The state Department of Transportation has released its five-year capital spending plan that calls for $9.7 billion in spending. Spending will increase sharply in the 2016 fiscal year.
According to a DOT statement, during the 2016 fiscal year, the department anticipates bidding more than 100 projects at roughly $675 million in contract value. That compares to 97 new projects in 2015 valued at $515 million. Spending covers projects in all modes of transportation – highways and bridges, public transportation, ports and waterways and bicycle/pedestrian enhancements.
Over the five-year plan, $5.4 billion, or 56 percent is for highway and bridge projects;$4.1 billion, or 42 percent, is for public transportation; $81 million, or about 1 percent, maritime; and $158.8 million, or 1.6 percent, is for facilities.
The DOT anticipates $2.2 billion in total capital program funding in federal fiscal year 2016, which began Oct. 1. This amount includes approximately $1 billion for bus and rail assets and $1.2 billion available for highway and bridge infrastructure. The department anticipates about $38 million in maritime funding.
"The department has leveraged state and federal resources to advance one of our largest construction programs in recent years," said DOT Commissioner
Bridgeport building rehab enters new phase
Like many structures of its era, the Newfield Building in downtown Bridgeport was meant to last. But even overbuilt architecture from the days before modern building codes has its limits.
Today, a year after ground broke on a project converting a pair of century-old Bridgeport buildings into apartments, the Newfield property’s deterioration has posed unexpected challenges, even as it remains on schedule to be finished this year.
The Jayson and Newfield buildings at the corner of Main and Golden Hill streets are to be remade into one structure with 104 apartments and about 8,000 square feet of ground-level retail space. It’s part of a series of historic conversions in the neighborhood led by an array of developers.
The Newfield portion, which was built between 1871 and 1907, has seen extensive deterioration of its wooden floors, resulting in a five-story interior void of support in one part of the building, said David Kooris, who heads the city’s Office of Planning and Economic Development. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Land being cleared in Colchester for duplex housing project
COLCHESTER — A massive land-clearing effort on 27 acres next to Colchester’s recreation complex is being done for the eventual construction of 16 duplex-style housing units.Heavy equipment is removing tree stumps and moving dirt at the site at 309 Old Hebron Road. Assistant Planner and Zoning Enforcement Officer Randy Benson said the development, once complete, would contain 34 total units of single-family housing. A 17th unit would be a single-family home. Of that total, four would be designated as affordable housing, Benson said. “That’s in line with the state law and our regulations,” he said. Amston-based Park Place Holdings bought the wooded land in November 2014 for $350,000 from the Lejfer family, town records show. Park Place Holdings is owned by Robert Kaufman of Oakdale and Colchester developer Robert Gagnon, according to state records. “Depending on the weather, they’re hoping to have the site under construction this year,” Benson said. “Right now they’re working on infrastructure, and that sometimes takes more time.” A single 24-foot wide road off of Old Hebron Road would provide access to the development and would end in a cul-de-sac. The back of the development abuts Old Hartford Road and is buffered by wetlands. A buffer of 6-foot evergreen trees will be planted on four of the lots. Aside from adding to the town’s grand list, the development will benefit the town financially because Park Place Holding has agreed to pay Colchester a $35,000 fee in lieu of open space on the property, which also contains the wetland open space. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Before You Buy A Stadium, Ask How Much
The festive season has ended, but Connecticut's season of surprises continues. The one getting the most attention is the major dispute over the cost of building a minor league baseball stadium in downtown Hartford.
We're learning that despite the assurances that accompanied the chaotic 2014 announcement of the construction of the stadium and the transformation of the New Britain Rock Cats into the Hartford Yard Goats, $56 million in public funds is not nearly enough to build a proper stadium. All those smiling faces of the past year and half now sport nothing but frowns hovering above pointed fingers.
A 6,000-seat stadium costs closer to $66 million to build. No one mentioned this when the project was rammed through local boards a year and a half ago. The unfurling story features unhappy and contradictory chapters. The developer/builder says it warned the stadium authority created to oversee the project that if design changes were not made, $56 million would not be enough. Developer Robert Landino, a familiar face in Democratic politics, says his people suggested $13 million in savings but no one listened. At Tuesday's unhappy public meeting of all those with a hand in the building of the stadium, Landino mewled, "You can't ask us to build a house for a certain amount of money without design control." The price of haste. Most people think the stadium would be designed to a fair degree of certainty before construction starts and everyone knows what will be built in exchange for, in this case, $56 million. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
While heavy equipment has become more technologically complex, the machines have, in many respects, become easier to operate. Yet, ease of operation doesn't automatically make a construction equipment operator more productive. That's where skill, experience in the field and the ability to anticipate consequences come into play.
Proper training can help the novice machine operator learn the operation fundamentals within the context of what to expect on the construction job site.
Heavy equipment training is a bit like automobile drivers' education courses. They both should provide the building blocks of knowledge, safety and hands-on experience. Just like driver's ed, the intent of heavy-equipment operator training is to build confidence and skill.
In surveying the options available, construction equipment operator training appears to fall into the following categories:
• Independent operator-training schools
• Union apprentice training programs
• College/technical school programs
• Equipment manufacturer training schools
The consensus in the industry is that any of these options are preferable to relying solely on in-house, on-the-job training. The long-time experienced machine operator within a contractor company may be proficient at the job, but may lack the patience and appreciation for the learning curve that someone new faces. In other words, the old pro may have tremendous machine operating skills, but lack the skill of training others.
For construction equipment operation training, there are many choices available and the close proximity of a school or program may be the best option for selection.
Here are examples found in each category:
Independent Operator-Training Schools
Associated Training Services heavy equipment operator programs (ATS), is based in Sun Prairie, Wis., about 10 mi. (16 km) from Madison, Wis., and located on 80 acres of land. According to the school, students are taught to operate heavy equipment through in-the-seat operation of many types of machines and through classroom instruction. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Energy Park plans OK'd
Beacon Falls project to be world's biggest fuel cell producer
NEW BRITAIN — State regulators on Thursday unanimously approved a fuel cell park in Beacon Falls that will produce enough energy to power more than 60,000 homes in Connecticut.
The Connecticut Siting Council voted 5-0 at its headquarters in New Britain to approve the 63.3-megawatt facility on Lopus Road called Beacon Falls Energy Park. It is being touted by the development team as the largest fuel cell project in the world, four megawatts larger than the current record holder in South Korea.
"The proposed project is in response to Connecticut's renewable energy policy that encourages development of renewable energy sources to the maximum practical extent," reads the council's opinion, which was released Thursday.
The project will be built on about 8 acres of a 23.8-acre parcel owned by Torrington-based O&G Industries. It has been proposed by a limited liability company owned by O&G called CT Energy & Technology, which has formed Beacon Falls Energy Park.
FuelCell Energy of Danbury and Torrington is expected to produce the fuel cells. Development is expected to begin this year and completed by 2019.
The Siting Council was required to approve the company's application because it meets Department of Energy and Environmental Protection air and water quality standards.
The council made several recommendations in its extensive ruling, including that all measures be taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
William Corvo, of William Corvo Consultants, Inc., one of the founders of Beacon Falls Energy Park, said he's confident the company can meet the council's expectations.
"We are working to push down (the greenhouse gas emissions) as low as we can," he said. "In fact, we will probably set a new standard for the lowest greenhouse gas emissions of any units of this type in the world." The project is expected to pump $90 million into local and state tax coffers over many years, and to boost the Beacon Falls grand list by 42 percent. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Proper training can help the novice machine operator learn the operation fundamentals within the context of what to expect on the construction job site.
Heavy equipment training is a bit like automobile drivers' education courses. They both should provide the building blocks of knowledge, safety and hands-on experience. Just like driver's ed, the intent of heavy-equipment operator training is to build confidence and skill.
In surveying the options available, construction equipment operator training appears to fall into the following categories:
• Independent operator-training schools
• Union apprentice training programs
• College/technical school programs
• Equipment manufacturer training schools
The consensus in the industry is that any of these options are preferable to relying solely on in-house, on-the-job training. The long-time experienced machine operator within a contractor company may be proficient at the job, but may lack the patience and appreciation for the learning curve that someone new faces. In other words, the old pro may have tremendous machine operating skills, but lack the skill of training others.
For construction equipment operation training, there are many choices available and the close proximity of a school or program may be the best option for selection.
Here are examples found in each category:
Independent Operator-Training Schools
Associated Training Services heavy equipment operator programs (ATS), is based in Sun Prairie, Wis., about 10 mi. (16 km) from Madison, Wis., and located on 80 acres of land. According to the school, students are taught to operate heavy equipment through in-the-seat operation of many types of machines and through classroom instruction. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Energy Park plans OK'd
Beacon Falls project to be world's biggest fuel cell producer
NEW BRITAIN — State regulators on Thursday unanimously approved a fuel cell park in Beacon Falls that will produce enough energy to power more than 60,000 homes in Connecticut.
The Connecticut Siting Council voted 5-0 at its headquarters in New Britain to approve the 63.3-megawatt facility on Lopus Road called Beacon Falls Energy Park. It is being touted by the development team as the largest fuel cell project in the world, four megawatts larger than the current record holder in South Korea.
"The proposed project is in response to Connecticut's renewable energy policy that encourages development of renewable energy sources to the maximum practical extent," reads the council's opinion, which was released Thursday.
The project will be built on about 8 acres of a 23.8-acre parcel owned by Torrington-based O&G Industries. It has been proposed by a limited liability company owned by O&G called CT Energy & Technology, which has formed Beacon Falls Energy Park.
FuelCell Energy of Danbury and Torrington is expected to produce the fuel cells. Development is expected to begin this year and completed by 2019.
The Siting Council was required to approve the company's application because it meets Department of Energy and Environmental Protection air and water quality standards.
The council made several recommendations in its extensive ruling, including that all measures be taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
William Corvo, of William Corvo Consultants, Inc., one of the founders of Beacon Falls Energy Park, said he's confident the company can meet the council's expectations.
"We are working to push down (the greenhouse gas emissions) as low as we can," he said. "In fact, we will probably set a new standard for the lowest greenhouse gas emissions of any units of this type in the world." The project is expected to pump $90 million into local and state tax coffers over many years, and to boost the Beacon Falls grand list by 42 percent. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE