Angela Carella
STAMFORD — From Christmas until April, six streets around Rick Hughes’ home in Bull’s Head were all ripped up.
Utility company Eversource was replacing gas mains in a neighborhood where houses such as Hughes’ 1925 Cape Cod are approaching 100 years old.
Around the city and the state, Eversource is replacing old steel or cast-iron natural gas pipes with more enduring plastic ones, so Hughes’ story may ring true for many.
On Travis Avenue, pavement was torn out. Road beds were excavated. Heavy equipment was parked where it fit. Dirt piled up. Lawns were ruined. Streets were blocked, and police directed traffic through the detours.
“Just getting out of the driveway was a headache,” Hughes said. “It was chaotic. It was kind of a nightmare.”He was glad to see the road work end. But that started a new struggle, he said.
“A lot of my yard was dug up, with rocks in the middle, because they had to take my gas meter out of the basement and move it outside,” Hughes said. “They dug a trench from the street, through the front yard to the side of the house, where they put the new meter.”
Then there was the problem with his stone wall.
“Chunks of it are missing,” Hughes said. “Edge pieces are broken off in five places.”
When, after a few weeks, no one showed up to repair the lawn and wall, Hughes picked up the phone.
He called Eversource. He called Ferrara, the construction contractor working for Eversource. He called the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, which overseas Eversource.
Over perhaps three weeks, he made 15 or 20 calls, Hughes said.
“I couldn’t get anyone to call back. I just wanted some assurance that they would fix it like they said they would,” Hughes said. “At some point I told Eversource, ‘If you can’t do it, I will get a bid and send it to you so I can have the work done myself. Then you pay me back.’ They said they can’t do that.”Finally, he said, he got hold of an Eversource guy named George.
“He gave me his direct line,” Hughes said. “George was the one who helped. He even gave me a $25 credit on my next gas bill for all the rigamarole I went through.”
His lawn has been repaired, Hughes said. He’s just waiting for his grass to grow back, and for someone to fix his stone wall.
The pain of gas-main repair transcends Travis Avenue, Hughes said.
“I understand this is going on all over Stamford,” he said.
And Connecticut, Eversource spokesman Mitch Gross said.
“We replace gas mains regularly around the state, and we serve 74 of the 169 towns,” Gross said. “We are replacing the older system with the newer technology, which is the plastic mains. They are more resilient, and they resist swings in underground temperatures.”
Between 2016 and last year, Eversource replaced more than 600 feet of cast iron and steel pipe in downtown Stamford with plastic, according to the utility’s website. The plastic mains allow for higher gas pressure and increased supply.
Gross said Eversource has about 30,000 natural gas customers in Stamford, which is 13 percent of its 237,000 statewide customers.
Since 2012, the utility has replaced more than 175 miles of the 3,400 miles of gas lines it maintains in Connecticut, he said.
“The replacement is a year-round program taking place across our system,” he said. “Some of it is age, some is corrosion of the older lines.”
Results of a study by the Connecticut Chapter of the Sierra Club, released last month, showed that methane is seeping into the air from underground gas pipelines in the state. The study concluded it can lead to explosions similar to three last year in Massachusetts.
The study looked at three Connecticut cities, finding an average of 4.3 leaks per mile in Hartford, 3.6 in Danbury, and 2.6 in New London.
Stamford is closest in age to Hartford.
A spokesman for the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority said after the study was released that Connecticut residents don’t have to worry about pipeline explosions because the lines are strictly regulated, and Eversource and two other gas providers have committed to a 25-year replacement program.
“We take the safety of our systems extremely seriously. We maintain and operate at the highest standards,” Gross said. “We have an aggressive maintenance-and-inspection program and a leak-management program that exceeds the requirements of federal and state pipeline safety regulations.”
Gross said Eversource serves Danbury and New London, where pipes continue to be upgraded, but not Hartford.
Eversource, which also owns the electric and water utilities, has been busy in Stamford streets, according to the latest information from city engineers. Eversource’s gas division alone took out 64 percent of the total 656 street-opening permits in 2017, the department has reported.
A quick review of 2018 data shows that of the 806 permits issued last year, 59 percent were related to gas lines, City Engineer Lou Casolo said.
Gross said Eversource mails notifications to the residents of streets slated for road work, then hangs notices on the knobs of front doors just before it begins.“We encourage residents, whenever they see a letter with the Eversource logo, to please open it,” he said. “The letter has a lot of information, especially who to contact if they have a question.”
Hughes said that might not expedite things.
“It took six weeks between the time they finished the road work and the time they sent a landscaper to fix the lawn,” he said. “It’s hard to understand why it would take that long.”
New Britain is on the road to progress with Public Works paving streets, filling potholes
Michelle France
NEW BRITAIN – The Department of Public Works said they will be paving nearly seven miles of roads next month as part of its 2019 paving program.
While weather will be a determining factor, the city plans to begin milling the streets beginning June 17 through June 28. Milling is the process of removing part of the road’s surface to prep it for paving.
The city is planning to spend about three to four weeks paving beginning July 8, with crack sealing scheduled to begin the second week of July. Crack sealing is a preventative process where hot sealant is applied to cracks in the streets to block water intrusion-the primary cause of potholes. When the water freezes and thaws, which happens often in New England, the ground breaks apart and causes potholes. Crack sealant is a rubberized sealant, which means it is flexible to withstand the expansion and contraction of the pavement.
According to Mayor Erin Stewart, this year’s paving program has doubled in size from last year because there were additional funds in the city’s public works maintenance bond.
“We are starting earlier to address road conditions which were negatively impacted by a very wet spring and harsh winter,” said Stewart. “Paving can be extremely expensive so our focus is on the roads that are in most need.”
A major project on the agenda is paving the full stretch of Farmington Avenue which will cost an estimated $800,000. Stewart helped put the cost of the repairs in perspective by stating that $6 million would not be enough money to pave 10% of roads in the city.
There is $2.3 million budgeted for paving in the mayor’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2019-20, which is awaiting approval by the Common Council.
About 6.8 miles of roads are expected to be paved in the program including parts of Stanley Street, Lincoln Street, Laurel Road, and Cabot Street.
Last month, the Herald asked its readers where they thought the worst potholes were in the city. We followed up on the condition of some of those streets which included East Main Street, East Street, and Stanley Street and found that many of the reported potholes have since been filled, however, many are in need of crack sealing.
The DPW has been able to address potholes quicker this year as a result of SeeClickFix app introduced by Mayor Erin Stewart last year. Residents have been actively reporting potholes and other issues such as blight and illegal dumping on the app which sends the information directly to the coordinating city department. According to the app, the city has closed more than 50 requests in the last 30 days.
DOT urges alternate routes ahead of I-395 bridge closure
Benjamin Kail
Waterford — The northbound section of Interstate 395 where it crosses Route 85 in Waterford will close for 10 days starting at 6 p.m. Friday as part of a $6 million bridge rehabilitation, prompting the state Department of Transportation to advise caution and urge commuters to avoid the area altogether to cut down on expected delays.
The two roadways — which combined handle more than 50,000 vehicles daily in the area — will feature a makeshift intersection at the I-395 north Exit 2 off- and on-ramps and Route 85 during the northbound phase of the project. DOT plans a similar 10-day project for the southbound lanes of the bridge tentatively scheduled to begin July 19.
The state-hired contractor, Plantsville-based Mohawk Northeast Inc., will replace the bridge deck and parapet, and install a precast concrete median barrier that will be safer than the current railing, according to project engineer Andrew Millovitsch.
During the closure, state troopers on the highway will detour I-395 northbound drivers down the Exit 2 off-ramp toward a light, managed by Waterford police for 24 hours a day, on Route 85. Highway drivers then will cross Route 85 and enter the northbound on-ramp to hop back on I-395. Southbound I-395 traffic will not be impacted. Waterford police in a recent Facebook post said they expect significant delays overall and Route 85 to be heavily affected.
Millovitsch said the state and commuters were lucky to have a rare layout of both north- and southbound off- and on-ramps "directly across from each other," enabling the temporary intersection.
"Traffic engineers looked at traffic counts and created cycled timing of lights to facilitate good flow for both Route 85 and I-395," he said. "It should work. If for some reason we find there's more or less traffic than expected, we are going to have Waterford police controlling the light. We don't want backups to I-95."
About 35,000 vehicles travel daily on I-395 near the bridge, known as Bridge No. 00255, while Route 85 sees about 24,000 vehicles a day in the area, according to DOT. DOT hopes to cut down on as much as 20 percent of traffic in advance by spreading the word to surrounding towns and states, public safety agencies, nearby businesses and regional trucking companies to suggest diversion routes, such as Route 161 to and from the Montville area, or Route 32 to and from Interstate 95 in New London. Electronic signs along the highways have alerted drivers to the upcoming construction the last few weeks.
"We're hoping the locals who know these areas take the diversion routes," Millovitsch said. "We're really asking for the public's help. Anybody who's able to avoid that area for 10 days, help yourself and help everyone and stay away. If you work at Charter Oak Federal Credit Union or nearby, leave home a little early."
The project has been in the works since 2017, when routine inspections of the 1957 bridge revealed the deck was due for a replacement. Mohawk Northeast, which has performed repairs on the Gold Star Memorial Bridge, also will blast clean and paint the steel, protecting it from the elements and extending its longevity.
"We're hoping that this rehab is going to give us another 50 years before we have to touch the bridge again," Millovitsch said in an interview. He added that the substructure, girders and almost all the structural steel on the bridge were solid, with only minimal repairs required.
Millovitsch said the bridge closure required by the Accelerated Bridge Construction process approved by DOT might seem painful for commuters, but it's a fraction of the frustration that could be caused by the alternative: a costlier four- to six-stage construction including a year or 18 months of bridge lane shifts and lane closures.
For safety reasons, commuters getting off Exit 2 from I-395 south will not have two left turning lanes available, Millovitsch said, because DOT occasionally will close lanes near the bridge on Route 85 when doing work overhead. The contractor may temporarily halt traffic for up to 10 minutes on Route 85 while a crane hooks up to precast bridge deck panels, swings them out over the empty roadway and onto the bridge, he added.
"The contractor will work around the clock and hit it hard with staff," he said.
Messages left with Mohawk Northeast Inc. and the Waterford Police Department were not immediately responded to on Tuesday.
Anyone with questions regarding the project should email dot.constrD2@ct.gov, and the email subject line must include project number 152-158 or 0152-0158.
Sen. Chris Murphy says rail financing system “fundamentally broken” after Mystic River bridge gets stuck and delays Amtrak train
Neil Vigdor
The city is planning to spend about three to four weeks paving beginning July 8, with crack sealing scheduled to begin the second week of July. Crack sealing is a preventative process where hot sealant is applied to cracks in the streets to block water intrusion-the primary cause of potholes. When the water freezes and thaws, which happens often in New England, the ground breaks apart and causes potholes. Crack sealant is a rubberized sealant, which means it is flexible to withstand the expansion and contraction of the pavement.
According to Mayor Erin Stewart, this year’s paving program has doubled in size from last year because there were additional funds in the city’s public works maintenance bond.
“We are starting earlier to address road conditions which were negatively impacted by a very wet spring and harsh winter,” said Stewart. “Paving can be extremely expensive so our focus is on the roads that are in most need.”
A major project on the agenda is paving the full stretch of Farmington Avenue which will cost an estimated $800,000. Stewart helped put the cost of the repairs in perspective by stating that $6 million would not be enough money to pave 10% of roads in the city.
There is $2.3 million budgeted for paving in the mayor’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2019-20, which is awaiting approval by the Common Council.
About 6.8 miles of roads are expected to be paved in the program including parts of Stanley Street, Lincoln Street, Laurel Road, and Cabot Street.
Last month, the Herald asked its readers where they thought the worst potholes were in the city. We followed up on the condition of some of those streets which included East Main Street, East Street, and Stanley Street and found that many of the reported potholes have since been filled, however, many are in need of crack sealing.
