HARTFORD — The only way Connecticut can begin systematically fixing deteriorated highways, decrepit bridges and century-old railroad infrastructure is by adopting a so-called lockbox, a panel told lawmakers Wednesday.
"It's absolutely critical for the legislature to deal with this and get the issue on the ballot in November," said business leader Oz Griebel, a member of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's transportation finance panel.
After studying the state's long-term transportation needs and its current revenue system, the panel last year concluded that Connecticut should use a mix of taxes, user fees, highway tolls and new public-private financing arrangements to pay for the work.
But there's no way that drivers, businesses, transit passengers and other taxpayers will agree to pay more unless they're absolutely confident the money will go to transportation — and not get secretly diverted to the general fund, the panel said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUENew Hartford Ballpark Hits First Milestone
HARTFORD — Developers of a 6,000-seat minor league baseball stadium just north of downtown achieved the first of five construction milestones put in place to ensure that the project hits no further delays.
Wednesday's milestone was to have all structural steel in place and exterior walls weather tight.
Jason Rudnick, principal for the developer, Centerplan Development Company affiliate DoNo Hartford LLC, said Wednesday that the milestones are important to gauge progress, but his company is focused on the finish line.
"We're pleased we reached the milestone, but our focus remains on May 17," Rudnick said of the date of the final milestone, the deadline for delivering the completed stadium. "Everyone on site is motivated with a purely positive focus to complete the ballpark." The milestones were set after the project fell behind schedule and far over budget late last year.
The team, the city and the developer agreed in January to provide money to cover the $10.4 million funding gap for the stadium, with the provision that certain milestones be met to ensure the ballpark would be able to host a home opener May 31. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Greenwich gets an update on Tappan Zee Bridge construction
GREENWICH — Anyone traveling from Greenwich to Rockland County, N.Y., and beyond has a first-hand view of the construction of a new Tappan Zee Bridge.
The $3.98 billion project is almost half finished with a targeted completion date in 2018. Wednesday, Dan Marcy, part of the New York Bridge Project’s outreach team, spoke to the Greenwich Retired Men’s Association about the bridge that he said would mean a smoother, less congested drive for anyone crossing the Hudson River.
“We’re going to have eight traffic lanes, express lanes, extra wide shoulders as well as EZ Pass upgrades,” Marcy said. “We’re going to be getting rid of the toll plaza on the Westchester side. We’ve already built an archway on the Rockland side near Exit 10 and it reads your EZ Pass without you having to slow down. If you don’t have an EZ Pass, there are cameras mounted and it will take pictures of your license plate and you’d get a bill in the mail about once a month. This is definitely going to help reduce congestion, especially in the eastbound direction.”
Unlike the current bridge, built in 1955, there will be four permanent travel lanes each way instead of a sliding wall that allows four lanes one direction and three the other.
“One of the issues with the current bridge is that the current lanes are too narrow at 11 feet, when the federal highway standard is 12 feet,” Marcy said. “There are no shoulders and no median on the bridge. That means when you have a simple problem with a car like a flat tire or you run out of gas, you block a lane of travel and that creates a massive spillover effect. We’re trying to engineer those problems out so the new bridge is really two separate bridges.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Cuomo champions Connecticut-L.I. bridge, tunnel
Despite the naysayers who said it couldn’t be done, the Verrazano Bridge was constructed. So was the George Washington Bridge over the Hudson River and the Long Island Expressway.
Why not a bridge from Long Island Sound to Connecticut — or a tunnel deep beneath the waterway?
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday suggested it’s not an unrealistic idea and said he’s asking for $5 million to study the feasibility of the idea.
“Maybe we consider a tunnel or a bridge to Connecticut,’’ Cuomo told a meeting of the Long Island Association, an economic development group. “Right now the only way to get off the Island is to drive all the way to the end, or you have to be a great swimmer.’’
A bridge over or a tunnel under Long Island Sound is not a new idea and was first proposed in 1938. Various landing points have been considered over the years, including New Haven, Bridgeport and Stamford but also Rye, N.Y., and other Westchester communities.
Recent estimates have pegged the cost of a tunnel across the Sound — which is as much as 18 miles wide at points — at $10 billion or more. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Middletown city leaders, sewer panel members clash over railroad payments
MIDDLETOWN >> City leaders and committee members are clashing over who had the power to authorize a $200,000 payment to a railroad company for its work related to the Mattabassett District sewer project.
The payments in question stem from work completed by the Providence and Worcester Railroad Co. The city has a contract with the firm that allows workers to access its tracks to install two new sewer pipes in an effort to decommission the current water treatment plant.
“We have an agreement with them that lays out our ability to get on their track,” Mayor Dan Drew said. “We were restricted to a very narrow area when we were approved by the state of Connecticut. In some instances, it puts us within a zone around the railroad track. In other areas, we are nowhere near the track.”
However, Mattabassett Regionalization Building Committee members claim the firm charged the city for flagging operations for safety reasons on days when work was not performed. These costs — which totaled $55,000 — were being negotiated and disputed by the panel. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Meriden train station to close, temporary structure being built
MERIDEN — The state Department of Transportation expects the train station to close on March 12 and a temporary station to open soon after.
The temporary station will consist of a wooden boarding platform and shed, according to John Bernick, state DOT associate rail administrator. The project requires the closure of Brooks Street, which will happen the week of March 21, state DOT spokesman Judd Everhart said.
“The temporary station will consist of a drop-off area, low level passenger loading platform and bus shelter located on Brooks Street in Meriden,” a DOT notice posted online Wednesday stated.
Meriden’s permanent station should be completed in spring 2017 along with a parking lot and garage with 280 total spaces.
A notice on the door of the Meriden train station Tuesday stated the ticket office closed on March 4 and the station will close on March 12. Riders with credit cards now have the option to purchase eTickets over the phone, on Amtrak.com or through smartphone apps, the notice said. The DOT statement also states riders can purchase tickets on the train.
Riders who want to purchase hard tickets may do so at Union Station in New Haven, the notice continued. The Berlin station will also close on March 12.
A notice posted last week stated the station would be closing March 4, but it was removed.
“The timing of the station closure changed just a little bit,” Bernick said.
Passengers were seen inside the station Tuesday awaiting trains and buses. Though the ticket office was closed, an attendant was visible inside. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
“Knowing how to properly protect yourself and recognizing what to look out for while on a construction site can literally mean the difference between life and death,” said Catherine Zinsser, a certified safety professional who will conduct the class and review OSHA regulations.
Ways to minimize risks involving scaffolding and ladders, electrical hazards and trenching will be reviewed.
Admission is free, but pre-registration is required. Contact Zinsser at catherine.zinsser@ct.gov or (860) 263-6942 to register, or to obtain additional information.