Manafort Leads Way On $48M I-691 Project in Connecticut
KEN LIEBESKIND
The rehabilitation of I-691 in the Meriden, Conn., area,
which began in September 2021, is continuing with resurfacing, bridge upgrades
and drainage and guiderail replacement.
Manafort Brothers of Plainville, Conn., is the lead
contractor for a project with a budget of $48,865,177 that is planned for completion
in August 2023. The project is entirely state funded, according to Josh Morgan,
Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) spokesperson.
According to CTDOT, the project will be completed in four
stages. In 2021, work was completed on the eastbound portion of the highway
(Stage 1 and 2) with work this year focusing on completion of the eastbound and
westbound sections (Stages 3 and 4).
"All stages have had the existing roadway overlay
removed," CTDOT reported. "Concrete repairs have been completed on
the eastbound section and are under way on the westbound section. The concrete
patches currently visible are areas the contractor has removed and replaced the
failing concrete substructure. Once the sub-slab concrete repair and drainage
work are completed, the contractor will pave the roadway."
Currently, crews are repairing pipes, installing light pole
bases on the westbound section and conducting tree clearing on the eastbound
section. Next, they will trench and backfill the westbound section and install
conduit, according to CTDOT.
Justin Gill, Manafort's program manager, said the company
has completed 28,000 linear ft. of drainage pipe cleaning, 7 mi. of pavement
coring, 5.5 mi. of milling to remove existing hot wax asphalt and expose the
existing core pavement, bridge deck rehabilitation on four of 15 structures,
parapet modifications on six of 15 bridges, 8,000 linear ft. of haunch removal
and 3,000 linear ft. of drainage pipe installation.
Crews currently are working on concrete pavement repairs,
bridge deck rehabilitation, trenching and backfilling for illumination, bridge
end block reconstruction and large diameter drainage pipe reconstruction, he
added.
When asked if there are any problems with the job, Gill
said, "One of the challenges has been the quantity of concrete pavement
repairs was estimated in the contract and in the field, we have experienced a
significant increase in concrete repairs necessary to rehabilitate the Portland
Cement concrete basis. To mitigate the impact on the schedule we have increased
resources by about 30 percent."
Construction equipment Manafort Brothers is using on the job
includes Caterpillar M322D excavators, ProAll Mobile concrete mixers,
Freightliner Impact Attenuation trucks and triaxles, a Caterpillar AP1000
asphalt paver, a Caterpillar 64 double-drum roller, a Bomag 284 double-drum
roller, a Wirtgen 220 milling machine and EZ Drill Multi-Gang drills.
Subcontractors on the project include Tilcon Connecticut,
New Britain, Conn.; The Quaker Corp., Plantsville, Conn.; Santoro Inc.,
Newington, Conn.; Safety Marking Inc., Bridgeport, Conn.; and ETC Electrical,
Southbury, Conn.
"The purpose of the project is to improve travel
conditions and increase safety for all users along I-691 from Meriden to
Southington," CTDOT reported. "The need for the project includes
addressing the poor condition and continued degradation of the roadway, making
critical repairs to the bridge infrastructure and completing safety
enhancements including improved signage and new guardrails."
Work will continue into the fall of 2022, but since much of
the work is weather and temperature related most of the remaining work will be
placed on hold this winter and resume in spring 2023. CEG
focus on future of shuttered Bridgeport coal plant
BRIDGEPORT — Even as the city seeks to promote its
harborfront as an entertainment district with events like live music and luxury
boat shows, visitors cannot miss a blemish from its gritty industrial past.
The shuttered coal plant in the South End, recognized by
it’s red-and-white striped smoke stack, ceased operations a year ago but still
looms over the landscape that has in recent years been upgraded with a new
marina, seafood restaurant and an amphitheater drawing big name performers.
And while it will be years before the prime piece of real
estate will be similarly transformed, there was a significant development
recently in that effort. U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., announced that the local
regional planning organization — the
Connecticut Metropolitan Council of Governments — was awarded $300,000
in federal funds to help plan for the site’s future.
And that, plus an additional $100,000 MetroCOG received as
part of the plant closure agreement between the city and owner PSEG, should
fully fund that project.
“We believe this will be enough money to have a
comprehensive study of the (environmental) abatement/remediation needs and
market analysis to provide development alternatives,” Matthew Fulda, the
regional group’s executive director, said in an interview.
The coal-fired facility was closed as part of a deal PSEG
brokered with former Mayor Bill Finch’s administration and concluded under
current Mayor Joe Ganim. In exchange, city officials agreed to support PSEG’s
construction of a gas-fired power plant next door which
went online in 2019.
In spring 2021 PSEG
subdivided that 60-acre property with the intention of putting each
plant on the market. And this past February the company announced that a deal to
sell the gas-fired plant to subsidiaries of ArcLight Energy Partners
Fund VII had closed.
PSEG this week had little to say about the future of the
coal facility, which has yet to be offered for sale, other than it “is
investigating the best and most economic future use of the site.
“We want the site to be an asset to the Bridgeport community
and look forward to working with the city, the Connecticut Metropolitan Council
of Governments, the South End Neighborhood Revitalization Zone (a community
organization) and other stakeholders during this process,” concluded PSEG’s
statement to Hearst Connecticut Media.
“It’s obviously hugely valuable land and really important,”
Himes said, noting the proximity not only to attractions along the harbor but
to Interstate 95. “That could be some of the most valuable land in Bridgeport.”
He added, “I will take a real interest in this. We need to
make sure, ultimately, whether it’s done through the city or private
developers, that it ends up being one of the high-traffic crown jewels of the
city.”
