PLYMOUTH - After almost a year of detours, the North Main Street Bridge has reopened.
Mayor David Merchant held a ribbon cutting ceremony Thursday morning, with Charles Wiegert, Public Works director; members of WMC Consulting Engineers, which designed the bridge; and Hemlock Construction Co., which built it.
The bridge is located at the intersection with Poland Brook Road (Route 72) and crosses the Poland Brook. It was closed for almost a year while it was completely rebuilt.
“This is like a main artery to get from Route 72 to Route 6,” Merchant said. “It has been a major inconvenience for everybody in town for the last year.”
Nearby Smith Street had virtually no traffic until the closure, when big trucks would come from Route 6 and detour through the quiet residential street when the drivers realized they couldn’t go over the bridge, he said.
The bridge closure was also an obstacle for buses and parents delivering or picking up students at nearby Fisher Elementary and Eli Terry Jr. Middle schools, he added. “People are ecstatic now that it’s open again. It looks beautiful. They did a great job.”
The project was part of the $9.7 million bond package that was approved in 2012. Merchant said the new bridge cost about $1.6 million altogether, with $600,000 funded by the Connecticut Department of Transportation’s Local Bridge Program.
The old bridge was from the 1930s, and the concrete and metal reinforcement was all coming apart. Also, the the river had eroded the bottom of the bridge, Wiegert said.
“This should last 75 to 100 years, with a little bit of maintenance,” said Steve McDonnell, from WMC. It’s a very typical “clear span” bridge, he added. “There’s no bottom underneath the brook so it flows better. Fisheries like to have a bridge with a natural stream bottom.”
Wiegert said people used to fish from the old bridge “and I’m sure they will again.”
Richard and Barbara Traub, from Hemlock, said the wooden dock that is currently in the brook under the bridge was put there by their company as part of the construction process and will be removed.
Susan Corica can be reached at 860-973-1802 or scorica@bristolpress.com.
Developers still seek partner for New London’s Shipway project
New London — With less than six months to meet its obligations in a development agreement with the city, the developer of a proposed, highly touted residential complex on Howard Street still is seeking a financial partner.
A representative from developers of Shipway 221, a phased project with the potential for 201 residential units at the site of the former Hughie’s Restaurant, gave no indication of abandoning the project but did confirm plans to market the property.
Steve Lopes, chief financial officer of Franklin Enterprises, called the plan “simply a search for a joint venture partner” during a phone interview this week.
“We have always made it clear from the beginning of the signing of the (development agreement) that because we are involved in other large projects ... we would be seeking a joint venture partner,” Lopes said.
The proposed project is celebrated as one in a wave of new residential developments being built to meet the needs of a growing number of Electric Boat employees. It also would be the first new construction in the Fort Trumbull municipal development area and a win for the Renaissance City Development Agency, the development arm of the city that negotiated the agreement with the developers.
The project is being funded by the Tagliatela family, owners of Franklin Enterprises, who had financed the construction of Harbour Towers, a condominium high-rise on Bank Street. The Tagliatelas late last year had gifted 21 unoccupied condominiums at Harbour Towers to the University of New Haven. That had raised some concerns at the time about their level of involvement in the city.
Local businessman John Johnson, owner of Thames River Properties, cast doubt on the future of the Shipway project earlier this month when his angry, profanity-laden email to the Tagliatelas became public.
Johnson said he had hoped to become a partner with the Tagliatelas in the Shipway project and take over to become the developer.
He claimed in the email that the property was being listed with Marcus & Millichamp and he was apparently sidelined from the project.
The 5.4-acre property where the complex is to be built, however, still is owned by the RCDA. Conveyance of the property would not occur until a series of requirements spelled out in the development agreement are met, RCDA President Linda Mariani said.
In addition to needing local and state approvals, Mariani said the RCDA would have to be comfortable that the developers are prepared to put a shovel in the ground before the land is transferred.
The agreement calls for a $79,000 developer fee to the RCDA and $129,000 for the purchase of the land. The developers also agreed to finance up to $500,000 for continued environmental cleanup of the brownfield, the former home to a barrel-cleaning operation, bottling plant, gas station and junkyard.
Lopes said the Tagliatelas have invested approximately $500,000 to date on the Shipway project. While many of the land-use approvals are in place, he could offer no timeline on start of construction until a partner is found.
“Obviously, we’re doing the best we can. Can we predict the future? No, we can’t,” Lopes said.
Karl-Erik Sternlof, attorney for the RCDA, confirmed that agency granted the Tagliatelas a six-month extension on an agreement that would have expired on April 30.
Under the development agreement, Lopes said his company is required to build at least 60 units of the project. The requirement seemingly rules out the Tagliatelas shifting the project into new hands at the onset of construction.
Sternlof said how the Tagliatelas decide to pursue equity interests is their business but the development agreement requires they “remain the responsible party and retain the majority of the interest in the project.”
He said the developers have invested significant time and money in the project and never expressed they did not have interest in pursuing the project. A new developer coming in would have to go through a new series of negotiations and approvals.
Johnson, who called it a $26 million project, said he had envisioned taking over the project. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
With new budget in place, Malloy cancels rail, bus fare hikes
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s administration has canceled planned rail and bus fare hikes now that legislators have adopted a new budget with added resources for the Special Transportation Fund.
The governor and Department of Transportation Commissioner James P. Redeker announced that a 10 percent fare hike for rail passengers and a 14 percent increase for bus riders have been dropped.
“My administration worked tirelessly this legislative session to ensure adequate funding to keep the Special Transportation Fund solvent in the short term,” Malloy said. “I am relieved that we were able to avoid drastic fare increases and disruptive service reductions.”
“This is great news for Connecticut commuters and I commend the General Assembly for passing a budget that maintains full funding for public transportation and the Department of Transportation in general – at least in the near term,” Redeker added.
The new budget transfers an extra $29 million in sales tax receipts next fiscal year to the Special Transportation Fund. It does not establish tolls on state highways.
In addition, the state would issue $250 million in General Obligation (GO) Bonds next fiscal year to complement another $750 million in Special Tax Obligation (STO) Bonds, all to support transportation infrastructure work.
While STO bonds are the traditional workhouse of the Special Transportation Fund, paid off with fuel tax receipts and other revenues assigned to the transportation program, GO bonds are paid off out of the General Fund — which pays for the bulk of state programs and services.
But the governor also warned Connecticut still has not stabilized its transportation program over the long haul.
“If we want to make the necessary investments to keep our transportation infrastructure in a state of good repair in future years, the state will need to find new, long-term funding sources to replace dwindling gas tax revenues,” the governor said. “This should not be seen as optional — it’s critical to Connecticut’s future.”
The administration has warned that billions of dollars in highway, bridge and rail projects planned for the coming years would be in jeopardy without a major new source of revenue.
Many legislators have said they expect the legislature will have to revisit next year the question of whether to install electronic tolls on state highways.
The bridge is located at the intersection with Poland Brook Road (Route 72) and crosses the Poland Brook. It was closed for almost a year while it was completely rebuilt.
“This is like a main artery to get from Route 72 to Route 6,” Merchant said. “It has been a major inconvenience for everybody in town for the last year.”
Nearby Smith Street had virtually no traffic until the closure, when big trucks would come from Route 6 and detour through the quiet residential street when the drivers realized they couldn’t go over the bridge, he said.
The bridge closure was also an obstacle for buses and parents delivering or picking up students at nearby Fisher Elementary and Eli Terry Jr. Middle schools, he added. “People are ecstatic now that it’s open again. It looks beautiful. They did a great job.”
The project was part of the $9.7 million bond package that was approved in 2012. Merchant said the new bridge cost about $1.6 million altogether, with $600,000 funded by the Connecticut Department of Transportation’s Local Bridge Program.
The old bridge was from the 1930s, and the concrete and metal reinforcement was all coming apart. Also, the the river had eroded the bottom of the bridge, Wiegert said.
“This should last 75 to 100 years, with a little bit of maintenance,” said Steve McDonnell, from WMC. It’s a very typical “clear span” bridge, he added. “There’s no bottom underneath the brook so it flows better. Fisheries like to have a bridge with a natural stream bottom.”
Wiegert said people used to fish from the old bridge “and I’m sure they will again.”
Richard and Barbara Traub, from Hemlock, said the wooden dock that is currently in the brook under the bridge was put there by their company as part of the construction process and will be removed.
Susan Corica can be reached at 860-973-1802 or scorica@bristolpress.com.
Developers still seek partner for New London’s Shipway project
New London — With less than six months to meet its obligations in a development agreement with the city, the developer of a proposed, highly touted residential complex on Howard Street still is seeking a financial partner.
A representative from developers of Shipway 221, a phased project with the potential for 201 residential units at the site of the former Hughie’s Restaurant, gave no indication of abandoning the project but did confirm plans to market the property.
Steve Lopes, chief financial officer of Franklin Enterprises, called the plan “simply a search for a joint venture partner” during a phone interview this week.
