Road, bridge construction to begin this weekend
NEW BRITAIN — Construction on one of the city’s many road and bridge projects is set to begin this weekend.
The Connecticut Department of Transportation recently announced that Rotha Contracting Co. of Avon will begin the $5.2 million revitalization project of the Harry Truman Overpass on Saturday, April 1.
The Overpass carries Route 71 over Herald Square, Columbus Boulevard, CTFastrak Route 72 and a portion of Pan AM Railways.
According to a press release from the DOT, the project consists of repairs to the bridge substructure and replacing sidewalks on the overpass, among other things.
The DOT said Rotha Contracting will have various lane closures while work is being done on the overpass.
Rotha will close one lane of traffic on the three-lane portion of Route 72 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 5 a.m.
The contractor will also close one lane of the two-lane portion of Route 72 at the same time.
While Route 72 is the road that will have lane closures, Rotha Contracting’s work will reach other areas as well.
Rotha will work on Route 71, Herald Square, Columbus Boulevard, ramps and turning roadways from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays and 6 p.m. to 10 a.m. on weekends.
The DOT said the project would be completed by April 18, 2018.
The revamping of the “Beehive Bridge” — the span that runs over Route 72 on Main Street and the Columbus Boulevard upgrade projects are both set to begin in May.
Final senior center bids approved by Town Council
SOUTHINGTON — The Southington Town Council has approved the final 20 bids Monday for the various construction elements in the new Senior Center being constructed to replace the Calendar House. The new center at 388 Pleasant St. is currently under construction and will take approximately 18 months to complete. The modern facility, designed based on residents’ needs and a feedback survey, will replace a repurposed former jail building that had seen numerous additions over the years.
The town had released bid packages for each element of the construction project, such as plumbing or electrical and companies bid on one or more of them.
Additionally, the council approved the Arc of Southington to pursue a grant for an addition to their facility at 201 W. Main St. Sandy Amato, executive director, said that after 50 years their organization had outgrown the space. Arc of Southington is an advocacy organization that fights to protect the rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and helps them to participate in their communities.
“We hope to double the size of our conference room, add six office spaces and ADA compliant restrooms,” said Amato. “We would also like to add 19 additional parking spaces by reconfiguring our current lot. We want to remain in Southington since we have been in this location for 50 years. We have been approved by Planning & Zoning and we are seeking grants from the Main Street Community Foundation and Joe & Kay Calvanese Foundation and we have the support of (state) Rep. John Fusco and (state) Sen. Joe Markley. We don’t know the total cost yet, but we should have bids out by the first two weeks in April.”
Councilor John Barry thanked Amato for the work that Arc does. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Eversource Energy spending $50M this year on pipe replacement in Connecticut
Eversource Energy will spend $50 million this year in Connecticut to upgrade its natural gas distribution network in the state. About 20 miles of existing cast iron pipes will be replaced by specialized plastic pipe that is more durable and better able to handle fluctuating underground temperatures throughout the year. Mitch Gross, a spokesman for the Hartford-based utility, said the determination about the order in which distribution pipes are replaced is based upon annual system performance reviews. “We look at a lot of factors,” Gross said. “Where a line is located and whether it is in a high traffic area or one that has seen a great deal of construction are some of the things we consider.”
Eversource has replaced nearly 120 miles of natural gas piping in the past six years. This year the work will be done in the following towns: Meriden, Middletown, Putnam, New London, Stamford and Wallingford. Natural gas pipeline upgrades in Middletown just got underway on Fountain Avenue and Cross Street. The Middletown work will be done Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Work is also scheduled later this year for North Main Street, Dutton Street and Miller Street in Wallingford, Gross said. All of the work scheduled for this year is expected to be completed by November, he said. Bill Akley, president of gas operations at Eversource, said safety “is the most important service we can provide our customers.” The utility has 226,000 customers in 72 communities in Connecticut. The replacement of natural gas lines is in addition to Eversource’s ongoing expansion of its distribution network into areas not currently served by natural gas.
Groton approves tax stabilization agreement with housing developer
Groton — The Town Council on Tuesday approved a tax stabilization agreement with an affordable-housing developer that plans to buy and upgrade Branford Manor, a 442-unit federally subsidized housing development.
Related Affordable, a subsidiary of Related Companies in New York City, is under contract to buy the development from owner Branford Manor Associates. The new company plans to invest $18.5 million to improve the housing complex in Groton City and build a community center.
The agreement lists how much the company would pay in property taxes for the next 20 years. Taxes would be paid twice a year and would increase by about 3 percent annually under the agreement.
Under the first year of the agreement, Related Affordable would pay $223,041 in taxes on July 1 and $148,694 on Jan. 1, 2018. In the last year of the agreement, the company would pay $391,104 in July 2036 and $260,736 in January 2037.