The DPW has been able to address potholes quicker this year as a result of SeeClickFix app introduced by Mayor Erin Stewart last year. Residents have been actively reporting potholes and other issues such as blight and illegal dumping on the app which sends the information directly to the coordinating city department. According to the app, the city has closed more than 50 requests in the last 30 days.
DOT urges alternate routes ahead of I-395 bridge closure
Benjamin Kail
Waterford — The northbound section of Interstate 395 where it crosses Route 85 in Waterford will close for 10 days starting at 6 p.m. Friday as part of a $6 million bridge rehabilitation, prompting the state Department of Transportation to advise caution and urge commuters to avoid the area altogether to cut down on expected delays.
The two roadways — which combined handle more than 50,000 vehicles daily in the area — will feature a makeshift intersection at the I-395 north Exit 2 off- and on-ramps and Route 85 during the northbound phase of the project. DOT plans a similar 10-day project for the southbound lanes of the bridge tentatively scheduled to begin July 19.
The state-hired contractor, Plantsville-based Mohawk Northeast Inc., will replace the bridge deck and parapet, and install a precast concrete median barrier that will be safer than the current railing, according to project engineer Andrew Millovitsch.
During the closure, state troopers on the highway will detour I-395 northbound drivers down the Exit 2 off-ramp toward a light, managed by Waterford police for 24 hours a day, on Route 85. Highway drivers then will cross Route 85 and enter the northbound on-ramp to hop back on I-395. Southbound I-395 traffic will not be impacted. Waterford police in a recent Facebook post said they expect significant delays overall and Route 85 to be heavily affected.
Millovitsch said the state and commuters were lucky to have a rare layout of both north- and southbound off- and on-ramps "directly across from each other," enabling the temporary intersection.
"Traffic engineers looked at traffic counts and created cycled timing of lights to facilitate good flow for both Route 85 and I-395," he said. "It should work. If for some reason we find there's more or less traffic than expected, we are going to have Waterford police controlling the light. We don't want backups to I-95."
About 35,000 vehicles travel daily on I-395 near the bridge, known as Bridge No. 00255, while Route 85 sees about 24,000 vehicles a day in the area, according to DOT. DOT hopes to cut down on as much as 20 percent of traffic in advance by spreading the word to surrounding towns and states, public safety agencies, nearby businesses and regional trucking companies to suggest diversion routes, such as Route 161 to and from the Montville area, or Route 32 to and from Interstate 95 in New London. Electronic signs along the highways have alerted drivers to the upcoming construction the last few weeks.
"We're hoping the locals who know these areas take the diversion routes," Millovitsch said. "We're really asking for the public's help. Anybody who's able to avoid that area for 10 days, help yourself and help everyone and stay away. If you work at Charter Oak Federal Credit Union or nearby, leave home a little early."
The project has been in the works since 2017, when routine inspections of the 1957 bridge revealed the deck was due for a replacement. Mohawk Northeast, which has performed repairs on the Gold Star Memorial Bridge, also will blast clean and paint the steel, protecting it from the elements and extending its longevity.
"We're hoping that this rehab is going to give us another 50 years before we have to touch the bridge again," Millovitsch said in an interview. He added that the substructure, girders and almost all the structural steel on the bridge were solid, with only minimal repairs required.
Millovitsch said the bridge closure required by the Accelerated Bridge Construction process approved by DOT might seem painful for commuters, but it's a fraction of the frustration that could be caused by the alternative: a costlier four- to six-stage construction including a year or 18 months of bridge lane shifts and lane closures.
For safety reasons, commuters getting off Exit 2 from I-395 south will not have two left turning lanes available, Millovitsch said, because DOT occasionally will close lanes near the bridge on Route 85 when doing work overhead. The contractor may temporarily halt traffic for up to 10 minutes on Route 85 while a crane hooks up to precast bridge deck panels, swings them out over the empty roadway and onto the bridge, he added.
"The contractor will work around the clock and hit it hard with staff," he said.
Messages left with Mohawk Northeast Inc. and the Waterford Police Department were not immediately responded to on Tuesday.
