WALLINGFORD — The railroad crossing at the intersection of Toelles Road and Route 5 will be closed next week for track construction, officials announced Thursday.
The crossing will be closed from March 28 at 7 p.m. to March 29 at 4 p.m., although the schedule is subject to change, according to a statement by the state Department of Transportation.
The work is part of the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield rail line project, which is expected to begin expanded service in January 2018.Mohegan Sun Adding $80 Million Convention Center
Mohegan Sun is taking another step to diversify its flagship casino in southeastern Connecticut, expanding its convention space by building an $80 million exposition and convention center.
The 240,000-square-foot venue — scheduled to open in summer, 2018 — will help Mohegan compete for larger tech industry shows, golf shows, home shows, motor sports and hunting and fishing shows. The convention and expo center also will allow Mohegan to expand shows already hosted by the casino such as Terrificon, the comic convention.
The expo and convention center also will include a ballroom, 18 meeting rooms, a boardroom with an outdoor terrace and kitchen.
"This new conference center will help us solidify Mohegan Sun as not just the premier conventions destination, but the premier resort in the Northeast region," Mohegan Tribal Chairman Kevin Brown said. "It will enable us to host some of the largest trade shows in the nation and take back some of the lost conventions that seek bigger venues in Boston and New York." Mohegan Sun is aggressively pursuing a strategy to attract a broader population of visitors to its flagship property in Uncasville. Competition in the casino industry is intensifying in the Northeast, putting pressure on casino revenues in Connecticut.
In Hartford, the Capital Region Development Authority, which operates the Connecticut Convention Center, is watching the developments at Mohegan. Mohegan and its rival, Foxwoods have already taken a big bite out of the concert business at Hartford's XL Center.
"...we've been expecting this for some time, but it obviously adds more competition to Hartford and the state-owned convention center," Michael W. Freimuth, CRDA's executive director, said. "We'll just have to find a way to compete and capitalize on some marketplace specialization."
The specialization would target events that wouldn't want a casino as a convention or conference venue. "Often, religious, some corporate and educational events will avoid casinos," Freimuth said. "Events for children — Legos, 'Dinosaurs Unleashed' — even to some extent, the ConnectiCon with a good portion of minors, won't or can't play a casino."
Hartford's close proximity to Bradley International Airport also is a plus, Freimuth said.
Mohegan has already begun construction on the convention center, to be located near Mohegan's second hotel, the Earth Tower. The $130 million, 400-room hotel opened in November. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Connecticut, U.S. unemployment rates were 4.7% in February
The Connecticut unemployment rate rose from 4.5 percent in January to 4.7 percent in February as the state posted a net loss of 1,600 jobs, nearly all in the private sector, the state Department of Labor reported Thursday. The U.S. unemployment rate also was 4.7 percent.
A job sector with some sensitivity to the weather was the hardest hit: the leisure and hospitality industry shed 3,200 jobs. The trade, transportation and utilities sector lost 1,900 jobs, with retail cutbacks being the biggest factor, the DOL said.
Those losses were partially offset by gains of 3,100 jobs in education and health services, 1,200 in construction and 900 in professional and business services.
The jobs gain of 5,700 reported in January was revised upward to a gain of 6,500 jobs.
Job growth is based on a monthly business payroll survey administered by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unemployment rate is estimated based on a monthly residential household survey.
Wage growth slightly outpaced inflation in year-over-year comparisons: Average weekly pay was $1,032.90, which was 2.9 percent higher than a year ago. The consumer price index for urban consumers rose 2.7 percent.
Initial unemployment claims for first-time filers declined by 155 claimants, or 4.4 percent, to 3,341 from last month and were 9.8 percent lower compared to a year ago.
The state unemployment rate a year ago was 5.5 percent. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE