BRISTOL - The City of Bristol is aiming to begin construction in early October of a road that will run through Centre Square and connect Riverside Avenue and Laurel Street.
A site plan is also being worked on for the new Bristol Hospital Ambulatory Care Center.
Executive Director of the Bristol Development Authority Justin Malley explained that Milone & MacBroom of Cheshire has engineers working on the road that any entities that find their way to Centre Square will use.
“They will layout the plan for the roadway, and then the construction documents have to be approved by the city. And then there will be a bid for construction companies for the initial roadway through the site,” Malley said.
Bristol Public Works Director Walter Veselka explained the roadway construction that is currently under design by Milone & MacBroom will go to bid in the middle of August. He added that the bid will close Sept. 5, but the plan could also possibly change.
“When the bids are made, then the project goes to City Council to be awarded,” said Veselka. “We hope the road is under construction in October, but work won’t begin until the site plan is approved. Work should be done through winter and finish in the spring. The funding is in place, so when the design is acceptable then it can go out for bid.”
As the site plan for the roadway is being finalized before it is approved, the site plan for the new Bristol Hospital Ambulatory Care Center in downtown is in the same situation.
“Rendina had preliminary meetings with the city planner and are in the city planning process,” Veselka said. “The hospital construction and roadway can be done at the same time.”
Malley explained that Rendina Healthcare Real Estate, the hospital developer based in Florida, has signed the contract and are working on the site plan with the city planner “based on what they showed up in the renderings, then they can get engineers and architects involved.”
“They started the site plan for approval, and it’s set to be approved by the end of the month,” said Director of Public Relations at Bristol Hospital Chris Boyle.
Feds release rail plan, rethinking Connecticut
PHILADELPHIA >> Federal officials are rethinking a plan to build new high-speed railroad tracks through parts of Connecticut and Rhode Island after complaints that the project would devastate neighborhoods, marshlands and tourist attractions.
The Federal Railroad Administration dropped the proposed bypass Wednesday as it moves forward with a $120 billion to $150 billion plan for rebuilding the congested Northeast Corridor, between Boston and Washington, D.C., over the next 30 years.Instead, the agency said it will continue to study options for more track capacity and faster service in the 100-mile stretch from New Haven to Providence, Rhode Island, and that it’s seeking public input.None of the tracks, stations or other infrastructure detailed in the FRA’s plan for the 500-mile corridor will be built without the support and agreement of state leaders, project manager Rebecca Reyes-Alicea said. U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, a Democrat, credited local opposition for forcing the FRA to retreat on the Connecticut and Rhode Island bypass. He called the notion of tracks running through historic Old Lyme and other communities along Connecticut’s southeastern shore “misguided,” poorly conceived” and “untethered from reality.”
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who declared the project “dead on arrival” when it was proposed last December, called the FRA’s reversal a “victory for common sense.” The Connecticut Democrat disputed the need for further study. He called the bypass a “non-starter” and said “not a single penny nor minute of effort” should be spent on it.Kim Coulter, an owner of the family-run Stoney Hill Cattle Farm in Charlestown, Rhode Island, said she’s glad the FRA heeded residents’ concerns that the now-shelved project would cut across conservation lands and sacred tribal burial grounds.“They heard us,” Coulter said. “They knew that we were concerned. They knew that we weren’t happy.” The FRA’s plan calls for enhancing capacity, performance and reliability on the corridor, which handles about 2,200 trains and 750,000 passengers each day on commuter and intercity trains. It includes plans for updating infrastructure, adding more trains to accommodate an expected ridership surge and building new tracks allowing speeds of up to 220 mph in some places. The next steps will be deciding how the plan will be implemented and how it will be funded, all while making sure construction doesn’t hamper day-to-day operations, Reyes-Alicea said.“That’s one of the greatest challenges,” she said.The FRA estimates rebuilding the Northeast Corridor would cut travel times between Washington and New York by 35 minutes, to about 2 hours and 10 minutes, on the fastest trains and save 45 minutes to an hour on trips between Boston and New York, which now take close to 4 hours.Work has already begun on some projects incorporated into the FRA’s plan. They include a project to build new, expanded tunnels under the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey, so far pegged to cost $12.9 billion, and a project to replace a 143-year-old tunnel in Baltimore. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Concept revealed for new East Hampton town hall/police station
EAST HAMPTON >> The committee working on the proposed new town hall/police station has released an architectural rendering of the building.The rendering was prepared by Marc A. Moura, a senior associate and director of design for the firm of Amenta/Emma.
