Crane on new bridge topples over onto lanes of old bridge
NEW YORK (AP) — Cars crossing the Tappan Zee bridge north of New York City on Tuesday had to swerve out of the way as a crane boom from an adjacent bridge project crashed down across the key Hudson River crossing, halting traffic for hours.
It took several hours before travel lanes were reopened and officials expressed gratitude and amazement that no one was significantly hurt. "Miraculously, there were no serious injuries," said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who briefed reporters at the scene. "If you said to me that a boom could fall across the Tappan Zee Bridge at noon, not hit a car ... I would not believe it."
Cuomo said the crane was performing routine work on the new Tappan Zee Bridge, driving pilings into the river bottom, and it was unclear what caused its boom to fall across the entire 90-foot, seven-lane width of the old bridge. Officials said five people suffered minor injuries.
Nicholas D'Emealio, of Irvington, was in a vehicle about three football fields away from the crane, toward the center of the 3.1-mile-long bridge between Westchester and Rockland counties, when he heard a bang and his driver slammed on the brakes.
"It shook the whole bridge," he said. "At first I thought the bridge was collapsing because this is not a good bridge."
Everybody was OK but stranded. D'Emealio and his friends got out of their vehicle and threw around a football to pass the time.
Over the next several hours, the boom was removed from the span and the bridge inspected for damage. Soon after 5 p.m., the northbound lanes from Westchester to Rockland reopened, and three of the four southbound lanes reopened by 8 p.m. The southern-most lane was staying closed until further notice.
The reopening of lanes avoided a traffic nightmare, as the Tappan Zee is a vital Hudson River crossing and its closure would have forced drivers to other bridges anywhere from 20 miles to 30 miles away.
The base and treads of the movable crane sat on the unfinished new bridge. Authorities didn't immediately say how tall the crane was. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
“A new group of younger residents will bring vibrancy and a more dynamic atmosphere to the city,” said Jackie Lightfield, executive director of the Stamford Partnership. “We’re going to have a much more urban college campus feel.”
The long-awaited UConn dormitory project received its final city approval Monday night when the Zoning Board voted unanimously to move the project forward.
The selected site, a mixed-use development at 900 Washington Blvd., is about a block from the university’s Stamford campus at Broad and Franklin streets.“This is a good thing for our small businesses — especially those that sell pizza and beer,” Lightfield said. “They get a new pool of customers and a new pool of young workers.”
Developer Randy Salvatore, president of RMS, requested the Zoning Board change the residential component of his previously approved development to dormitories from high-end rental apartments.
“We are very pleased that the Zoning Board approved this project,” Salvatore said. “Now it can finally become a reality.”
The building under construction adjacent to the Government Center is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
“We’re grateful that the city’s leadership, business community and residents have been so supportive of this proposal to bring UConn students downtown to live near the campus,” UConn spokeswoman Stephanie Reitz said. “Stamford has such vibrancy, and UConn is excited that our students will get a chance to add to that and benefit from it.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Middlefield bridge reopens
The bridge repairs that required the closing of a section of Route 147 in Middlefield are moving ahead of schedule and the road was reopened on the evening of Tuesday, July 19.
The well-traveled road was originally scheduled to open on July 28, nine days later.
The closing allowed the replacement of the bridge over Lyman Meadow Brook. The 1.25 million dollar project is funded by the state as Route 147, or Durham Road, is a state road.
The state also made the decision to replace the bridge and controlled the repair schedule.
The stretch of road is close to the intersection with Route 157 and Lyman Orchards.
The detour ran from routes 157, 68 and 17 with the road behind the Apple Barrel closed to through traffic.
The road closed on July 11. The disruption of 8 days is far shorter than the disruption caused by the two year project to replace the bridge over the Coginchaug River, just a short distance south of the latest repair.
In relaying the repair schedule, Middlefield First Selectman Ed Bailey wrote, “Kudos to D.O.T.’s contractor for completion of major construction at the Lyman Meadow Bridge ahead of schedule.”
The use of a prefabricated bridge made for a shorter repair time. There will still be a period of repair that may require alternating traffic in the area, but the road will not be closed for it.
KILLINGLY – More than 200 people crowded into the Killingly High School auditorium Tuesday night for a joint meeting between the Planning and Zoning and Inland, Wetlands and Watercourses commissions to discuss a proposal to build a controversial 55-megawatt natural gas plant in town. The discussion centered around Florida-based NTE Energy proposal to invest $500 million to construct a combined-cycle, natural gas power plant on Lake Road in Dayville near the town’s industrial park, a plan several residents said ignores potential health and environmental issues. The plan has drawn sharp criticism from residents living near the proposed site around Alexander Lake, as well as from members of the "Not Another Power Plant" group, whose supporters worry about possible pollutants, decreased water quality and other environmental and health issues the plant might generate. Jason Anderson, 43, was one of several attendees wearing bright yellow shirts decrying the project. "My biggest concern is air pollution," said Anderson, whose property is about 600 feet from the proposed plant site. "Windham County has the highest rate of child asthma in the state already and the highest rate of lung cancer among women. We need to address those issues before talking about another plant." Project developers said the air-cooled plant has the potential to develop and sell enough electricity to the grid to power 550,000 homes, will require hundreds of construction workers, lead to the creation of more than two dozen permanent jobs and have the potential to bring in millions in tax revenue. The plant is being proposed on a site about a mile from the Lake Road Generating plant, on the cusp of the town’s industrial park. Karen Johnson, an Upper Maple Street resident, said the proposed building site is ringed with homes, farms and land trust property. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
HARTFORD — The Weaver High School renovation is expected to get back on track — again — after the city board of education approved a new set of academic programs for the school when it reopens in 2019.
The 6-1 vote, about three hours after the board meeting began Tuesday night, was met with exhaustion. Among the people who remained in the audience were members of the Blue Hills Civic Association and other supporters who had rallied at the quiet Weaver construction site in northwest Hartford earlier in the day.
A few board members offered, at times, lukewarm support for the proposal they were approving, framing it as a practical decision that addresses enrollment concerns, budget realities and the ticking clock.
"This was a viable plan, frankly, that solves many problems and that has the hope of providing better facilities to many students ... and probably better programming, and hopefully better academics, than they're getting today," board Chairman Richard Wareing said. "Is it what was originally contemplated 10 years ago? No. Is it what was contemplated two years ago or a year and a half ago? No. ...
"It's a compromise, there's no doubt about that," Wareing continued. "But it is something that can actually be delivered."
Neighborhood leaders in north Hartford had expressed deep concern for the state of the $100 million project when the board tabled the vote last month after several board members said they felt rushed and needed more answers. John Motley, chairman of the Hartford school building committee, had said the postponement would cost the project roughly $200,000 for the first month of the delay. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUEMayor: Torrington courthouse planned to open in January 2017
TORRINGTON >> The Litchfield Judicial Courthouse, which is under construction on Field Street in Torrington, is expected to open in January 2017, Mayor Elinor Carbone told the Northwest Hills Council of Governments last week.
“The courthouse is still on track for completion of construction,” said Carbone. “They’re looking at January 2017 to be open and delivering services.”Rhonda Hebert, program manager of communications with the Connecticut Judicial Branch, said Tuesday that the exact opening date for the courthouse had not yet been set, but that it was expected to be occupied after the first of the new year. “The branch is planning for an orderly move from the existing Litchfield, Bantam and Torrington locations after that,” said Hebert in an email. “Actual timing of occupancy will depend on many factors, including actual completion date, the weather and most important, the impact of the $77 million budget reduction the Branch has sustained in the current fiscal year.” Jonelle Lawhorn, the director of marketing with KBE Building Corporation — the contractor overseeing the construction project — said the construction is expected to be completed by fall 2016.
Crews are now finishing the exterior of the building and conducting sitework, including work on landscaping and the parking area, she said. Construction on the courthouse began in December 2015.The building is expected to span some 183,000 square feet once it is completed, according to past reports, spanning three-and-four stories alternatively, and include an on-site two-story parking area.Once the work has been completed on the $81 million project and the courthouse opened for use, it will replace the old Judicial District Courthouse in Litchfield, Bantam Superior Court, a Family Services Office in Litchfield and the recently-closed Juvenile Court in Torrington that houses civil, criminal, family and juvenile courts. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Waterbury plans $30M energy upgrade
WATERBURY — The city will engage in a $30 million upgrade of energy and environmental equipment at 35 schools and other public buildings in the coming two years. The Board of Aldermen, on Monday, unanimously approved raising the funds and an "energy savings performance contract" with Noresco, a division of United Technologies. The contract guarantees the project will more than pay for itself. If Noresco fails to deliver on promised energy savings, it has to cut the city a check for the difference, according to Noresco representatives and city officials. The project involves upgrades ranging from as simple as installation of weather stripping, to as complex as installation of new boilers. Thousands of light fixtures will be replaced with high-efficiency LED lighting. New temperature controls will be installed in some buildings. ECG Engineering, a company hired to help the city plan and execute the energy savings performance contract, estimates a $46.9 million savings over 20 years. Project proponents say the project will not only save energy, but eliminate the need for large-scale repairs on failing environmental systems in buildings such as the downtown Chase Municipal Building. Proponents also say the upgrades will make the buildings far more comfortable for thousands of staff and the school district's nearly 19,000 students. "As a maintainer of this outdated infrastructure, I can assure you that the replacement of this equipment is essential to the long-term viability of our buildings," James Nemec, supervisor of public buildings, told Aldermen on Monday. Finance Director Michael LeBlanc said significant energy savings would be reaped after the project entirely pays for itself in 15 years. Former Alderman Lawrence V. De Pillo urged aldermen to scale back the project to focus on improved lighting, weatherization and energy management. He estimated the roughly $10 million cost of these efforts would be repaid in six years. He argued technology is changing so rapidly that projects expected to reap energy savings beyond five years might be well outdated before those savings are realized. "It is folly to lock the taxpayers of Waterbury into a $30 million bond, plus closing, legal and interest costs for phantom savings beginning 16 years from now," De Pillo said. Aldermen sat through an exhaustive presentation of the project. And while some asked probing questions, none emerged as critics of the effort. A couple did, however, question why some of the district's newest school buildings performed poorly on an energy use audit performed by Noresco. Those questions were aimed more directly at the city's school construction contractor — O&G Industries. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE