SOUTHINGTON — Traffic on busy West Center Street will be disrupted for several months once the town begins repairing the crumbling bridge over the Eight Mile River, the Southington public works director said Tuesday.
"It will start this summer with the demolition of half the bridge," Public Works Director Keith Hayden said. "The plan is to build the new lane and open it up for traffic both ways. That will take a few months so until then, traffic will be affected with one lane open to use."
The town engineering department will meet Feb. 17 at 6 p.m. to talk with residents about the project, its affect on traffic and reasons for the repairs. The meeting will be in the assembly room of the Municipal Office Building, 196 North Main St.
The bridge is rated in poor condition by state inspectors, Hayden said. It is still safe to use but requires bridge deck repairs. The bridge is on the segment of West Center between West Street and Mount Vernon Road."The concrete riding surface has uneven bituminous patches, spalls and hollow areas throughout. Underside of deck deterioration is currently estimated at over 40 percent, and the condition is rapidly worsening," the engineering staff noted in a recent report. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Continental Properties Purchases Land On Corner Of Hebron Avenue, House Street
GLASTONBURY – Continental Properties has finalized its purchase of a seven acre parcel at the corner of Hebron Avenue and House Street and is moving forward with its plan to develop Glastonbury Mews.
The 145-unit rental apartment community is being built by Continental, a part of the Washington Square Group. The group is an integrated real estate company that has more than $3.5 billion worth of real estate and manages more than 5,500 rental units and 800,000 square feet of commercial space.
The proposal calls for a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and townhouses. The proposal also calls for a pool and clubhouse along with garages and parking. In addition to the apartments proposed in town, Continental is currently developing and building 228 apartments in Shelton; 200 apartments at Evergreen Walk in South Windsor; and 144 apartments in Rocky Hill.
"We look forward to developing a first-class residential community central and walkable to downtown Glastonbury," Howard S. Rappaport, a principal of Continental Properties, said in a statement. Construction is expected to begin in the spring.
New Britain Ready To Unveil Downtown Design Plan
NEW BRITAIN — The city expects to redesign part of Columbus Boulevard starting this fall, and invites residents to learn about the details Thursday.
The city is planning to add a rotary at the intersection of Columbus and Bank Street and extend sidewalk improvements to the Harry Truman Overpass.
The work will also relocate the center of transit bus traffic from Bank Street to Columbus Boulevard, where CT Transit buses will be parking alongside the CTfastrak station.
"This work will make needed safety improvements and continue our efforts to beautify our downtown in order to make it more attractive to developers, while at the same time enhancing the quality of life for residents," Mayor Erin Stewart said in a statement.City engineers will discuss details at an informational forum for the public Thursday at 6 p.m. in room 504 at city hall. Stewart said residents and merchants should attend the session to see the semi-final design plans and learn how the project will affect downtown.
New Britain has been working for several years to add bike lanes and make sidewalk improvements as part of a strategy to improve downtown. The goals are to make the area more attractive, safer, easier for pedestrians and cyclists, and more appealing to residential and commercial developers.
The project is budgeted at just under $4 million, with the federal government paying 90 percent of the cost and New Britain paying the remaining 10 percent. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE