January 5, 2017

CT Construction Digest Thursday January 5, 2016

Bridge replacement to cause Bridgeport detours

BRIGEPORT - There’s bridge work that’s planned in Bridgeport and that means part of Arctic Street will be closed for about six months.
The bridge repairs will mean the temporary close Arctic Street from Helen Street to Seaview Avenue starting Monday, Jan. 9.
The Arctic Street Bridge, built in 1934, is in poor condition with “significant distress or deterioration to its primary components,” according to a city statement released Wednesday. The existing bridge also lacks adequate safety mefasures for vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
The proposed work includes removing the existing structure to its foundation and constructing a 40-foot structure that is supported on abutments located behind the existing foundation.
In announcing the closure, the city said, “The purpose of this project is to replace the existing deteriorated Arctic Street Bridge with a new structure that has low initial and life-cycle costs, minimizes the impacts to local residents, and requires minimal maintenance for the city. The project also includes approximately 200-feet of pavement reconstruction at the approaches to the bridge, new concrete sidewalks along each side of Arctic Street, and new roadside safety guiderail. The exposed gas main will also be relocated under the bridge to eliminate the safety hazard to vehicular traffic.”
The project will take about eight months to finish including approximately six months of heavy construction and two months of restoration, site cleanup, and miscellaneous work.
A detour that is approximately 0.6 miles in length will be used during the construction of the bridge.
Helen Street and Seaview Avenue, which are approximately 0.2 miles to the west and 0.1 miles east of the structure respectively, will be utilized to redirect local traffic around the site by means of Barnum Avenue.
Access will be provided to all abutting property owners at all times during construction.

Stonington drainage project costs continue to increase for town

Stonington — The Board of Finance learned Wednesday night that it likely will have to approve up to $80,000 more to complete a project designed to provide relief from flooding for some homeowners on Meadow and Bayview avenues.
The $80,000 will go to pay to remove 200 feet of unexpected ledge the contractor has encountered. That would bring the town’s total investment in the project now to more than $315,000. The extra rock removal was not part of the original contract.
“This is the nightmare that keeps on giving,” quipped Board of Finance member Glenn Frishman.
In September the board approved $65,279 to replace a drainage line that brings water from Bayview Avenue into an outlet system that drains into tidal wetlands near the Amtrak line. The water eventually makes its way into Little Narragansett Bay.
The money came in addition to the $170,000 the town had set aside since 2011 to pay for the work, but the need for permitting, obtaining easements, plan changes, establishing a contingency fund and inspection services resulted in the need for the additional $65,279.
Town Engineer Scott Deledda told the board Wednesday that work has stopped on the project after the contractor encountered the ledge.
He said the town has considered three alternatives to deal with the ledge: blasting, mechanical removal and rerouting the line. He said the latter approach cannot be done because of easement issues.
Blasting is estimated to be the cheaper option at an estimated $60,000, with mechanical removal at $73,000. There would be an additional cost of about $4,200 to bring in new gravel to replace the ledge. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Expansion And Renovation Of Glastonbury's Center Village Coming Closer To Reality

A plan to bring the Center Village senior citizen community into the 21st century is getting closer to putting a shovel in the dirt.Neil Griffin, Glastonbury Housing Authority executive director, is hoping to secure final funding over the next few months with construction beginning in April. The $17.7 million project is planned to include a 38-unit, two-story building on the corner of New London Turnpike and Salmon Brook Drive.
The plan also includes the renovation and expansion of 34 units in six existing buildings that date back to 1975. Griffin said the units were built with "minimalistic design standards" with bathtubs and steps down into the units. The units will be expanded from 350 square feet to 650 square feet and include showers along with washers and dryers - and at grade entrances.
"There are a couple of moving parts that are beyond our control," he said of the remaining funding for the project. In October, the state Department of Housing gave $6.5 million to the town. The state bond commission is expected to release the money this month.
Other financing according to Griffin includes low income housing tax credits from investors; a $3.2 million mortgage from Connecticut Housing Finance Authority; $1.2 million from the town's housing authority, energy rebates and other small funding sources.
"As we looked at the demographics in Glastonbury we have a lot of households that have retired and are in single family homes," Griffin said. "We hope to provide them an option that's not 380 square feet. We are now talking about something larger with all the amenities they had in their homes."
Griffin said 34 residents remain in 50 units and will have their rents - currently at $335 a month - frozen during the construction process. The two-story facility will be built first and the residents will move into the building as the remaining buildings are renovated. The redevelopment will total 72 units in seven buildings - a net gain of 22 units.
"It will be a sizable change," Griffin said. "It will change the look of Center Village and make it fit more with the downtown center zone and bring a more modern affordable housing program...it will give us something we can be a little more proud of." CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE