The Occupational Safety and Health Administration proposed on Friday a rollback of some Obama-era rules to protect workers in the maritime and construction industries from beryllium, a potentially deadly mineral.
Shortly after President Trump’s inauguration, the agency said it might peel away some restrictions, and OSHA’s proposed new rule follows a lobbying campaign by sellers of a waste product known as coal slag, an abrasive used for sandblasting in shipyards and at construction sites.
OSHA’s step is another twist in a four-decades-long effort to lower workers’ exposure to beryllium, an industrial material linked to a debilitating lung ailment called chronic beryllium disease, which is estimated to kill 100 people annually.
“If this proposal to weaken the beryllium rule goes into effect, construction and shipyard workers will die and be permanently disabled,” said Emily Gardner, an advocate for workers’ health and safety at Public Citizen in Washington.
The OSHA proposal released on Friday would require shipyards and construction companies that use coal slag to meet the same new maximum exposure limit as other industries. But it also proposes to exempt the two sectors from several so-called ancillary requirements, like medical monitoring of employees and other specific safety measures.
OSHA estimates that there are about 11,500 affected workers in the construction and maritime industries, compared with 50,000 workers in other industries covered by the regulation.
In the document, the agency said it was taking the step because further review indicated that the ancillary safety measures provided no additional benefits in the maritime and construction industries, which had adequate additional safeguards already in place, such as the use of protective gear.
The Abrasive Blasting Manufacturers Alliance, an industry group formed by companies that sell coal slag, including the Harsco Corporation, had argued there was no evidence linking its use to beryllium disease. Public records show that the group has spent at least $60,000 to lobby OSHA since January. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
The Clinton-based utility will be installing 2.4 miles of water main between Middlesex Turnpike in Old Saybrook and Viny Hill Drive in Essex, according to Craig Patla, Connecticut Water’s vice president of service delivery. The project is expected to be finished in early November, Patla said Friday.“We have two large water systems in the shoreline that are within a 2.5 mile proximity to each other,” he said. “By connecting these systems, we will be able to move water between these two systems to meet future droughts and peak seasonal demands, increase the amount of water available for fire-fighting, and use our existing water resources more efficiently.” The two water systems collectively serve eight communities and nearly 40,000 people. The eight communities are Chester, Clinton, Deep River, Essex, Guilford, Madison, Old Saybrook and Westbrook. Connecticut Water officials already have obtained all the regulatory approvals required for this project, Patla said. The main is being installed along Bokum Road, with construction beginning on the Essex end of the project starting Monday. Work crews will be installing the new main on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., weather permitting. The Bokum Road interconnection project is one of 18 that Connecticut Water has underway this summer.
The company has more than 129,000 customers in 79 communities in Connecticut and Maine. In the New Haven area, Connecticut Water serves customers in Beacon Falls, Bethany, Clinton, Deep River Guilford, Killingworth, Madison, Old Saybrook and Westbrook.
Developer looking to renovate former hospital in Meriden also interested in vacant Cook Avenue building
MERIDEN — The developer awaiting City Council approval to renovate the former Meriden-Wallingford Hospital has expressed interest in also rehabilitating the vacant medical office building at 116 Cook Ave.
Chester Burley III, a partner with One King LLC, sent a letter Thursday to city Economic Development Director Juliet Burdelski seeking preferred developer status of 116 Cook Ave. after a tour of the building and grounds Tuesday.
“We believe the property can be redeveloped based upon a smart development plan that highlights a mix of uses at market rates,” Burley wrote. “The redevelopment could be synergistic with the potential tenants that we have in mind for 1 King Place, and we will likely drive economies of scale from our work and presence across the street.”
A resolution to accept an agreement with One King LLC for the hospital redevelopment is expected to go before the City Council on Tuesday, according to Burdelski. Burley acknowledged challenges with the two derelict buildings, including the need to take 116 Cook Ave. out of the flood plain.
“Trying to finance and insure a building in a flood plain is hugely difficult,” Burley wrote.
One King LLC also wants the city to patch the damaged roof to prevent water damage to the old wooden floors.
“If we are in agreement about the need for the city to address these three items, then One King LLC is interested in being designated as the exclusive preferred developer of 116 Cook Ave.,” Burley wrote.
Earlier this month, POKO Partners pulled out of a project to turn 116 Cook Ave. and the abutting Factory H building into 184 units of market-rate apartments. The development first hit a snag when POKO’s chief executive officer fell ill in January and the city agreed to transfer preferred developer status to Xenolith Partners, a firm led by Poko’s former managing director.
But the partners discovered there were no low-income housing tax credits for the project, and the building was not eligible for historic tax credits. POKO’s financing could not make up the financing gap.
“Now that the Poko/Xenolith deal has fallen through, the One King development team are interested in looking at 116 Cook Ave. as well,” Burdelski said Friday. “We’ll need to take their request to council over the next few weeks. I am in favor of doing both sites simultaneously and with one development team. Both sites could work well together as they once did.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
MERIDEN — Lane patterns on State Street will be changing to allow for milling and paving as part of work on the new Meriden train station.
The state Department of Transportation announced work would begin on Friday and last until June 30. Lanes on State Street between East Main and Brook streets will shift from 9-3 p.m. on weekdays. Traffic personnel will be in place and construction signs will be posted.
The work is part of the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield commuter rail line, branded as CTrail Hartford Line, scheduled to begin expanded service next year. The new train station on State Street is expected to be finished this summer.
Proposed major Connecticut transportation projects receiving federal funds for fiscal 2018-2021.
Many of these figures are not complete construction costs; they may represent only one phase of a longer project, or only part of the funding for the entire work. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Hartford Viaduct Undergoing $40 Million Upgrade Despite Plans To Overhaul Highway
Hartford Viaduct Undergoing $40 Million Upgrade Despite Plans To Overhaul Highway
As planners weigh options for an overhaul of Hartford's aging viaduct, a $40 million upgrade to the structure is underway.
The state Department of Transportation in April began a series of improvements to the stretch of Interstate 84 in the capital city, starting at the Sisson Avenue exit and ending near Union Station downtown. The project will run through fall 2018.
The work will enhance safety and reinforce the highway, engineers said. It includes steel and joint repairs, bearing replacement, painting of beam ends and parapet extension. The $40 million project is backed by a mix of state and federal funds, with the Federal Highway Administration covering 90 percent. Upgrades are being done on the eastbound and westbound sides simultaneously. Work began in the right lanes and will shift to the left lanes next year, DOT engineer Joseph Sullivan said.
Officials have closed one or two lanes nightly to accommodate the construction. The lanes are typically blocked between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Despite the improvements, engineers said it's unclear how long the structure would last. Steel work and deck repairs were also completed five years ago for about $35 million.
"It's not a big structural problem right now," Sullivan said. "It's structurally deficient in some areas, but they're being repaired." CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Construction can’t come soon enough for residents, business on Ansonia’s Wakelee Avenue
ANSONIA >> Road-weary residents traveling up and down the pothole riddled and uneven Wakelee Avenue for the past year got some encouraging news this week.
Mayor David Cassetti announced he was able to secure some $26,000 from Eversource Energy to pay for a temporary road fix until an approved $5 million “Wake Up Wakelee” road reconstruction project gets underway later this year.
Burns Construction of Stratford has already repaved about a block of Wakelee Avenue from Church Street to just past Mary Street, since Cassetti made the announcement early Thursday.Cassetti said Friday the contractor “shimmed” the road, to make the surface flush, or even, so driving along it won’t be like riding on a rollercoaster. The area from Church to Mary streets was one of worse sections of uneven road, and as of right now, there are no other plans for further repairs until the main reconstruction gets underway, hopefully later this summer or early fall, according to Cassetti Dozens of residents turned out for a public forum last week to hear updates about the overall project, and expressed frustration about the rough road conditions. Eversource last year replaced the main gas lines up and down Wakelee Avenue, a state road, from Division to Franklin streets, in preparation for the reconstruction project coming later this year. Opening up the road, however, and piecing it back together in patchwork fashion, left Wakelee Avenue with an uneven, bumpy, surface, riddled with pot holes and dips that makes driving on it feel like you’re bouncing up and down. Alderwoman Joan Radin, who has owned the 100-year-old Lear Pharmacy at 198 Wakelee Ave. for the past 43 years, said the temporary repair work didn’t come past her store, and the horrible road conditions continue to prevent people from shopping there. Radin said while the quick fix done this week “seemed to make the road a little better,” the bumpy conditions are far from ideal. “They really need to at least go up to Division Street (with the resurfacing),” Radin said.
Wakelee Avenue spills into Division Street which leads right into Derby and Griffin Hospital, which makes Wakelee a very heavily-traveled main artery. There are about 50 businesses located along Wakelee.City officials said once the $5 million makeover is complete, hopefully by late 2018, Wakelee Avenue will be like new and beautiful. The project, in part, includes paving the one-mile stretch from near Division to Franklin streets, installation of new sidewalks, new drainage, new street lamps, curbing, curb ramps, crosswalks, driveway aprons and utility pole relocation. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
CTDOT to Start Construction of Two Rail Projects in Norwalk in Fall 2017
The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) is announcing that two projects to be completed in advance of the Walk Railroad Bridge replacement project will begin in October, not July as originally anticipated. The delay is required to align the planned activities for these projects — the CP243 Interlocking Project and the Danbury Branch Dockyard — with other active projects in the area. These projects are independent of the replacement of the 121-year-old Walk Railroad Bridge over the Norwalk River in Norwalk.
CTDOT will hold a public meeting on the construction details of the projects on a date to be determined in September at Norwalk City Hall. The meeting will begin with an open house session, where attendees will have the chance to speak one-on-one with the Walk Bridge Program staff, followed by a brief presentation on the project scopes and specific information regarding construction. This meeting will occur in place of the anticipated June Public Meeting.
The CP243 Interlocking project is located on the New Haven Line between South Norwalk and Westport. CP refers to the control point, 2 refers to the New Haven Commuter Line and 43 is in reference to the nearest mile post on the rail line, marked from Grand Central Station in New York City. This project includes the construction of a new four-track interlocking which is a powered switch and signal system that allows trains to move from one track to another.
The Danbury Branch Dockyard project will improve and electrify the southern portion of the 24-mi. branch line, from where it splits from the main line to approximately one mile north, to the area commonly referred to as the Dockyard. The Dockyard is where trains are stored and staged when not in use on the mainline, located near Science Road and Interstate I-95. These improvements will allow commuter trains that begin or end in Norwalk to turn, or switch direction.
The Walk Bridge Program is developing mitigation plans to address community concerns during construction of the two advanced rail projects. The plans outline site safety, resource protection, community and construction coordination mitigation and will be implemented during construction.
For more information, visit www.walkbridgect.com.
Officials have closed one or two lanes nightly to accommodate the construction. The lanes are typically blocked between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Despite the improvements, engineers said it's unclear how long the structure would last. Steel work and deck repairs were also completed five years ago for about $35 million.
"It's not a big structural problem right now," Sullivan said. "It's structurally deficient in some areas, but they're being repaired." CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Construction can’t come soon enough for residents, business on Ansonia’s Wakelee Avenue
ANSONIA >> Road-weary residents traveling up and down the pothole riddled and uneven Wakelee Avenue for the past year got some encouraging news this week.
Mayor David Cassetti announced he was able to secure some $26,000 from Eversource Energy to pay for a temporary road fix until an approved $5 million “Wake Up Wakelee” road reconstruction project gets underway later this year.
Burns Construction of Stratford has already repaved about a block of Wakelee Avenue from Church Street to just past Mary Street, since Cassetti made the announcement early Thursday.Cassetti said Friday the contractor “shimmed” the road, to make the surface flush, or even, so driving along it won’t be like riding on a rollercoaster. The area from Church to Mary streets was one of worse sections of uneven road, and as of right now, there are no other plans for further repairs until the main reconstruction gets underway, hopefully later this summer or early fall, according to Cassetti Dozens of residents turned out for a public forum last week to hear updates about the overall project, and expressed frustration about the rough road conditions. Eversource last year replaced the main gas lines up and down Wakelee Avenue, a state road, from Division to Franklin streets, in preparation for the reconstruction project coming later this year. Opening up the road, however, and piecing it back together in patchwork fashion, left Wakelee Avenue with an uneven, bumpy, surface, riddled with pot holes and dips that makes driving on it feel like you’re bouncing up and down. Alderwoman Joan Radin, who has owned the 100-year-old Lear Pharmacy at 198 Wakelee Ave. for the past 43 years, said the temporary repair work didn’t come past her store, and the horrible road conditions continue to prevent people from shopping there. Radin said while the quick fix done this week “seemed to make the road a little better,” the bumpy conditions are far from ideal. “They really need to at least go up to Division Street (with the resurfacing),” Radin said.
Wakelee Avenue spills into Division Street which leads right into Derby and Griffin Hospital, which makes Wakelee a very heavily-traveled main artery. There are about 50 businesses located along Wakelee.City officials said once the $5 million makeover is complete, hopefully by late 2018, Wakelee Avenue will be like new and beautiful. The project, in part, includes paving the one-mile stretch from near Division to Franklin streets, installation of new sidewalks, new drainage, new street lamps, curbing, curb ramps, crosswalks, driveway aprons and utility pole relocation. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
CTDOT to Start Construction of Two Rail Projects in Norwalk in Fall 2017
The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) is announcing that two projects to be completed in advance of the Walk Railroad Bridge replacement project will begin in October, not July as originally anticipated. The delay is required to align the planned activities for these projects — the CP243 Interlocking Project and the Danbury Branch Dockyard — with other active projects in the area. These projects are independent of the replacement of the 121-year-old Walk Railroad Bridge over the Norwalk River in Norwalk.
CTDOT will hold a public meeting on the construction details of the projects on a date to be determined in September at Norwalk City Hall. The meeting will begin with an open house session, where attendees will have the chance to speak one-on-one with the Walk Bridge Program staff, followed by a brief presentation on the project scopes and specific information regarding construction. This meeting will occur in place of the anticipated June Public Meeting.
The CP243 Interlocking project is located on the New Haven Line between South Norwalk and Westport. CP refers to the control point, 2 refers to the New Haven Commuter Line and 43 is in reference to the nearest mile post on the rail line, marked from Grand Central Station in New York City. This project includes the construction of a new four-track interlocking which is a powered switch and signal system that allows trains to move from one track to another.
The Danbury Branch Dockyard project will improve and electrify the southern portion of the 24-mi. branch line, from where it splits from the main line to approximately one mile north, to the area commonly referred to as the Dockyard. The Dockyard is where trains are stored and staged when not in use on the mainline, located near Science Road and Interstate I-95. These improvements will allow commuter trains that begin or end in Norwalk to turn, or switch direction.
The Walk Bridge Program is developing mitigation plans to address community concerns during construction of the two advanced rail projects. The plans outline site safety, resource protection, community and construction coordination mitigation and will be implemented during construction.
For more information, visit www.walkbridgect.com.