BRIDGEPORT— Councilwoman Denise Taylor-Moye summed up her feelings Thursday upon learning that a plan to close the coal-fired plant in her South End district could move forward.
“Woo-woo!” Taylor-Moye said as she took her turn at the podium outside of the Atlantic Street facility.
Taylor-Moye and her colleagues on the City Council recently voted for a deal that supported plant owner PSEG’s effort to replace the coal operation — the last of its kind in Connecticut — with a gas-fired one by mid-2021.
But PSEG needed authorization from ISO New England, which oversees the electric grid for Connecticut and five other states. That approval was granted this week and formally announced Thursday morning, first by ISO in a telephone call with reporters, then by the city and PSEG at an outdoor press conference.
“I dare say this may be the largest single investment in the city of Bridgeport in its history,” said Mayor Joe Ganim. “I’m gonna say it slow — it’s $550 million dollars.”
And that, city officials said, means $5 million in annual tax revenues. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Greenwich bridge to be replaced, detour put in place
The bridge which takes Brookridge Drive over the East Brothers Brook needs to be replaced and work is slated for the spring.
To accommodate the replacement work, the Board of Selectmen unanimously granted approval for a detour.
“The bridge is currently in poor condition due to the steel girders carrying the roadway,” said Frank Petise, the town’s senior civil engineer.
The bridge was first built in 1923 and reconstructed in 1956. According to Petise, the existing stone masonry parapets do not meet the standards of either the Connecticut Department of Transportation or the Federal Highway Administration for safety in crash protection.
The town’s Department of Public Works said the $400,000-budgeted project, designed by Alfred Benesch and Company of Glastonbury, includes removing the bridge’s existing concrete deck, steel girders and masonry parapets. Seven new pre-stressed concrete decks will be brought in and placed on the bridge’s existing masonry abutments.
Additionally, new cast-in-place concrete parapets with stone masonry will be put in using the bridge’s existing stones. The bridge will retain the existing opening and roadway profile so there will not be any need to widen the road or do construction work beyond the bridge replacement, Petise said.
In order to do the work, detours will be placed on both sides of the bridge to keep vehicle traffic from coming through. Petise said the detour will cover approximately a mile and a half and will use Route 1, the Old Post Road, Stanwich Road and Fairfield Road. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
From dirty to clean: Brownfield site may soon be source of clean energy
BRISTOL — A new “ultra-clean” power plant is being envisioned at an old contaminated scrap-metal yard on Middle Street.
Officials at FuelCell Energy in Danbury have begun negotiations with the city to build the green-energy generation grid a block south of ESPN.
The 15-acre city-owned site, at 894 Middle St., has been designated a Brownfield — a contaminated site eligible for federally funded rehabilitation — by the state.
FuelCell Energy officials have expressed interest in leasing between two and three acres on the site to support seven to 12 units, producing anywhere from two to 20 megawatts of power.
Those numbers could change. “It frankly hasn’t been determined yet,” said Frank Wolak, vice president for government and business, about the company’s plans.
Bristol’s Board of Finance and City Council approved the property for use as a power source during their regular meetings Tuesday. An assessment of the site is underway now and is expected to be finished by late spring.
“Now we have the opportunity to use the land, to really look at it and see the size of the lot,” Wolak said. “It’s vague right now because we have to be cautious about the way we build, and expeditious in construction.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Oxford Company To Complete Unionville Sidewalk Replacement
FARMINGTON — An Oxford company will complete a sidewalk replacement project in Unionville, the town council decided Tuesday.
Guerrera Construction Inc. was one of 11 companies that bid for the project, which is funded by a reimbursement grant from the state Office of Policy and Management's Main Street Investment Fund. Guerrera submitted the lowest bid of $378,695.
The stretch of sidewalk along Plainville Avenue, also known as Route 177, from Depot Place to West District Road, is scheduled to be replaced starting this spring.
"It's a big project and it's something that we've needed for a long time," council Chairwoman Nancy Nickerson said. "It's going to be great to have that whole area be accessible."Matthew Blume, chief of engineering services, said the work is expected to take at least three months.
The project was presented to the Human Relations Commission in July.
Town Manager Kathleen Eagen said that given the extent of the work, portions of the sidewalk will likely be inaccessible during construction, so pedestrians are advised to seek alternate routes into Unionville Center. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Manchester Traffic Roundabout Project Moves Forward
MANCHESTER — A proposal to build dual roundabouts near the northern end of Main Street is moving into the planning phase after the board of directors approved the concept.
With the board's endorsement Tuesday, the project is now in the hands of the state Department of Transportation, Public Works Director Mark Carlino said Thursday. The agency will begin gathering field survey information to develop a preliminary design, Carlino said.
Meant to improve safety for both motorists and pedestrians, the proposed roundabouts would be at the intersections of North Main and Oakland streets and at Oakland and Woodbridge streets, which also includes a railroad crossing. The conceptual plan also includes reducing lanes on North Main Street between Main and Oakland from four to three lanes, with wider shoulders.
The estimated cost is $4 million to $6 million, to be paid with state and federal funds, and construction could begin in three to four years. Another public hearing will be held when the DOT completes a preliminary design, probably next year, Carlino said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUENew Federal Funding Allows $19M for Northeast Rail Corridor Projects
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) While $19 million is a far cry from the estimated $21.1 billion that's needed to address a backlog of projects along the Northeast Rail Corridor, advocates hope it's a signal there will be more to come down the track.
The special allotment, tucked into the new federal budget, marks the first time in recent memory that federal money has been specifically dedicated for projects along the aging 557-mi. (896 km) stretch of railway from Washington, D.C. to Boston — the busiest passenger rail corridor in the nation.
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut called the $19 million “a foot in the door” that could lead to additional federal funding. Much more is needed to help the states upgrade a rail corridor with crucial segments at or near full capacity, bridges and tunnels dating back to the period between the Civil War and the New Deal, and components of electrical and signal systems from the 1930s.
“The amount of money is not what is significant,” said Murphy, who worked to include the provision in the budget bill. “What is important, for the first time, we have a dedicated account just for the Northeast and we can grow that account as time goes on, knowing that every dime in it will help the Northeast Corridor.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE