Gold Star Bridge in New London in need of rehabilitation VIDEO
(WFSB) – The largest bridge in Connecticut, the Gold Star
Bridge in New London, is in poor condition.
New London officials stress that the bridge is safe to drive
on, but it needs upgrades.
Upgrades are needed on the northbound side of the bridge, as
the southbound side has already been upgraded.
As of right now, oversized and overweight loads like dump
trucks are not able to use the bridge.
According to the Federal Highway Administration, the
bridge’s current condition is a four out of nine.
Priti Bhardwaj, a Connecticut Department of Transpiration
supervising engineer, says, this rating is significant.
“Four means it’s in poor condition,” says Bhardwaj.
This rating is because part of the bridge has outlived its
performance years, and maintenance is not enough at this point.
“It is perfectly safe for travel, it’s just an indicator
that some kind of rehabilitation should be necessary,” says Bhardwaj.
Bhardwaj is the lead engineer in charge of the
rehabilitation for the bridge.
“The bridge is going to be undergoing major rehabilitation
and strengthening,” Bhardwaj says.
Officials say it is a massive undertaking for such a large
structure. The span of bridge on the northbound side is nearly 80-years old and
was built with materials that are beyond their lifespan.
The bridge covers 6,000 linear square feet, more than a
mile. The deck area, the surface people drive on, is around 500,000 square
feet.
55,000 vehicles drive across the bridge per day.
Officials say most of the work will be done underneath the
bridge, reinforcing or strengthening the structure with plating.
“It’s going to take a while. It’s very expensive,” says Bart
Sweeny with the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CDOT).
Sweeny is the CDOT’S division chief. Sweeny says the project
is a multi-year and multi-phase project and will cost $300 million.
“The first two phases of this project will address the
strengthening of this bridge, as well as some of the conditions,” Sweeny says.
According to officials, phase one will start this spring,
and take about three years to complete. Phase two will start in 2025, and it
will focus on the approach spans and garters on either side. Phase three will
consist of work on the deck.
According to engineers, when the work is complete, people
will not be able to see or notice a physical difference in the bridge. They say
once the work is done, the bridge will be safer and stronger.
“It will look the same. We are not changing the structure
system out here, we are strengthening the systems that’s in place,” says
Sweeny.
“It is needed. It is worth it. We have to bring this bridge
back to a state of good repair,” Bhardwaj says.
Officials say the entire bridge will be rehabilitated by 2030.
Torrington residents asked to vote on more money for school project
TORRINGTON — Residents will be asked on Jan. 25 to approve
borrowing an additional $20 million for the Torrington middle-high school
building project, which was approved for $159 million in 2021.
The referendum question reads: “Shall the City of Torrington
appropriate an additional $20,000,000 (thereby increasing the appropriation and
bond authorization approved by the voters on Nov. 3, 2020 from $159,575,000 to
$179,575,000) for the construction of a new high school, a new middle school, a
new central administrative office, and for the demolition of the existing
Torrington High School.”
The referendum will be held at City Hall only, from 6 a.m.
to 8 p.m.
Residents can read the referendum description at www.torringtonct.org/.../explanatory_text_jan_25...
Absentee ballot applications are available now at the City
Clerk’s office. Applications may be dropped off at the City Clerk's office
during regular business hours, deposited in the white Elections box outside of
City Hall or mailed to the City Clerk, 140 Main St. Torrington, CT 06790.
Voters in
November 2020 approved building a new middle-high school and
administrative offices for $159 million. Earlier this year, the state
legislature announced that instead of 65 percent reimbursement for all eligible
costs for the project, that amount would be increased to 85 percent.
When the school building project was approved in 2020,
residents voted in favor of spending $159.6 million, with the expectation that,
with about $85 million in state reimbursement, the city’s share would be
lowered to $74.6 million. With the higher reimbursement, the city’s share was
reduced to $28 million.
But in spite of receiving more state funding, the building
committee said recently that the project is over budget. Committee Co-Chairmen
Mario Longobucco and Ed Arum told the City Council in December that the
district’s enrollment has increased significantly, which will add to the
overall footprint of the new facility. That, coupled with escalating
construction and materials costs, have resulted in the project running over
budget.
“The bottom line is, the project was approved pre-pandemic,”
Longobucco said at the time. “We had 71 percent of the voters approve it. We’ve
done preliminary designs, based on state requirements, and we find ourselves in
a position where the money that was approved, pre-pandemic, is no longer
sufficient to deliver the type of school we want.
“This year alone, there are 137 new students in grades 7-12,
that were not here pre-pandemic,” he said. “Construction costs $525 per square
foot. And as we all know, everything’s going up. Materials costs have gone up.
... So we had to go back to the drawing board.”
Arum said the district’s total enrollment increased to 267
students in grades K-12, as of Oct. 1, 2021. The state requires a certain
amount of square footage per student in a school building; if expected or
projected enrollment is up, the building must be made larger, Longobucco said.
Arum said in December that the increased enrollment is
something that could stall the whole plan, unless the city acts quickly and
adds the $20 million to the budget, then holds a referendum for taxpayers to
approve it — hopefully.
Mayor Elinor Carbone pointed out that the project has a
two-year timeline to get “shovels in the ground.”
Rare new development takes shape adjacent to Darien train station
DARIEN — At the former site of a Stop & Shop opposite
the Metro-North Noroton Heights station, a big new development is taking shape
that will include a number of dining options familiar to people on both ends of
the commute in Connecticut and New York City.
Federal Realty Investment Trust’s Darien Commons is the
largest retail plaza in years to be built adjacent to a station on the New
Haven Line or any of its branches.
Darien Commons will come online in advance of the massive
Corbin District project that will reshape downtown a short distance
away. Farther up the line in Norwalk, Building & Land Technology is
planning to follow up its new Curb apartment complex with the larger North
Seven development, which would add several
new buildings with ground-floor retail, extending north from the
Merritt 7 station of the Danbury branch.
With Walgreens
in place along with an existing Equinox fitness club next door, about
two dozen more stores and eateries will begin opening at Darien Commons
starting this summer, on a staggered schedule extending into 2023. The complex
is a short walk from Palmer’s Market and an adjacent retail plaza that is
slated for an overhaul.
The upper levels are reserved for about 120 apartments split
between one- and two-bedroom units, with rows of windows to flood interiors
with light.
Federal Realty will not finalize its initial lease rates
until this spring, according to Patrick McMahon, senior vice president of
regional development. He anticipates one-bedroom units likely topping $3,000 a
month.
“In the two-bedroom units, there are larger kitchens than
certainly what you would find in Stamford or Norwalk,” McMahon said. “It’s important
to somebody who’s either got a small family, or had a family that’s left and
the kitchen was the center of activity.”
The development includes a small “hotel” apartment that can
be reserved by residents as guest quarters for out-of-town visitors. McMahon
said he expects other developers will adopt the model for future projects.
Of the two main apartment buildings, one will have a big
outdoor deck with common seating, fire pits and grills, flanked by two spacious
patios that can be reserved for private use. The other building will include a
plaza with plenty of seating and other amenities.
The complex includes an underground garage for residents and
surface parking for people visiting Darien Commons to shop, dine or work out.
The storefront lineup includes a mix of familiar names in
Connecticut and the Northeast, including Pizzeria Molto in Fairfield, Oath
Pizza, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, the Sweetgreen salad chain, the French cafe
Tartinery and Gregory’s
Coffee.
More will be announced in the coming weeks.
“It all needs to work together — and that’s what makes it
work,” said Stuart Biel, senior vice president of regional leasing for Federal
Realty.
Includes prior reporting by Paul Schott.
Completion of trail work waiting on Yardedeal
Jesse Buchanan
SOUTHINGTON — Town officials are hopeful about negotiation
with a Newell Street company, the last step before construction can begin on
Southington’s final section of the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail.
The rails-to-trails line is complete from the southern end
of town to Lazy Lane. The State Department of Transportation is ready to finish
the trail from there to the Plainville town line, town officials said, but have
been held up in talks with Yarde Metals over an easement across company
property.
Mike DelSanto, a Town Council Republicans and public works
committee chairman, said talks have gone on for nearly a year.
“My concern is that this is holding us up,” DelSanto said.
“I totally respect their judgment and their opinion. It’s a private business.
I’m just hoping we can come to terms… People use this trail, we see it all the
time. Middle of the winter, people are out there snowshoeing on it.”
Negotiations and proposals
Paul Chaplinsky, a Town Council Republican and public
works committee vice chairman, said he’s glad that Yarde Metals owners haven’t
shut the door to talks altogether. Proposals have gone back and forth between
state officials and town engineers and the company.
Chaplinsky and DelSanto said the company is worried about
allowing the trail and then needing parking or space to expand. The trail would
cut across company property and state officials are looking to get an agreement
for an easement.
Yarde Metals would retain ownership of the property but
allow the trail to be built and maintained.
Chaplinsky said the latest proposal is under consideration
by Yarde Metals. He was hopeful about the results.
“I’m really appreciative that the owners of the business are
considering alternatives,” he said. “They didn’t close the door.
“I think that’s more positive than negative. I think there’s
genuine interest to get the connectivity,” Chaplinsky added.
Chris Palmieri, a Town Council Democrat, said the trail was
heavily used by area residents and that he “absolutely” believed it would be
finished. With a proposal under consideration by Yarde Metals, he didn’t know
if there was any more the town could do.
Eminent domain?
Town officials didn’t think the state would forcibly take
the land needed for the trail under eminent domain.
“There was some discussion about eminent domain. I expressed
on the record that I’m not in favor of eminent domain,” Chaplinsky said. “I think
the state (officials) expressed that they’d like to see the parties keep
talking.”
Messages left with Yarde Metals were not returned Monday.
The company has locations around the Northeast and as far south as South
Carolina.
New London leaders celebrate state funding for community center
New London — City officials gathered near a window in
the conference center at Fort Trumbull State Park on Tuesday to point fingers
toward the open field that is the future site of the city’s community
recreation center.
It’s a 7-acre plot of land that has been vacant for decades
and was at one time composed of 24 different parcels, a mix of residences and
businesses. Last week, the state announced New London was to receive
$1.2 million for assessment and remediation of the property and to
help defray construction costs associated with the $30 million project.
Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz joined city leaders in the
conference room Tuesday to formally announce the state funding, part of the
$17.9 million awarded to 13 municipalities through the state Department of
Economic and Community Development Brownfield Remediation Program. The news
conference was supposed to be held on the site, but the cold winds forced the
gathering inside.
“I’m so delighted that the state of Connecticut chose this
parcel for remediation," she said. "New London is one of
the more densely populated cities in the state, and to have a large parcel of
empty land, to have that not being used by the community is a tragedy.”
“A community recreation center is something that is much
needed, and this site is in the midst of what is becoming, and what will be, a
very vibrant site for housing, tourism and recreation,” she added.
An extended-stay hotel and 100-unit apartment
complex are under
development on a different portion of the Fort Trumbull peninsula.
Bysiewicz credited the advocacy of New London Mayor Michael
Passero and legislators such as state Rep. Anthony Nolan, D-New London, for the
reason the project “rose to the top” on the list of proposals.
Plans for the recreation center are now in the schematic
drawing phase, when details such as building layout and program elements are
incorporated into usable blueprints. When completed, the
blueprints are expected to help firm up cost estimates for the project.
The city intends to build a 62,000-square-foot building with
amenities such as fitness rooms, offices and an eight-lane swimming pool
expected to attract memberships and event space rentals from around the region.
The facility also will be the headquarters of the city’s Recreation Department
and New London Youth Affairs and their various programs.
Developers expected a small amount of contamination in the
soil at the site but reported at last week’s Community Center Taskforce meeting
that test borings have so far revealed no major issues. Felix Reyes, director
of the city’s Office of Community and Economic Development, said if the
projected timeline holds, bid packages for contractors will be ready in April
in anticipation of shovels in the ground sometime this spring.
“I’m excited to be part of this. It’s something that’s
always been talked about,” City Council member Akil Peck said at Tuesday’s
gathering.
Peter Davis, executive director of the city’s development
arm — the Renaissance City Development Association — said the
state funding will benefit not only the recreation center but also any future
development on the site. Plans show the community recreation center occupying
about 5 acres of parcels labeled 3B and 3C.
“It’s a huge shot in the arm," he said. "If
not for this funding, it would have cost the city more money for the community
center project. It helps RCDA to market what’s left of 3C because we don’t have
to pass that cost over to a developer.”
With the foot traffic on the peninsula expected to
dramatically increase, Davis said it would make sense to develop some type of
restaurant or grab-and-go breakfast joint there.
Winstanley proposes 819,000-square-foot distribution center in Enfield
Winstanley Enterprises is proposing an 819,000-square-foot
distribution center in Enfield as the final stage of a redevelopment of
the former Hallmark property.
Hallmark announced plans to close its 1 million-square-foot
distribution center in 2015, trimming more than 500 jobs in the process.
Winstanely paid $12 million for the 324-acre property the
following year, announcing plans for redevelopment that would return jobs to
Enfield.
The company reports spending more than $41 million to
renovate two Hallmark buildings on the Bacon Road site. That brought three new
tenant companies in 2018.
Winstanley also carved off a 200-acre parcel – 35 Bacon Road
– for redevelopment. That space is the focus of this final redevelopment push
for the Hallmark property.
The new distribution center will consist of two tenant
spaces of 318,000 and 501,000 square feet, respectively. Two undisclosed
companies have signed letters of intent to occupy the new buildings, according
to Winstanley spokesman Matthew Watkins.
Winstanley will begin the local permitting process on
Tuesday night with an appearance before Enfield’s Inland Wetlands and
Watercourses Agency, followed by the start of site plan review before the
Planning and Zoning Commission on Jan. 27.
In a release announcing its plans, Winstanley notes town
zoning allows warehousing and distribution at the 35 Bacon Road development
site. That means there is no need for a special permit or additional approvals,
the company notes.
Still, Winstanley worked to address the concerns and desires
of neighbors, according to the release. That meant restricting development to
half the site and maintaining a buffer of trees to neighborhoods to the east
and west of the development site, among other accommodations. The company also
noted a “robust” storm water management plan.
“We feel strongly that the plan represents a balance
of physical feasibility, economic viability, market supportability and resource
conservation,” said Adam Winstanley, President of Winstanley Enterprises. “We
look forward to moving the project forward.”
Winstanley hopes to break ground by June 1 and complete the
project in June 2023, according to Watkins.
Winstanley already owns several industrial leasing spaces in Enfield, including
a 500,000-square-foot distribution center leased to Advanced Auto Parts; a
600,000 square-foot office, warehouse and distribution facility leased to Lego
and Coca-Cola Bottling; as well as a 500,000 square-foot warehouse under
construction on North Maple Street that will be occupied by Agri-Mark dairy
products and life-science company Eppendorf.
“We’ve developed a proven track record of breathing new life
into properties that we’ve acquired, and this location presented an exciting
and unique opportunity,” Adam Winstanley said of the 35 Bacon Road project.
PURA launches statewide electric power storage program
State energy regulators are rolling out a new program designed
to help Eversource Energy and United Illuminating customers install energy
storage capacity at their homes and businesses.
The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority formally launched
the “Energy Storage Solutions” initiative on the first of the year, in
partnership with the Connecticut Green Bank, which will administer the program,
Eversource and UI. End users will be eligible to receive incentives for setting
up power storage devices, which can help make the broader power grid more
resilient, especially at times when the system is under strain due to inclement
weather.
PURA officials said the average upfront incentives for
residential customers will initially be around $200 per kilowatt-hour, with a
maximum per-project incentive of $7,500.
The maximum incentive for commercial and industrial
customers will be capped at 50% of a power storage project’s cost.
Residential, commercial and industrial end users will all be
eligible for performance incentive payments based on how much power their
devices contribute to the grid during critical periods, and additional support
will be made available for those who could benefit the most from increased
resiliency measures, including low-income customers, customers in underserved
communities, small businesses and customers who historically experience
frequent or long-lasting power outages during storms.
Energy Storage Solutions is expected to run for at least
nine years.
In a statement, PURA Chair Marissa P. Gillett said the
initiative will help move Connecticut toward its goal of deploying 1,000
megawatts of energy storage by the end of 2030, a measure intended to increase
the state grid’s resiliency and assist those who have been disproportionately
impacted by past power system failures.
“The Green Bank, working in collaboration with the
utilities, will help ensure that our families and businesses, especially those
within vulnerable communities, access the important benefits that electric
storage provides in terms of resilience and modernizing the grid,” Gillett
said.
Gov. Ned Lamont, who signed the 1000 MW target into law in
June 2021, also offered praise for the program.
“We are combating the climate crisis and building our
economy by making investments that promote environmental justice, healthier
communities, affordable energy and expanded jobs and opportunity,” the governor
said. “Adding a statewide electric storage program to our toolkit will play a
vital role in these efforts and I thank the entire PURA team and our
legislative partners for their leadership on this initiative.”
Future of Hartford’s ‘Bushnell South’ takes shape with master plan for key property
HARTFORD — Hartford’s Bushnell South — a long envisioned
redevelopment of a jumble of parking lots east of The Bushnell Center for the
Performing Arts — is taking shape as a developer outlines a multiyear plan for
a key corner across from Bushnell Park.
Spinnaker Real Estate Partners of Norwalk expects to begin a
$63 million conversion of the historic, 1926 building at 55 Elm St. — once
offices for the state attorney general and other Constitutional officers — by
the end of March. Plans call for 160 apartments, co-working space and a
restaurant for the structure that faces Pulaski Circle, the first phase of the
development.
But a larger, master plan submitted to the city rounds out the vision for both the building and the parking lots that surround it on the northeastern corner of the Bushnell South area.
The area is bisected by Capitol Avenue. Spinnaker sees new apartment buildings with storefront space on the those parking lots, first along West Street and later along Capitol Avenue.
The new buildings, both five stories high, would bring another 166 apartments to the downtown area. In the last decade, 2,000 apartments have been added in and around downtown, the majority in converted and sometimes, vacant and rundown office buildings.
Hundreds more are planned for the near future. Low-interest loans from the Capital Region Development Authority have figured significantly into the funding, including a $13.5 million loan for 55 Elm.
The loans are backed by state taxpayers and funded through the sale of state bonds. But downtown apartment development is starting to enter a new phase, with new construction playing a bigger role.
The massive, North Crossing — formerly DoNo — project and Bushnell South are prime examples. In June, a CRDA unveiled a master plan for the entire Bushnell South area.
The area could include more than 1,000 apartments, pedestrian promenades, shops, restaurants and entertainment venues. And now, as the 55 Elm project gears up, CRDA, which has led planning for Bushnell South redevelopment, said it hopes to seek proposals by the end of March for one of the largest lots just east of the historic and recently renovated State Office Building at 165 Capitol Ave.
The conversion of 55 Elm is one of the first in Bushnell South, following the construction of the recently completed, publicly financed $16 million parking garage.
The garage
will be used by state employees, the public and as the first step toward
“district” parking for the area. Matt Edvardsen, a principal at Spinnaker and director
of asset management, said the apartment conversion of the 1926 structure, which
includes an annex, is expected to take about two years.
It is likely that midway or so through the conversion, a
second phase along West Street will get underway. Those plans call for 81
rentals and storefront space.
Another 85 units are also planned later along Capitol
Avenue, though the timing is not yet known, Edvardsen said.
“The market is going to dictate how quickly we are going to
be able to build these,” Edvardsen said. “Some time after [the first two]
buildings are delivered and leased up, we will start the project along
Capitol.” Edvardsen said it is still too soon to say how much additional phases
will cost. Spinnaker is likely to seek funding through CRDA and a “tax-fixing”
agreement with the city.
The plans call for “green spaces” and walkways among the
buildings and residential amenities such as a pool and deck.
Edvardsen said the smaller annex to the larger 1926 building
will also be converted to rentals, with a ground floor that may hold a
destination such as a brewery, distillery, bakery or coffee roasterie.
Spinnaker, which also is developing the long-vacant corner
of Park and Main streets in Hartford for apartments, said it is still bullish
about building more rentals in the city.
“From what we understand, most of the comparable buildings
downtown and just outside of downtown are fairly leased up and with occupancies
in the mid-90s, and that’s the sign of a pretty healthy market,” Edvardsen
said.