“We have always made it clear from the beginning of the signing of the (development agreement) that because we are involved in other large projects ... we would be seeking a joint venture partner,” Lopes said.
The proposed project is celebrated as one in a wave of new residential developments being built to meet the needs of a growing number of Electric Boat employees. It also would be the first new construction in the Fort Trumbull municipal development area and a win for the Renaissance City Development Agency, the development arm of the city that negotiated the agreement with the developers.
The project is being funded by the Tagliatela family, owners of Franklin Enterprises, who had financed the construction of Harbour Towers, a condominium high-rise on Bank Street. The Tagliatelas late last year had gifted 21 unoccupied condominiums at Harbour Towers to the University of New Haven. That had raised some concerns at the time about their level of involvement in the city.
Local businessman John Johnson, owner of Thames River Properties, cast doubt on the future of the Shipway project earlier this month when his angry, profanity-laden email to the Tagliatelas became public.
Johnson said he had hoped to become a partner with the Tagliatelas in the Shipway project and take over to become the developer.
He claimed in the email that the property was being listed with Marcus & Millichamp and he was apparently sidelined from the project.
The 5.4-acre property where the complex is to be built, however, still is owned by the RCDA. Conveyance of the property would not occur until a series of requirements spelled out in the development agreement are met, RCDA President Linda Mariani said.
In addition to needing local and state approvals, Mariani said the RCDA would have to be comfortable that the developers are prepared to put a shovel in the ground before the land is transferred.
The agreement calls for a $79,000 developer fee to the RCDA and $129,000 for the purchase of the land. The developers also agreed to finance up to $500,000 for continued environmental cleanup of the brownfield, the former home to a barrel-cleaning operation, bottling plant, gas station and junkyard.
Lopes said the Tagliatelas have invested approximately $500,000 to date on the Shipway project. While many of the land-use approvals are in place, he could offer no timeline on start of construction until a partner is found.
“Obviously, we’re doing the best we can. Can we predict the future? No, we can’t,” Lopes said.
Karl-Erik Sternlof, attorney for the RCDA, confirmed that agency granted the Tagliatelas a six-month extension on an agreement that would have expired on April 30.
Under the development agreement, Lopes said his company is required to build at least 60 units of the project. The requirement seemingly rules out the Tagliatelas shifting the project into new hands at the onset of construction.
Sternlof said how the Tagliatelas decide to pursue equity interests is their business but the development agreement requires they “remain the responsible party and retain the majority of the interest in the project.”
He said the developers have invested significant time and money in the project and never expressed they did not have interest in pursuing the project. A new developer coming in would have to go through a new series of negotiations and approvals.
Johnson, who called it a $26 million project, said he had envisioned taking over the project. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
With new budget in place, Malloy cancels rail, bus fare hikes
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s administration has canceled planned rail and bus fare hikes now that legislators have adopted a new budget with added resources for the Special Transportation Fund.
The governor and Department of Transportation Commissioner James P. Redeker announced that a 10 percent fare hike for rail passengers and a 14 percent increase for bus riders have been dropped.
“My administration worked tirelessly this legislative session to ensure adequate funding to keep the Special Transportation Fund solvent in the short term,” Malloy said. “I am relieved that we were able to avoid drastic fare increases and disruptive service reductions.”
“This is great news for Connecticut commuters and I commend the General Assembly for passing a budget that maintains full funding for public transportation and the Department of Transportation in general – at least in the near term,” Redeker added.
The new budget transfers an extra $29 million in sales tax receipts next fiscal year to the Special Transportation Fund. It does not establish tolls on state highways.
In addition, the state would issue $250 million in General Obligation (GO) Bonds next fiscal year to complement another $750 million in Special Tax Obligation (STO) Bonds, all to support transportation infrastructure work.
While STO bonds are the traditional workhouse of the Special Transportation Fund, paid off with fuel tax receipts and other revenues assigned to the transportation program, GO bonds are paid off out of the General Fund — which pays for the bulk of state programs and services.
But the governor also warned Connecticut still has not stabilized its transportation program over the long haul.
“If we want to make the necessary investments to keep our transportation infrastructure in a state of good repair in future years, the state will need to find new, long-term funding sources to replace dwindling gas tax revenues,” the governor said. “This should not be seen as optional — it’s critical to Connecticut’s future.”
The administration has warned that billions of dollars in highway, bridge and rail projects planned for the coming years would be in jeopardy without a major new source of revenue.
Many legislators have said they expect the legislature will have to revisit next year the question of whether to install electronic tolls on state highways.