Anyone with questions regarding the project should email dot.constrD2@ct.gov, and the email subject line must include project number 152-158 or 0152-0158.
Sen. Chris Murphy says rail financing system “fundamentally broken” after Mystic River bridge gets stuck and delays Amtrak train
Neil Vigdor
Just in time for the end of the Memorial
Day weekend, Amtrak passengers got another glaring reminder of Connecticut’s
transportation infrastructure woes -- the Mystic River swing bridge got stuck.
The Board of Aldermen is expected to vote on that contract as well in a meeting set for June 3.
The proposed contract outlines $3,164,916 in fees and costs – most of them related to pre-construction and construction services. The total also includes $1,139,971 in reimbursable costs, according to the contract.
A ten-member selection committee, comprised of city and school officials, and Board of Education members, chose Newfield out of five firms that in April submitted responses to a request for proposals advertised by the city.
A letter from city finance director Michael LeBlanc stated the request for proposals yielded five responses, which he said “were thoroughly reviewed and discussed” by the committee.
The committee considered each of the bidding firm’s experience and expertise in comparable projects as well as service offerings and other considerations.
Representatives from Newfield, Friar Architecture – the architects selected for the project -, the Waterbury Development Corporation and other officials will attend both the Board of Education and Board of Aldermen meetings
Newfield had previously overseen four other construction projects in existing Waterbury Public School buildings
The proposed contract with Newfield represents another step to breaking ground on the long-awaited proposal to expand Wendell Cross from a pre-K to five school to a pre-K to eight building.
The city’s original plan was to renovate the existing Wendell Cross building on Hamilton Avenue and construct a 40,000-square-foot addition. The plan was expected to cost $46.2 million. The project was recently revised, with state approval, as a primarily new school construction project – an 88,289-square-foot building that will house three classrooms per grade. Cost estimates for that revised project have not changed.
The malfunction delayed southbound Amtrak
train 139 Monday night, according to a Amtrak’s Twitter account, which said the
train was being held up in Westerly, R.I., while the railroad troubleshooted
the problem. The
train arrived 1 hour and 16 minutes late at New Haven’s Union Station, Amtrak’s
website said. “Some of
these Amtrak brides were built during the Grover Cleveland Administration (no
joke)," Murphy tweeted. “It’s time to admit that the current financing
system for rail in the northeast is fundamentally broken and needs to be
rebuilt from scratch.” The truss-style swing bridge was built in 1984 and
replaced a previous span that dated back to 1875. This is not the first time it
has gotten stuck.
MICHAEL GAGNE REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
WATERBURY – The Board of Education will convene a special meeting Thursday to vote on a contract with Hartford-based Newfield Construction – the firm the city had selected to oversee the construction of a new Wendell Cross Elementary School.The Board of Aldermen is expected to vote on that contract as well in a meeting set for June 3.
The proposed contract outlines $3,164,916 in fees and costs – most of them related to pre-construction and construction services. The total also includes $1,139,971 in reimbursable costs, according to the contract.
A ten-member selection committee, comprised of city and school officials, and Board of Education members, chose Newfield out of five firms that in April submitted responses to a request for proposals advertised by the city.
A letter from city finance director Michael LeBlanc stated the request for proposals yielded five responses, which he said “were thoroughly reviewed and discussed” by the committee.
The committee considered each of the bidding firm’s experience and expertise in comparable projects as well as service offerings and other considerations.
Representatives from Newfield, Friar Architecture – the architects selected for the project -, the Waterbury Development Corporation and other officials will attend both the Board of Education and Board of Aldermen meetings
Newfield had previously overseen four other construction projects in existing Waterbury Public School buildings
The proposed contract with Newfield represents another step to breaking ground on the long-awaited proposal to expand Wendell Cross from a pre-K to five school to a pre-K to eight building.
The city’s original plan was to renovate the existing Wendell Cross building on Hamilton Avenue and construct a 40,000-square-foot addition. The plan was expected to cost $46.2 million. The project was recently revised, with state approval, as a primarily new school construction project – an 88,289-square-foot building that will house three classrooms per grade. Cost estimates for that revised project have not changed.