WALLINGFORD — Town officials say a section of Northfield Road will be closed until mid-October as crews work to replace a bridge over Wharton Brook.
The section of Northfield Road near Park Lane closed on May 16 and will remain closed until Oct. 14. The $960,000 project will replace an aging bridge with a new concrete prefabricated bridge, according to Town Engineer Rob Baltramaitis.
“Every bridge has a service life and that bridge was installed in approximately 1938,” Baltramaitis said. “A lot of town bridges were constructed in the 1930s as part of a federal program to get people back to work to come out of the Depression.”
Contractors have been on site since April 1 clearing trees and doing the necessary ground and water main work.“Now they are at the point where they are going to start demolition,” Baltramaitis said.
After the current structure is taken down, a new bridge will be installed in late summer or early fall. The new bridge will be comprised of “precast concrete elements,” which will be manufactured off site, Baltramaitis said.
The final product will make for a more scenic drive.“There will be a bridge rail on both sides of the bridge so that’s a better appearance because you can see through the rail, it’s protective of pedestrians and vehicles but it gives us some openness,” Baltramaitis said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
MERIDEN — The legislature is looking at a slimmed-down bonding package that would cancel nearly $1 billion in unauthorized borrowing, including $6.5 million for projects in Meriden.
"I avoid making predictions in general when it comes to this project," Bronin said.
All options are on the table, Bronin said, ranging from daily fines for the developer until the job is complete, to filing a claim, known as calling the performance bond, with the city's insurer for the remaining $2 million needed to finish construction and finding a new developer. The latter options could delay the project's finish for months. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Alternative Trail To Putnam Bridge Walkway Proposed, But State Plan Moving Forward
GLASTONBURY — When avid bicyclist Gerhard Schade heard state funding could indefinitely delay a plan to construct multiuse paths connecting Wethersfield and Glastonbury to the $5 million walkway across the Putnam Bridge, he came up with a plan.
He mapped out a path through Keeney Cove, across farm fields along a dusty road and up to the bridge's walkway. He presented it to the Glastonbury town council and conservation commission, and had plans to speak with the Wethersfield town council.
The state completed a 6-foot-wide walkway over the southern side of the bridge last summer as part of a $35 million rehabilitation project. Walkways from Naubuc Avenue in Glastonbury and Great Meadow Road in Wethersfield will connect to the William H. Putnam Memorial Bridge.
Schade called his plan a "low-cost Putnam Bridge walkway connection." Schade walked from Point Road, a popular fishing spot off Naubuc Avenue, along a farm road through town-owned open space, Great Meadows Conservation Trust properties and privately owned farmland to the base of Putnam Bridge and the beginning of the walkway.
"We were blown away with how easy it was," he said of the walk along the flat farmland and floodplain. "The biggest task would be to get landowner permission to use the existing farm road. ... It's just gorgeous." CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
The bonding package, which awaits a vote in the House, also gives legislative approval to new projects next year, resulting in an overall borrowing reduction of $642 million.
Lawmakers say the cuts were necessary to stay under their bonding cap, and were largely done to projects that never got started. Every year, the legislature approves a package of projects they want to receive money from the State Bond Commission.
“Anything that hasn’t been moved in five years, they removed from the bond bill,” said state Rep. Emil “Buddy” Altobello, D-Meriden, a member of the legislature’s Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
HARTFORD — City officials will meet with all the major players in the development of Hartford's new, $63 million minor league ballpark Wednesday to hash out how to finish the controversial project.
The stadium's developer missed a key deadline Tuesday.
Mayor Luke Bronin said the developer — DoNo Hartford LLC, part of Middletown-based Centerplan Cos. — did not deliver Dunkin' Donuts Park with enough work completed to make the home opener for the Yard Goats possible on May 31. The Yard Goats originally had been scheduled to begin playing in the stadium on April 7, but construction delays forced the team to play home games on the road and, as of last week, in Norwich.
"We'd like to get baseball played in there as soon as possible," Bronin said. "We also need to hold our partners accountable, and we need to make sure we are protecting the city's interests."
On Tuesday, it remained unclear when the first pitch would be thrown at the new, 6,000-seat park just north of downtown.
Bronin said he will meet Wednesday with the developer, team owner Josh Solomon and Joe McEacharn, president of the Double A Eastern League. He declined to predict when there would be a plan for finishing the ballpark, though he said it would be soon. "I avoid making predictions in general when it comes to this project," Bronin said.
All options are on the table, Bronin said, ranging from daily fines for the developer until the job is complete, to filing a claim, known as calling the performance bond, with the city's insurer for the remaining $2 million needed to finish construction and finding a new developer. The latter options could delay the project's finish for months. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Alternative Trail To Putnam Bridge Walkway Proposed, But State Plan Moving Forward
GLASTONBURY — When avid bicyclist Gerhard Schade heard state funding could indefinitely delay a plan to construct multiuse paths connecting Wethersfield and Glastonbury to the $5 million walkway across the Putnam Bridge, he came up with a plan.
He mapped out a path through Keeney Cove, across farm fields along a dusty road and up to the bridge's walkway. He presented it to the Glastonbury town council and conservation commission, and had plans to speak with the Wethersfield town council.
Turns out he was misinformed about the status of state funding. On Tuesday, state Department of Transportation spokesman Kevin Nursick said planners are working through the $1 million design phase. Construction is expected to begin in 2019 and may be complete that same year or in early 2020.
"I can definitely dispel the rumors out there," he said. "We are focused on the final product."The state completed a 6-foot-wide walkway over the southern side of the bridge last summer as part of a $35 million rehabilitation project. Walkways from Naubuc Avenue in Glastonbury and Great Meadow Road in Wethersfield will connect to the William H. Putnam Memorial Bridge.
Schade called his plan a "low-cost Putnam Bridge walkway connection." Schade walked from Point Road, a popular fishing spot off Naubuc Avenue, along a farm road through town-owned open space, Great Meadows Conservation Trust properties and privately owned farmland to the base of Putnam Bridge and the beginning of the walkway.
"We were blown away with how easy it was," he said of the walk along the flat farmland and floodplain. "The biggest task would be to get landowner permission to use the existing farm road. ... It's just gorgeous." CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE