In what is likely the fastest bridge replacement project ever seen in Fairfield County, two new southbound Route 8/25 bridges are now open in Bridgeport.
In less than two weeks, workers demolished the 44-year-old Lindley Street and Capitol Avenue bridges and assembled sections of two, pre-built bridges where the old ones once stood.
Although the state Department of Transportation has used the accelerated bridge construction method — where the bridge is built off-site and then dropped into place with large cranes — a few times, this is the first time the bidder helped design the project.
“The ‘design-build’ is a contract where the DOT draws up only partial plans, and asks bidders to show us how they would accomplish what we need,’’ said Scott Adkins, the project manager. “We would choose the best value for the contract winner.’’
The bridge sections were built off the northbound Boston Avenue Exit 5 ramp and then hauled to the construction site via local streets. After huge cranes lifted and put the bridge sections in place last week, crews worked on connecting rebar to the sections, laying down concrete, filling and grading the approaches and finally on Wednesday and Thursday putting down asphalt.
On Friday morning, southbound drivers no longer had to use a crossover detour that two two lanes of traffic onto the northbound lanes. The crossover has been open since June 11.
About 88,000 vehicles use this stretch of highway every day.
Opening of the bridges was about a day earlier than scheduled. Officials originally had plans to remove the crossover and reopen southbound lanes by early Saturday.
The next step on the $35 million project is to move over to the northbound side of the highway to demolish and replace the Lindley Street and Capitol Avenue bridges. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Land cleared for new auto dealership in Berlin
BERLIN — Site clearing is underway at the future location of a new Acura car dealership on the Berlin Turnpike.
Occupants of the five buildings on the property, including the Berlin Lunchbox restaurant, have vacated, according to James P. Horbal, deputy director of Public Works, while contractors are applying for demolition permits.
Berlin Lunchbox owners Jamie Lovejoy and Ramon Rios have been working with Economic Development Director Chris Edge in recent months to find a new location, but haven’t settled on a space, according to a recent post on the Lunchbox Facebook page.
“Within the next few weeks the buildings will be demolished,” the couple wrote in the most recent post. “We have been working on clearing out and looking for a new location that will better suit all of our needs. At this point in time we ask you to please be patient during this process, and appreciate all of the kind words and suggestions. We promise we will keep all of our Lunchboxers updated.”
The restaurant celebrated its grand opening in January 2014. In 2015, it was named Berlin’s Small Business of the Year.
The Bakery, which was formerly next door at 226 Berlin Turnpike, moved to Farmington Avenue in December after learning the land was set to be sold, according to bakery owner Enzo Formica.
Acura of Berlin, operated by Executive Auto Group owner John L. Orsini, in March purchased nearly eight acres between two parcels — 224 Berlin Turnpike and one on Episcopal Road — for $2.3 million through its limited liability corporation, 224 Berlin Turnpike, LLC. The proposal and site plan, approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission in January, calls for the construction of a 29,080-square-foot dealership and a separate 17,254-square-foot retail building. The smaller building will feature a cupola, a masonry veneer exterior and a front courtyard to be used for possible restaurant outdoor seating. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Watching the Meriden Hub become the Meriden Green
MERIDEN — Three years ago, the Hub site contained a bank, a small community garden and the decaying remnants of past commercial developments driven out of the area by flooding problems. Today the site appears as a manicured green space, one designed to keep past flooding problems at bay.
After many years of planning, the highly visible transformation from the former Hub site to the Meriden Green, a flood control basin that doubles as a municipal park, hearkens a new age for downtown Meriden. Officials plan on opening the new Meriden Green early in the fall.
“After many years of planning, engineering, obtaining the multiple regulatory permits and the funding necessary for the project to proceed, it has been very gratifying to see the work actually start and the property transformed from an abandoned shopping mall to a beautiful park that will help protect downtown Meriden from future flooding and provide economic development opportunities,” said City Manager Lawrence Kendzior.
In the late 1960s, city officials decided to enclose a portion of Harbor Brook, which essentially runs from the northeast corner of Meriden through the city center and on to Hanover Pond, to make way for economic development. The Meriden Mall, a few ancillary buildings and a huge, paved parking area stood atop the brook by the early 1970s. The current project uncovered the brook while creating a park and economic development opportunities.
The area around the downtown stretch of Harbor Brook essentially takes the shape of a large bowl with the Hub and train station area at some of the lowest points. Think of going down the hill from City Hall on East Main Street and then back uphill, though not as pronounced, on West Main Street. This makes the area prone to flooding. In 1992 and 1996, major floods caused about $30 million in damage to the downtown area. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
MERIDEN — City officials say there’s been recent interest in the former Meriden-Wallingford hospital site.
City Economic Development Director Juliet Burdelski said they’ve had “three developers express interest,” and planned to solicit proposals this summer.
The names of the developers were not released. During a tour of downtown development sites earlier this year, Mayor Kevin Scarpati said two of them specialize in developing old hospital sites.
The massive eyesore at 1 King St. has been abandoned for years. The vacant building is full of debris and destruction and has attracted vandals and squatters.
It garnered some interest from Stamford-based developer JHM Group in 2014, when the city opened up several downtown sites for redevelopment. The group never returned information for the city’s request for proposals, however.
Burdelski said during a recent joint Planning Commission and Economic Development, Housing, and Zoning Committee meeting that the site contains “lots of contamination.”
“It will be an interesting challenge,” she said.
The city utilized a cleanup loan and environmental assessment grant from the state to clear debris from a portion of the building, though there’s still a lot of work to do, as any passerby would likely notice.
Deputy Council Majority Leader David Lowell, who chairs the EDHZ committee, said finding a developer for the former hospital building is “one of our planning priorities going forward.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
WATERBURY — A pair of deep-pocketed New York investors planning to build a privately run college dormitory downtown have big aspirations for Waterbury's city center. Louis J. Forster, a successful investment executive, and his brother-in-law Joseph Gramando, an experienced builder, plan to buy the upper two floors of the Brown Building at 20 East Main St. in early July. It's a large downtown building in a prime location that has been the focus of repeated failed redevelopment schemes. Most recently, a Massachusetts development group backed out of a plan to build a mix of affordable and market-rate apartments with millions of dollars in state backing. After that fell through, city officials courted Gramando and Forster's interest. The two men plan to retrofit the top two floors of the 63,388-square-foot building into 28 suites serving 90 students. The units, including furniture, are modeled on dormitories at UConn's main campus at Storrs. Gramando and Forster plan to get to work in July. They also plan to buy and demolish the neighboring Lerner Building at 52 East Main St. to create a 28-space parking lot. Gramando said the partners don't have to borrow a nickel for the $7 million project, allowing them to move quickly. They expect to begin renting in August 2017. "The faster we can get this together, the faster we can get something else going, like an eatery or something," Gramando said during a recent tour of the Brown Building. Gramando said he and his partner hope to purchase additional downtown buildings, including the former Howland Hughes department store on Bank Street. Gramando and Forster had a brewing deal to buy the 113,995-square-foot building and retrofit it for use by hundreds of Post University workers. The deal fell apart last year, but the hope hasn't been entirely extinguished. Gramando said he still wants to buy Howland Hughes, but would need a tenant lined up. Mayor Neil O'Leary said negotiations with Post and other potential tenants are ongoing. Post CEO John Hopkins, in a statement sent via email, would only say that his institution intends to expand and is "at the very preliminary stage of exploring options for additional space, both downtown and throughout the area." Post has also taken a look at draft plans for the Gramando-Forster project and expressed interest. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
NAUGATUCK — Renovations to a more than 100-year-old bridge downtown are scheduled to start this morning. The $6 million plan to renovate the Whittemore Bridge on Maple Street has been in the works for several years. Repairs will be completed by Mohawk Northeast of Southington, the company that was the lowest of two bidders for the work. Naugatuck officials say the project is slated to be completed by Nov. 30, 2017. Many commuters are already dealing with weekend closures of the bridge in the Union City section of Naugatuck over Route 68, which is under repair, and narrow passageways during the week. They will now have to deal with another major bridge construction project. During renovation of the Whittemore Bridge, which connects the east and west sides of the borough over the Naugatuck River, a one-way road heading west from the Route 8 offramp to the center of Naugatuck will be open. Traffic heading east toward Route 8 will be diverted. Construction crews plan to install a traffic light to allow for emergency vehicles to travel in either direction, Department of Public Works Director Jim Stewart said. Plans call for removing the wrought iron railing along both sides of the bridge and replacing it with parapet walls made of the same cement and stone that will be used on the sides of the bridge. The bridge will also have benches and old-fashioned light poles. The center of the bridge will have brick pavers with an appearance similar to that of Hillside Avenue, the only brick road remaining in Naugatuck.
The intent is to make the bridge look similar to the way it did 100 years ago. The original bridge was constructed in 1912. It was built to honor businessman and philanthropist John H. Whittemore, one of Naugatuck's most famous residents, who died in 1910. He was head of one of the borough's largest industries, the Naugatuck Malleable Iron Co. Plans were drawn by architect Henry Bacon of McKim, Mead & White of New York, one of the most famous firms of the era. Bacon is most well known for his final project, designing the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The website of the Public Archaeology Survey Team, a private nonprofit organization that specializes in archaeological and historical research and public education in the Northeast, states that Bacon's design for the Naugatuck bridge was lauded as "a monument to the memory of Naugatuck's most public spirited benefactor" and "a fitting tribute to who has made our abiding place 'a city beautiful.'"
The intent is to make the bridge look similar to the way it did 100 years ago. The original bridge was constructed in 1912. It was built to honor businessman and philanthropist John H. Whittemore, one of Naugatuck's most famous residents, who died in 1910. He was head of one of the borough's largest industries, the Naugatuck Malleable Iron Co. Plans were drawn by architect Henry Bacon of McKim, Mead & White of New York, one of the most famous firms of the era. Bacon is most well known for his final project, designing the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The website of the Public Archaeology Survey Team, a private nonprofit organization that specializes in archaeological and historical research and public education in the Northeast, states that Bacon's design for the Naugatuck bridge was lauded as "a monument to the memory of Naugatuck's most public spirited benefactor" and "a fitting tribute to who has made our abiding place 'a city beautiful.'"