The start of April typically marks the beginning of the construction season, and this year, Eversource Energy will spend $50 million making improvements to its natural gas distribution network.
The company will replace 103,000 square feet of gas mains this year, removing the existing cast iron and bare steel pipes and replacing them with plastic piping.
“That’s the direction the industry is going,” Mitch Gross, a Eversource spokesman, said Thursday. “The plastic pipes are more corrosion resistant, which makes them safer and more durable as well as better able to handle underground temperatures. Included in year’s list of main replacement projects by Eversource are two jobs in Ansonia, Gross said.
The largest of the two projects in Ansonia is the replacement of 6,000 feet of main that will be done along a section of Wakelee Avenue, he said. The other Ansonia project will involve the replacement 1,500 feet of the natural gas distribution network along Main Street.
Both projects will be done during the second or third quarter of this year, Gross said.
Marc Andrukiewicz, Eversource’s vice president of gas engineering, said a consistent replacement schedule of the company’s mains in necessary to ensure the distribution network operates safely and reliably. “Aging is a natural process in life and that also applies to our infrastructure,” Andrukiewicz said in a statement. “We review the system’s performance and identify areas to make necessary and valuable improvements to maintain a first-rate natural gas distribution system.”Eversource has replaced nearly 100 miles of older gas main in the past five years, he said.
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Construction to begin Friday on Route 1 bridge over Niantic River
East Lyme — The state Department of Transportation has announced that the first stage of construction for the replacement of the Route 1 bridge over the Niantic River will begin Friday.
The project consists of replacing the entire bridge between East Lyme and Waterford and includes widening Route 1 to accommodate a left hand turning lane onto Oil Mill Road, according to a news release.
The project was awarded to Rotha Contracting Co. Inc. at a cost of $3,749,602.10 on Feb. 19, the release said.
Construction is scheduled to be completed around May 17, 2018.
The Route 1 north and south travel lanes at Oil Mill Road will be reduced 11.5 feet wide in each direction, the release said.
Route 4 Construction Scheduled To Start Monday In Farmington
FARMINGTON — Residents and commuters in Farmington are no stranger to backups on Route 4 but starting next week, drivers might have to allow extra travel time into their schedules.
Construction on a half-mile stretch of road, from Garden Street to Mountain Spring Road, is scheduled to start Monday. The work is expected to continue through June 2018.
John S. Dunham, district engineer for the state Department of Transportation's fourth district, said the $12.2 million reconstruction will start with clearing and possible excavation near the former Parson's Chevrolet dealership.
The work will be carried out by New Britain-based Tilcon Construction, Inc. and will be completed in five stages. Once finished, there will be traffic lights at the intersection at High Street, a local road running parallel north of Route 4, and two eastbound lanes from the Route 10 intersection up to the I-84 on-ramp.The town is also exploring potential redevelopment concepts of a 40-acre area that Route 4 runs through. The area is adjacent to the Farmington Center historic district with the Farmington River to the west.
Next week, town officials plan to interview consultants to work on the project.
Farmington's Chief of Engineering Services Matthew Blume said in a statement that most of the work will take place Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Blume said some night work hours are scheduled for Monday through Friday, from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., and on some weekends from 6 p.m. to 10 a.m. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Hartford Budget Woes Won't Halt Weaver High School Renovation
HARTFORD — A string of Hartford politicians and community leaders left Mayor Luke Bronin's office on Thursday with a few smiles and a united message: The state-approved $100 million Weaver High School renovation is moving forward.
"The project is continuing, it's back on track," said Nicole Porter, board president of the Blue Hills Civic Association.
"If people felt a little uneasy," said Hartford Rep. Douglas McCrory, they can be assured that Weaver "will be ready for the community in 2018."
The demolition phase for Weaver had been on hold as city leaders privately discussed which school construction projects Hartford could afford. But even as the city grapples with a major budget crisis, the mere consideration that the Weaver project could be stalled or abandoned had alarmed the school's supporters. The renovation is already underway in northwest Hartford."There has already been many millions committed to it," Bronin said after the city hall meeting.
The fate of other city schools is less certain. Superintendent Beth Schiavino-Narvaez reiterated that an advisory committee she has formed, Equity 2020, also is "moving forward ... to handle the big picture." CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE