury. The undertaking involves widening a 2.7-mile segment of I-84 from two lanes to three in each direction. It also includes eliminating an "S" curve, rerouting the Mad River, building a pedestrian bridge, and improving local roads and bridges.
Q: Are you confident in saying the I-84 Waterbury Project is on schedule?
A: This has been a very productive year, and the contractor has been very aggressive with their construction activities. Although we have a long way to go, I am confident in saying the project is on schedule and on budget.
Q: Are you surprised?
A: The contractor, I-84 Constructors JV, is motivated and aggressive. I have been impressed with their ability to get work done. Combine their drive, and the talented team of engineers we have in our DOT project office, reviewing and approving submittals in short order, and you have a very productive team.
Q: What has been the biggest obstacle you've encountered so far?
A: Our biggest challenge thus far has been associated with the steel H piles driven to support the new eastbound Exit 25 off-ramp over the Mad River. A layer of large nested boulders, about 35 feet in depth, made driving the piles to refusal a challenge. The depth of the obstruction prevented us from removing the boulders. Alternative options of installation, including drilling, would have been very expensive.
The contractor proposed driving a spud through the layer of boulders to make way for the permanent pile installation. A spud is large H pile which, with the use of a large vibratory hammer, can force its way through the layer of obstructions. Once the path is clear, the spud is removed and the permanent pile is inserted.
This procedure took place for each of the 77 piles which support "abutment one" of the structure. The contractor mobilized the equipment to perform this task very quickly, which kept the project on track.
Q: What has been the best part of working on the project?
A: The state Department of Transportation employed a public information specialist. Informing the public of our construction operations in advance proves to be very effective. The public has the opportunity to reroute their commute, avoid local detours and expect nighttime lane closures and construction noise, to give some examples.
We have used our website, I-84Waterbury.com, to provide an overview of the project, highlight progress through photos and provide construction alerts. We use email alerts to notify our stakeholders and the public of our weekly work, but more importantly, should something out of the ordinary be on the horizon, email alerts are used to notify them in advance.
Also, the public information specialist is in the neighborhoods, knocking on doors, introducing herself and answering questions. We meet with local businesses in the area and keep them informed, as well. We provide regular public interest stories to the newspaper as well as speak on the local radio station WATR 1320 AM.
Q: When the ground freezes, what happens?
A: This project will continue non-stop until completion. Weather may slow us down or change our means and methods but we must continue to complete on time. The contractor will have to employ methods to prevent the ground from freezing, such as using ground heaters. Concrete pours will continue during the cold; however, cold weather techniques will need to be implemented via tenting and heating the concrete pours. When incentives for early completion are involved, as they are on this project, "on-time" means early completion — currently August 2019.
Q: What is your background, and what other projects have you worked on?
A: I have been employed by the DOT for 21 years. During my tenure, I have inspected the construction of many projects within the western portion of the state. From I-95 and the Merritt Parkway road and bridge reconstruction, to smaller projects located high in the hills of Litchfield. Most recently I have successfully completed the Route 4 bridge over the Farmington River in Farmington as well as a major portion of the recently completed CTFastrak guideway and stations from New Britain to Hartford.
Q: In your personal life, what do you do when you're not on I-84?
A: I reside in Burlington with my family. My wife Diane is a reading teacher with the Waterbury Public Schools. We have three children, Hannah, Sarah and Joshua. Most free time spent with the family is watching one of many sports the kids play. I enjoy boating in the summer and skiing in the winter.
Q: Do you foresee people relying less heavily on highways in the future?
A: Although alternate modes of transportation are available, I feel we need to maintain our infrastructure of roads and bridges as people will always rely on them. The governor's "Let's Go CT!" plan takes a bold approach at answering this question.
His plan will maintain the integrity of our existing highways and bridges while also expanding the capacity, and making improvements, to our rail and bus services.