MOURN For the Dead FIGHT For the Living
Workers Memorial Day Saturday, April 28
12:00 Noon
Workers Memorial, Bushnell Park, Hartford
Join the Connecticut AFL-CIO and the Health and Safety Committee to honor the men and women who were killed or injured on the job.Rain or Shine.
For more information about the Workers Memorial 2018, please contact the Connecticut AFL-CIO at 860-571-6191 UNITE/HERE 110 A
Transportation Campaign Links
FOR THOSE THAT NOT HAD THE CHANCE YET TO CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW PLEASE DO SO AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS. LETS MAKE A BIG PUSH OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS GOING INTO THE WEEK
Everyone please take the time to follow the link below this is extremely important.
Legislative Alert
The Connecticut House of Representatives may be voting on a solution to fix the Special Transportation Fund as early as next week. Use this link https://www.votervoice.net/CCIA/campaigns/58617/respond
to call your State Representative tell them to vote in favor of using the existing car sales tax to fix the funding shortfall in the Special Transportation Fund.
Make the call. Leave a message. $4.3 billion of projects are at stake! Please forward this message to as many people in your organization as possibleForum on Connecticut highway tolls to be held in Milford on Saturday
By Pam McLoughlin
MILFORD — As tough as it is to discuss bringing back highway tolls when so many are struggling financially, it’s a subject that needs to be addressed, and it will be on Saturday morning at an informational forum to be held at City Hall, said state Rep. Kim Rose, D-Milford.
The forum, to be attended by several area Democratic legislators will address current legislation that calls for a study of tolls and what impact that may have on residents and commuters in Connecticut.
The dialogue will be open and those slated to attend include: state Reps. Rose; Dorinda Borer, D-West Haven; Philip Young, D-Stratford and Joe Gresko, D-Stratford.
Rose said there is a lot of “incorrect information” circulating on social media about tolls.
“I have always tried to educate my constituents and be honest as to why we are where we are, what the facts are and why we have to make the hard decisions,” Rose said. “I heard from one constituent who said her commute from Milford to Stamford will cost her $400 a month. I’m not sure where those figures came from.”
Rose said legislators were told by Department of Transportation officials that a commuter with an EZ Pass may expect to pay $1.73 traveling from Milford to the New York border. The number and locations of the overhead tolls will be determined later following a finite study, Rose said.
The forum will help constituents make “informed decisions,” about tolls, Rose said.
The forum will take place at 10 a.m. at Milford City Hall, 110 River St.
“The thought of tolls is a huge issue among voters in CT. It brings back the memories of that horrific crash in Stratford. It brings about anger that we will be facing another cost and expense,” Rose wrote in an email response. “Anytime we are faced with an increase in cost it’s concerning.”
Rose said many people are living on a strict budget and adding cost to the commute and daily lives will in many cases mean cutting costs somewhere else But she said there needs to be a way to fund the State Transportation Fund. Rose said some have suggested bonding, but that’s like, “kicking the can down the road. Our grandchildren will be straddled with the bill much like we are now trying to fund the unfunded pensions.” Bonding also means Connecticut residents will foot the whole bill, Rose said. “Although a difficult conversation, it is one that we need to have,” Rose wrote in the email.
Rose said she’s heard Connecticut is one of the costliest states for road repair.
Rose said this year’s proposal regarding tolls is to allow the Department of Transportation to do a study, the first phase of which is an environmental study required by the federal government. The turn-around time is 18 to 24 months, she said, noting the DOT will come back with a concrete proposal, and legislators will go through it, “with a fine-tooth comb.”
After that, it will go to state residents in the form of public hearings.
“There are really so many unknowns right now,” Rose said. She said federal law will not allow border tolls Rose said there is no question that somehow the transportation fund has to be funded to keep it sustainable.
“We cannot continue to let our roads to fall in disrepair. We need to enhance our bus and rail service and infrastructure so that commuters can get to work via a clean, affordable and reliable system,” Rose wrote in her email. “And we can no longer allow out-of-state vehicles to use our roadways without sharing in the cost of repairs.”
Bethel voters to decide on police station overruns
By Julia Perkins
BETHEL — The Board of Finance unanimously recommended Wednesday night that the town spend almost $889,000 to cover overruns in the police station project.Voters will consider approving the funding needed to complete the station, which was originally budgeted at $13.5 million, at a special town meeting at a later date. Town officials said the funding must be approved before May 15, otherwise the project will fall behind schedule and staffing costs will increase.
The station went over budget in part because plumbing and HVAC work was more expensive than estimates. Members of the building committee and Downes Construction Co. said the estimates did not fully account for a tight construction market and the high quality of materials the town sought to ensure the station will last longer.But Downes and building committee officials offered assurances that the station would not need more money after this request is granted.
“We are very confident with the number we put forth,” said Deno Gualtieri, a member of the Public Site and Building CommitteeThe project is 70 percent complete and is expected to be finished by the end of July, and prices for nearly all the remaining work have been confirmed, officials said.
Downes promised it could complete construction for $12.4 million, and building committee members said other work would cost almost $2 million, for a total of almost $14.4 million.
Without the additional funding approved Wednesday, the firing range and landscaping would be left incomplete. Officers would also need to bring furniture from their existing station to the new one.
Some residents and finance board members were frustrated that no one has been held accountable for the mistakes that took the project over budget. Although officials had known for months the project was heading over budget, the building committee did not request more funding until mid-March. Cynthia McCorkindale, a board of finance member, said residents should have known about the overruns sooner because that knowledge could have affected approval of the school renovations or the 2018-19 budget process.
“What makes me very uncomfortable is that no one is taking the reins,” she said.Resident Bill Hillman called for First Selectman Knickerbocker to replace Jon Menti, chairman of the building committee.
Menti’s term is up in January 2020, but the Board of Selectmen can remove appointed members “for cause,” according to the town charter.“A $1 million overrun, failure to tell the town months ago is cause to remove Mr. Menti as chair,” Hillman said. Residents said they want town officials to ensure that errors like this would not happen again, especially on the renovation projects at Rockwell and Johnson elementary schools.
“You must demand full accountability,” resident Frank Mineo said. “It’s the only way to get the faith back.”The town has hired an owner’s representative for the renovations to help the building committee. Members said an owner’s representative would likely have been unnecessary for the police station, but is critical for the larger, more complicated school renovations.
Some board members said they wish they could grant $1.5 million to cover the equipment in the firing range, a cost that was not in the budget voters approved in December 2015.
But members worried the town would not meet the May 15 deadline if voters rejected the higher request.“It's just frustrating to me, because here is a project that should be done the right way, and it’s not going to be done the right way,” finance board member Bryan Terzian said. “We're going to risk that the firing range isn’t going to be done down the road.”Police Chief Jeff Finch has said he plans to ask later for a special appropriation to outfit the firing range. This might cost $600,000, but officials said they do not have a firm cost yet.
Engineering firm defends controversial Tilcon study
Written by LISA BACKUS
A New Britain official and Lenard Engineering Vice President James Ericson defended his company’s environmental study on the potential impacts of a proposed Tilcon quarry expansion Wednesday before a state council reviewing the 500-page document.
The study, which encompasses many aspects of Tilcon’s plan to mine 131 acres of protected watershed near Bradley Mountain, has come under fire from residents and environmental advocates throughout the state. Lenard concluded that species of animals and plants would be destroyed in the mining process but that the city would nearly double its water storage capacity in 40 years when the land is returned to the city of New Britain as a reservoir.
Tilcon would pay the city to lease the mining rights and give nearly 300 acres of open space to New Britain, Southington and Plainville as part of the deal.
Run-off water from Coppermine Brook in Bristol would fill the reservoir through a practice called “flood skimming” and remain there until needed in times of drought, said acting New Britain Water Department director Ray Esponda. “With the water stored in times of plenty, we can better deal with times of need,” said Esponda, who was appointed acting director at the tail end of a months-long drought in late 2016. “Having a reservoir of this size, we can make better decisions and we will have the basis of creating a regional water supply.”
Ericson and Esponda both spoke before the Council on Environmental Quality which in its review of the study points out several flaws in the document. A two-member subcommittee of the council found that the study didn’t fully document the potential destruction to mammals, amphibians and the forested habitat and didn’t examine the water quality of the flood waters generated by Copper Mine Brook run-off.
The subcommittee also felt the study “grossly exaggerated” New Britain’s future population, failed to include that the city-owned Patton Brook Well can provide 1.2 millions of water a day and didn’t provide any information on the cost of upgrading the infrastructure to capture the flood skimmed water and channel it to the reservoir. Nor did it discuss conservation measures as a way of increasing water supply.
Tilcon and New Britain officials had touted the project as a “free” reservoir when the proposal was announced in early 2016. Ericson and Esponda said they have no idea how much the upgrades to connect the quarry to the water system would cost or who would pay for them. Ericson also confirmed that his firm would likely be in the running to engineer the project, but he had no estimate on what engineering services would cost.
The scope of the study was laid out in a state law passed in 2016 that required the city to hire an independent firm to review the environmental impact of the project according to six categories. These included looking at the long-term water supply needs for New Britain and other interconnected water companies. The law indicates that the study “need not be limited to” the six categories, but Ericson told the Council on Environmental Quality during Wednesday’s meeting, that many of what the council considered flaws in the study were not listed in the law as areas to examine.
“The scope of the act said what is the impact of the project on the safe yield,” Ericson said. “The scope of the work wasn’t to look at alternatives.”
Ericson also said Patton Brook Well wasn’t included as a New Britain water resource because the well hasn’t been connected to the system in years. Esponda’s team connected the well late last year and pumped about 1 million gallons a day for two weeks to determine if it would work.
The Council on Environmental Quality and the state Water Planning Council are reviewing the study and any comments sent by the public before preparing a final review that will be given to city. The city will hold a public hearing on the project sometime in the summer. The state Department of Public Health must approve the plan before it can go forward.
Calif. utility fans bidding war in second pitch to upend CT Water merger
Joe Cooper
There is a bicoastal water war brewing in the United States and Connecticut is in the middle of it.
California Water Service Group of San Jose confirmed Thursday it made an offer to acquire California-based SJW Group, which recently announced it reached a deal to purchase Connecticut Water Service for about $750 million.
SJW's board, however, recently rejected California Water's April 4 offer, the company said.
Meanwhile, Eversource Energy last week said it made an unsolicited bid to purchase Connecticut Water on April 5, weeks after SJW Group reached its mega deal with the Clinton-based water utility. That puts all four companies in a heated competition to purchase major water assets in California and Connecticut.
California Water confirmed Thursday it offered $68.25 a share, or approximately $1.9 billion, to purchase SJW Group.
Martin A. Kropelnicki, California Water's president and CEO, said in a release that his company has "repeatedly sought to discuss privately our superior proposal with SJW's board," which refused to engage in negotiations and responded Wednesday night that its board rejected the offer on April 13.
"Their lack of engagement has prevented their stockholders from learning about the substantial and immediate value we can deliver," Kropelnicki said. "We are now making our proposal public so stockholders can evaluate it for themselves. We are confident they will view it as clearly superior to the Connecticut Water transaction and to SJW's standalone prospects."
California Water said its proposal provides superior value than SJW's merger agreement with Connecticut Water, which is valued at about $750 million, or $61.86 per share. The value of the deal since then has gone up to $63.70 per share.
By joining forces, California Water says the two would create the nation's third largest water utility, serving more than 3 million people in California, Washington, New Mexico, Hawaii and Texas.
SJW and its subsidiaries include San Jose Water, which serves over 1 million people around San Jose, Calif., and Texas.
California Water, meanwhile, is the third-largest publicly traded water utility in the country, operating in California, Washington, New Mexico and Hawaii, its website says.
In statements released Thursday, SJW and Connecticut Water each reaffirmed their commitment to the "merger of equals."
"The SJW Group board continues to be committed to its existing merger agreement with Connecticut Water, which remains on track to close during the fourth quarter of 2018," SJW said.
Agencies Gear Up for Projects Across New England
As temperatures warm and days grow drier, state and local agencies are gearing up for construction projects all over New England — some still in the planning stages, others, phases in ongoing plans. Here's a look at what's coming up:
Connecticut
Walk Railroad Bridge Program — Advance work necessary for the upcoming $550 million Walk Railroad Bridge Program is continuing with construction on the replacement bridge set for 2019. The 120-year-old bridge carries four tracks of the New Haven commuter rail line over the Norwalk River. It swings open and closed to accommodate commercial and recreational marine traffic on the river below. Work on related projects has been ongoing since 2016 and includes: The Fender Repair Project to repair the fenders around the piers that protect both the Walk Bridge and boats from damage in the event of a collision; the Danbury Branch Dockyard Project required to facilitate rail operations during construction of the Walk Bridge, including adding track sidings, signal work and electrification to the southern end of the Danbury Branch of the New Haven line; and the CP243 Interlocking Project to construct a new four-track interlocking to allow for two-track Metro-North Railroad operations during reconstruction of the Walk Bridge.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts Avenue Bridge Replacement — MassDOT is preparing to move ahead with Phases 3 and 4 of the Massachusetts Avenue Bridge Replacement Project. The project replaces the bridges over Commonwealth Avenue in Back Bay. Phase 3, scheduled for May 5 through May 23, is the actual replacement. Phase 4, also slated to get under way in May, involves completion of the Commonwealth Avenue bypass barrier and Massachusetts Avenue sidewalk, barrier and surface work, including new lighting, traffic signals, refurbished fence, new pavement, pavement markings and bike lanes. Phase 4 is scheduled to be completed in September.
Boston Harbor — A contract for dredging portions of the Boston Harbor Federal Navigation Project's main ship channel was recently awarded to Cashman/Dutra, Joint Venture of Quincy, Mass. Work on the $122.2 million project is tentatively slated to get under way this spring. The dredging is expected to take approximately three years to complete to deepen the project to its newly authorized depths to accommodate large container ships that have begun calling on the U.S. east coast since Panama Canal improvements were completed.
The project calls for the dredging of approximately 11.7 million cu. yds. of silt, blue clay, till and weathered rock. The work is designed to deepen and widen the Broad Sound North Channel to -51 feet Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW); deepen and widen the Main Ship Channel to the Conley Terminal, including the turning basin to -47 ft. MLLW; and deepening the President Roads Anchorage and deepening the lower Reserved Channel to -47 ft. MLLW.
The dredged material will be taken to the Massachusetts Bay Disposal Site (MBDS) approximately 20 mi. offshore of Boston Harbor, with the exception of a small fraction of the material being placed as a cap to the Main Ship Channel Confined Aquatic Disposal (CAD) cell, just downstream of the inner confluence of the Chelsea and Mystic Rivers.
Silver Line Gateway Project — Construction on Phase 2 of the $56.7 million Silver Line Gateway Project is scheduled to begin this spring. The Silver Line Gateway Project will provide new, dedicated bus rapid transit (BRT) service connecting Chelsea and East Boston with the Red Line's South Station and Seaport District in Boston. The Silver Line Gateway will offer fast travel times and the potential for high ridership.
The upcoming work includes relocating and constructing a new fully accessible Commuter Rail Station adjacent to the Mystic Mall at Everett Avenue. Other elements of the Phase 2 work include implementation of new traffic signals at the busway intersections with Everett Avenue, Spruce Street and Arlington Street and upgrades to the railroad signal system and grade crossings. Construction of the Phase 2 work is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2020.
New Hampshire
I-93 Exit 4A Project Derry and Londonderry — The Towns of Derry and Londonderry and the New Hampshire Department of Transportation are moving forward on an updated environmental study for the I-93 Exit 4A Project. The project consists of a new diamond interchange on I-93 in the Town of Londonderry, approximately one mile north of Exit 4, providing access to the east side of I-93. The purpose of the project is to reduce congestion and improve safety along NH 102, from I-93 easterly through downtown Derry and to promote economic vitality in the Derry/Londonderry area.
Planning is decades in the making with the first Draft Environmental Impact Statement conducted in 2007. Construction of the project is anticipated to begin in 2019 and be completed by 2022. The programmed cost of the Project within the 2017–2026 Ten Year Plan is $56,855,000, including preliminary engineering, right-of-way, and construction costs.
Vermont
North Hero – Grand Isle Drawbridge — June is the set start date for construction to begin on a project to replace the North Hero – Grand Isle Drawbridge. The historic twin leaf bascule bridge is the only vehicular moveable bridge in the state of Vermont. Work includes building a temporary drawbridge prior to replacing the existing drawbridge in order to minimize traffic impacts. According to the Vermont Agency of Transportation, the project will be contracted following the Construction Manager/General Contractor (CMGC) process.
“The selected contractor to work with the HDR Engineering team through the design phase is Cianbro Corporation. The CMGC process is different than a traditional design-bid-build in the way that the contractor is awarded in two separate phases. Phase 1 — the contractor performs a construction management service during the design phase of a project. This is helpful for the success of projects that require specialized construction methods and services. Phase 2 — the contractor is contracted for general construction services to construct the project. Work is set to be complete in 2022.
Tilcon would pay the city to lease the mining rights and give nearly 300 acres of open space to New Britain, Southington and Plainville as part of the deal.
Run-off water from Coppermine Brook in Bristol would fill the reservoir through a practice called “flood skimming” and remain there until needed in times of drought, said acting New Britain Water Department director Ray Esponda. “With the water stored in times of plenty, we can better deal with times of need,” said Esponda, who was appointed acting director at the tail end of a months-long drought in late 2016. “Having a reservoir of this size, we can make better decisions and we will have the basis of creating a regional water supply.”
Ericson and Esponda both spoke before the Council on Environmental Quality which in its review of the study points out several flaws in the document. A two-member subcommittee of the council found that the study didn’t fully document the potential destruction to mammals, amphibians and the forested habitat and didn’t examine the water quality of the flood waters generated by Copper Mine Brook run-off.
The subcommittee also felt the study “grossly exaggerated” New Britain’s future population, failed to include that the city-owned Patton Brook Well can provide 1.2 millions of water a day and didn’t provide any information on the cost of upgrading the infrastructure to capture the flood skimmed water and channel it to the reservoir. Nor did it discuss conservation measures as a way of increasing water supply.
Tilcon and New Britain officials had touted the project as a “free” reservoir when the proposal was announced in early 2016. Ericson and Esponda said they have no idea how much the upgrades to connect the quarry to the water system would cost or who would pay for them. Ericson also confirmed that his firm would likely be in the running to engineer the project, but he had no estimate on what engineering services would cost.
The scope of the study was laid out in a state law passed in 2016 that required the city to hire an independent firm to review the environmental impact of the project according to six categories. These included looking at the long-term water supply needs for New Britain and other interconnected water companies. The law indicates that the study “need not be limited to” the six categories, but Ericson told the Council on Environmental Quality during Wednesday’s meeting, that many of what the council considered flaws in the study were not listed in the law as areas to examine.
“The scope of the act said what is the impact of the project on the safe yield,” Ericson said. “The scope of the work wasn’t to look at alternatives.”
Ericson also said Patton Brook Well wasn’t included as a New Britain water resource because the well hasn’t been connected to the system in years. Esponda’s team connected the well late last year and pumped about 1 million gallons a day for two weeks to determine if it would work.
The Council on Environmental Quality and the state Water Planning Council are reviewing the study and any comments sent by the public before preparing a final review that will be given to city. The city will hold a public hearing on the project sometime in the summer. The state Department of Public Health must approve the plan before it can go forward.
Calif. utility fans bidding war in second pitch to upend CT Water merger
Joe Cooper
There is a bicoastal water war brewing in the United States and Connecticut is in the middle of it.
California Water Service Group of San Jose confirmed Thursday it made an offer to acquire California-based SJW Group, which recently announced it reached a deal to purchase Connecticut Water Service for about $750 million.
SJW's board, however, recently rejected California Water's April 4 offer, the company said.
Meanwhile, Eversource Energy last week said it made an unsolicited bid to purchase Connecticut Water on April 5, weeks after SJW Group reached its mega deal with the Clinton-based water utility. That puts all four companies in a heated competition to purchase major water assets in California and Connecticut.
California Water confirmed Thursday it offered $68.25 a share, or approximately $1.9 billion, to purchase SJW Group.
Martin A. Kropelnicki, California Water's president and CEO, said in a release that his company has "repeatedly sought to discuss privately our superior proposal with SJW's board," which refused to engage in negotiations and responded Wednesday night that its board rejected the offer on April 13.
"Their lack of engagement has prevented their stockholders from learning about the substantial and immediate value we can deliver," Kropelnicki said. "We are now making our proposal public so stockholders can evaluate it for themselves. We are confident they will view it as clearly superior to the Connecticut Water transaction and to SJW's standalone prospects."
California Water said its proposal provides superior value than SJW's merger agreement with Connecticut Water, which is valued at about $750 million, or $61.86 per share. The value of the deal since then has gone up to $63.70 per share.
By joining forces, California Water says the two would create the nation's third largest water utility, serving more than 3 million people in California, Washington, New Mexico, Hawaii and Texas.
SJW and its subsidiaries include San Jose Water, which serves over 1 million people around San Jose, Calif., and Texas.
California Water, meanwhile, is the third-largest publicly traded water utility in the country, operating in California, Washington, New Mexico and Hawaii, its website says.
In statements released Thursday, SJW and Connecticut Water each reaffirmed their commitment to the "merger of equals."
"The SJW Group board continues to be committed to its existing merger agreement with Connecticut Water, which remains on track to close during the fourth quarter of 2018," SJW said.
Agencies Gear Up for Projects Across New England
As temperatures warm and days grow drier, state and local agencies are gearing up for construction projects all over New England — some still in the planning stages, others, phases in ongoing plans. Here's a look at what's coming up:
Connecticut
Walk Railroad Bridge Program — Advance work necessary for the upcoming $550 million Walk Railroad Bridge Program is continuing with construction on the replacement bridge set for 2019. The 120-year-old bridge carries four tracks of the New Haven commuter rail line over the Norwalk River. It swings open and closed to accommodate commercial and recreational marine traffic on the river below. Work on related projects has been ongoing since 2016 and includes: The Fender Repair Project to repair the fenders around the piers that protect both the Walk Bridge and boats from damage in the event of a collision; the Danbury Branch Dockyard Project required to facilitate rail operations during construction of the Walk Bridge, including adding track sidings, signal work and electrification to the southern end of the Danbury Branch of the New Haven line; and the CP243 Interlocking Project to construct a new four-track interlocking to allow for two-track Metro-North Railroad operations during reconstruction of the Walk Bridge.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts Avenue Bridge Replacement — MassDOT is preparing to move ahead with Phases 3 and 4 of the Massachusetts Avenue Bridge Replacement Project. The project replaces the bridges over Commonwealth Avenue in Back Bay. Phase 3, scheduled for May 5 through May 23, is the actual replacement. Phase 4, also slated to get under way in May, involves completion of the Commonwealth Avenue bypass barrier and Massachusetts Avenue sidewalk, barrier and surface work, including new lighting, traffic signals, refurbished fence, new pavement, pavement markings and bike lanes. Phase 4 is scheduled to be completed in September.
Boston Harbor — A contract for dredging portions of the Boston Harbor Federal Navigation Project's main ship channel was recently awarded to Cashman/Dutra, Joint Venture of Quincy, Mass. Work on the $122.2 million project is tentatively slated to get under way this spring. The dredging is expected to take approximately three years to complete to deepen the project to its newly authorized depths to accommodate large container ships that have begun calling on the U.S. east coast since Panama Canal improvements were completed.
The project calls for the dredging of approximately 11.7 million cu. yds. of silt, blue clay, till and weathered rock. The work is designed to deepen and widen the Broad Sound North Channel to -51 feet Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW); deepen and widen the Main Ship Channel to the Conley Terminal, including the turning basin to -47 ft. MLLW; and deepening the President Roads Anchorage and deepening the lower Reserved Channel to -47 ft. MLLW.
The dredged material will be taken to the Massachusetts Bay Disposal Site (MBDS) approximately 20 mi. offshore of Boston Harbor, with the exception of a small fraction of the material being placed as a cap to the Main Ship Channel Confined Aquatic Disposal (CAD) cell, just downstream of the inner confluence of the Chelsea and Mystic Rivers.
Silver Line Gateway Project — Construction on Phase 2 of the $56.7 million Silver Line Gateway Project is scheduled to begin this spring. The Silver Line Gateway Project will provide new, dedicated bus rapid transit (BRT) service connecting Chelsea and East Boston with the Red Line's South Station and Seaport District in Boston. The Silver Line Gateway will offer fast travel times and the potential for high ridership.
The upcoming work includes relocating and constructing a new fully accessible Commuter Rail Station adjacent to the Mystic Mall at Everett Avenue. Other elements of the Phase 2 work include implementation of new traffic signals at the busway intersections with Everett Avenue, Spruce Street and Arlington Street and upgrades to the railroad signal system and grade crossings. Construction of the Phase 2 work is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2020.
New Hampshire
I-93 Exit 4A Project Derry and Londonderry — The Towns of Derry and Londonderry and the New Hampshire Department of Transportation are moving forward on an updated environmental study for the I-93 Exit 4A Project. The project consists of a new diamond interchange on I-93 in the Town of Londonderry, approximately one mile north of Exit 4, providing access to the east side of I-93. The purpose of the project is to reduce congestion and improve safety along NH 102, from I-93 easterly through downtown Derry and to promote economic vitality in the Derry/Londonderry area.
Planning is decades in the making with the first Draft Environmental Impact Statement conducted in 2007. Construction of the project is anticipated to begin in 2019 and be completed by 2022. The programmed cost of the Project within the 2017–2026 Ten Year Plan is $56,855,000, including preliminary engineering, right-of-way, and construction costs.
Vermont
North Hero – Grand Isle Drawbridge — June is the set start date for construction to begin on a project to replace the North Hero – Grand Isle Drawbridge. The historic twin leaf bascule bridge is the only vehicular moveable bridge in the state of Vermont. Work includes building a temporary drawbridge prior to replacing the existing drawbridge in order to minimize traffic impacts. According to the Vermont Agency of Transportation, the project will be contracted following the Construction Manager/General Contractor (CMGC) process.
“The selected contractor to work with the HDR Engineering team through the design phase is Cianbro Corporation. The CMGC process is different than a traditional design-bid-build in the way that the contractor is awarded in two separate phases. Phase 1 — the contractor performs a construction management service during the design phase of a project. This is helpful for the success of projects that require specialized construction methods and services. Phase 2 — the contractor is contracted for general construction services to construct the project. Work is set to be complete in 2022.