Moura unveiled the rendering earlier this week for members of the Town Hall Facilities Committee. It shows a classic New England building faced in brick with two gabled roofs. The proposed town hall is two stories tall and contains approximately 20,000 square feet. That portion of the building is flanked on one side by a one-story community room and on the other by a one-story police station. The new police station would contain approximately 10,000 square feet — nearly triple the size of the current police headquarters. But it is still less space than a number of police professionals indicated privately would be sufficient for the inevitable expansion of the department.Both the police station and the community room have flat roofs, which became a subject of concern and discussion for several members of the nine-member committee. Three urged gable roofs be added to the two side buildings.Moura sought to defuse the issue by saying the roofs will be pitched to allow for runoff. But even as that discussion continued, Glenn Gollenberg, the chairman of the committee — and an architect himself (he designed the renovation of the high school) — encouraged his fellow committee members not to lose sight of the bigger picture.The town has been discussing construction of a new town hall/police station with greater or lesser levels of commitment since 1982. The establishment of the committee and now the creation of a rendering of a new building presents the most significant effort in the past 35 years.The committee is scheduled to present the drawing to the Town Council Tuesday. At the same time, having formally accepted the proposed design, a cost estimator who works for Amenta/Emma will review the design to get a clearer sense of the projected cost of the building. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Rocky Hill Hampton Inn breaks ground
A $7.1 million Hampton Inn and Suites is being built in Rocky Hill.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy was scheduled to join Mayor Claudia Baio and other dignitaries to break ground Friday for the 90-room hotel at 685 Cromwell Ave.
The approximately 58,000-square-foot Hampton Inn, officials said, will feature the latest guest technology, including digital-key check in, and amenities, including an indoor saline pool, outdoor patio with fireplace, and meeting space.
It will employ 25 to 30 workers.
Lotus Hospitality Inc., Berlin owner/operator of several Connecticut hotels in the greater Hartford and New Haven areas, is the developer. Lotus' portfolio includes the Comfort Inn and Suites and EconoLodge, both in East Hartford.
HBT Architects of Rochester, N.Y., is designer.
BBL Construction Services, of Albany, N.Y., is general contractor.
Executive Director of the Bristol Development Authority Justin Malley explained that Milone & MacBroom of Cheshire has engineers working on the road that any entities that find their way to Centre Square will use.
“They will layout the plan for the roadway, and then the construction documents have to be approved by the city. And then there will be a bid for construction companies for the initial roadway through the site,” Malley said.
Bristol Public Works Director Walter Veselka explained the roadway construction that is currently under design by Milone & MacBroom will go to bid in the middle of August. He added that the bid will close Sept. 5, but the plan could also possibly change.
“When the bids are made, then the project goes to City Council to be awarded,” said Veselka. “We hope the road is under construction in October, but work won’t begin until the site plan is approved. Work should be done through winter and finish in the spring. The funding is in place, so when the design is acceptable then it can go out for bid.”
As the site plan for the roadway is being finalized before it is approved, the site plan for the new Bristol Hospital Ambulatory Care Center in downtown is in the same situation.
“Rendina had preliminary meetings with the city planner and are in the city planning process,” Veselka said. “The hospital construction and roadway can be done at the same time.”
Malley explained that Rendina Healthcare Real Estate, the hospital developer based in Florida, has signed the contract and are working on the site plan with the city planner “based on what they showed up in the renderings, then they can get engineers and architects involved.”
“They started the site plan for approval, and it’s set to be approved by the end of the month,” said Director of Public Relations at Bristol Hospital Chris Boyle.
Feds release rail plan, rethinking Connecticut
PHILADELPHIA >> Federal officials are rethinking a plan to build new high-speed railroad tracks through parts of Connecticut and Rhode Island after complaints that the project would devastate neighborhoods, marshlands and tourist attractions.
The Federal Railroad Administration dropped the proposed bypass Wednesday as it moves forward with a $120 billion to $150 billion plan for rebuilding the congested Northeast Corridor, between Boston and Washington, D.C., over the next 30 years.Instead, the agency said it will continue to study options for more track capacity and faster service in the 100-mile stretch from New Haven to Providence, Rhode Island, and that it’s seeking public input.None of the tracks, stations or other infrastructure detailed in the FRA’s plan for the 500-mile corridor will be built without the support and agreement of state leaders, project manager Rebecca Reyes-Alicea said. U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, a Democrat, credited local opposition for forcing the FRA to retreat on the Connecticut and Rhode Island bypass. He called the notion of tracks running through historic Old Lyme and other communities along Connecticut’s southeastern shore “misguided,” poorly conceived” and “untethered from reality.”
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who declared the project “dead on arrival” when it was proposed last December, called the FRA’s reversal a “victory for common sense.” The Connecticut Democrat disputed the need for further study. He called the bypass a “non-starter” and said “not a single penny nor minute of effort” should be spent on it.Kim Coulter, an owner of the family-run Stoney Hill Cattle Farm in Charlestown, Rhode Island, said she’s glad the FRA heeded residents’ concerns that the now-shelved project would cut across conservation lands and sacred tribal burial grounds.“They heard us,” Coulter said. “They knew that we were concerned. They knew that we weren’t happy.” The FRA’s plan calls for enhancing capacity, performance and reliability on the corridor, which handles about 2,200 trains and 750,000 passengers each day on commuter and intercity trains. It includes plans for updating infrastructure, adding more trains to accommodate an expected ridership surge and building new tracks allowing speeds of up to 220 mph in some places. The next steps will be deciding how the plan will be implemented and how it will be funded, all while making sure construction doesn’t hamper day-to-day operations, Reyes-Alicea said.“That’s one of the greatest challenges,” she said.The FRA estimates rebuilding the Northeast Corridor would cut travel times between Washington and New York by 35 minutes, to about 2 hours and 10 minutes, on the fastest trains and save 45 minutes to an hour on trips between Boston and New York, which now take close to 4 hours.Work has already begun on some projects incorporated into the FRA’s plan. They include a project to build new, expanded tunnels under the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey, so far pegged to cost $12.9 billion, and a project to replace a 143-year-old tunnel in Baltimore. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Concept revealed for new East Hampton town hall/police station
EAST HAMPTON >> The committee working on the proposed new town hall/police station has released an architectural rendering of the building.The rendering was prepared by Marc A. Moura, a senior associate and director of design for the firm of Amenta/Emma.
Moura unveiled the rendering earlier this week for members of the Town Hall Facilities Committee. It shows a classic New England building faced in brick with two gabled roofs. The proposed town hall is two stories tall and contains approximately 20,000 square feet. That portion of the building is flanked on one side by a one-story community room and on the other by a one-story police station. The new police station would contain approximately 10,000 square feet — nearly triple the size of the current police headquarters. But it is still less space than a number of police professionals indicated privately would be sufficient for the inevitable expansion of the department.Both the police station and the community room have flat roofs, which became a subject of concern and discussion for several members of the nine-member committee. Three urged gable roofs be added to the two side buildings.Moura sought to defuse the issue by saying the roofs will be pitched to allow for runoff. But even as that discussion continued, Glenn Gollenberg, the chairman of the committee — and an architect himself (he designed the renovation of the high school) — encouraged his fellow committee members not to lose sight of the bigger picture.The town has been discussing construction of a new town hall/police station with greater or lesser levels of commitment since 1982. The establishment of the committee and now the creation of a rendering of a new building presents the most significant effort in the past 35 years.The committee is scheduled to present the drawing to the Town Council Tuesday. At the same time, having formally accepted the proposed design, a cost estimator who works for Amenta/Emma will review the design to get a clearer sense of the projected cost of the building. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Rocky Hill Hampton Inn breaks ground
A $7.1 million Hampton Inn and Suites is being built in Rocky Hill.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy was scheduled to join Mayor Claudia Baio and other dignitaries to break ground Friday for the 90-room hotel at 685 Cromwell Ave.
The approximately 58,000-square-foot Hampton Inn, officials said, will feature the latest guest technology, including digital-key check in, and amenities, including an indoor saline pool, outdoor patio with fireplace, and meeting space.
It will employ 25 to 30 workers.
Lotus Hospitality Inc., Berlin owner/operator of several Connecticut hotels in the greater Hartford and New Haven areas, is the developer. Lotus' portfolio includes the Comfort Inn and Suites and EconoLodge, both in East Hartford.
HBT Architects of Rochester, N.Y., is designer.
BBL Construction Services, of Albany, N.Y., is general contractor.