Fulda called the property “a significant development
opportunity within the city.”
“It’s a prime location given its direct access to the water
and downtown and transportation nodes,” he said. “We’re very excited to get the
($300,000) award.”
Fulda said MetroCOG will now move ahead, through a selection
committee that will likely include representatives from the city, PSEG and
others, with soliciting consultants for the environmental clean-up and reuse
study.
$6 million redevelopment of old Middletown skating rink could be done by 2023
MIDDLETOWN — A highly anticipated private-public partnership
at 545-47 Main St. that will bring
residential units and business space to Middletown could be complete
as soon as next summer.
Developer and Middletown native Jerome “JR” Hargreaves said
construction on the project, approved late last year, will hopefully begin in July
and be completed in 12 months. However, the start date depends on building
material availability, something that already pushed back the timeline on the
project he hoped to start last year.
“Hopefully, next summer, we have a beautiful space for not
only Middletown, but the state to enjoy,” he said. “We’ll have some cool small
businesses involved.”
Hargreaves said he initially hoped to kick off the project
sooner. Delays were in part due needing time to seek grant sources for the work
needed on the former professional building/roller skating rink, as well as some
structural issues he uncovered in the building.
On top of that, inflation and fluctuating material prices
slowed the process as well as increased the cost. Originally estimated to cost
$4.1 million, Hargreaves said the project will now cost closer to $6 million to
do all the work required, which will include restoring the building’s exterior
and making it more energy efficient.
“What’s great about this project is, it’s a public-private
partnership,” he said. “The state and city have been really supportive ...
That’s helped us with inflation, materials ... it’s given us time to lock in on
what we want to do ...
“I feel good about the overall project and everything we’ve
talked about,” Hargreaves added. “There’s still an opportunity to do everything
we want to do.”
But, in the time it’s taken to get materials, Hargreaves
said he was able to tweak and improve the design. That allowed him to
reconfigure the design and add an eighth unit to the residential portion on the
second floor, an addition to the original plan of seven income-restricted
units.
Tenants will enjoy residential amenities, including a
rooftop deck, fitness room, yoga studio, and designated space for remote work
and learning.
“Us slowing down and spending more time on the design helped
us,” he said. “If we rushed, I think we’d have seven units right now.”
The project will also have 12,000 square feet of lower-level
program and office space for “disadvantaged entrepreneurs.” Hargreaves said he
envisions having digital media area for the lower level of the front building,
and is considering having either short-term or permanent business spaces in the
back.
While he said it’s too early to say what businesses will be
there, he’s already identified a few entrepreneurs who may want to join the
space, including a tea house operating elsewhere. He also envisions community
partners using the space for programming.
“We’re working through our design,” he said. “Obviously,
everyone has their dream plan, and then you have to kind of come down to
reality and see what’s doable. We feel good about the potential partnerships,
but I don’t want to say anything right now.”
Bobbye Peterson, acting director of Economic and Community
Development, said ideas include tables for businesses outside the building,
with retail and food vendors inside. There’s also been discussion about having
wellness practitioners in the front portion of the building.
Part of Hargreaves’ plan also included a nonprofit
organization occupying the part of the space. He said a family foundation led
by he and his wife, Faraneh Carnegie-Hargreaves, will use a portion of the
facility.
Carhar Philanthropies will offer wellness and educational
programming run by Hargreaves’ wife, a chiropractor and acupuncturist.
Meanwhile, he’ll run a sports, business and education component.
Peterson said the public-private partnership is funded
in part by state and federal dollars, including ARPA funds and Urban
Act money, which require lots of reporting and planning to use. She said
the city is working closely with Jerome Carnegie-Hargreaves to help move the
project along.
“It’s an exciting project for Middletown,” she said. “We’re
all excited about the vision JR laid out. It’s going to be a real wonderful
addition to that neighborhood and block.
“He’s done an excellent job leveraging funding streams ...”
Peterson explained. “JR’s vision for the project is really inclusive of the
community ... Every factor he plans to include is with an eye to the
community.”
How should Norwalk redesign the Yankee Doodle parking garage?
NORWALK — The city is seeking the public’s input on
renovation designs for the Yankee Doodle Garage.
The city held a public event this week at the parking garage
in the Wall Street neighborhood for community members to view proposed paint
colors and remodeling of the structure and to discuss what they want to see
done with the area.
Nearly two dozen people attended the event with different
stations showcasing design options, including a virtual reality headset
allowing attendees to visualize the potential garage designs, Norwalk Director
of Transportation, Mobility and Parking Jim Travers said.
“We got some good direction from folks that were there to
put in place. We are going through some of the notes tonight,” Travers said
Wednesday morning. “We heard really the desire to have it look better and the
lower level brighter. We are looking at putting a canopy over the entrance and
exits and looking at how we increase lighting there. We heard a lot about
lighting.”
Two main designs put forward for public opinion both include
trimming the concrete ribbing away from the first floor of the garage,
brightening and opening the space. The two designs are painting the garage
exterior various shades of blue, or painting the building in rainbow colors,
Travers said.
With both designs, the garage will receive a power washing
before the work begins and removal of the first-floor ribbing, Travers said.
There is no cost difference between the two designs, he said.
Also included in the two designs are plans to paint the
interior of each level a different color, making it easier for people to
remember where they parked, Travers said. The project is expected to cost
between $1.2 million and $1.3 million, he said.
“This was most cost-effective. the other ones we were hiding
the ribs,” Travers said. “We’re avoiding long-term costs of maintenance for the
ribbing and taking advantage of what’s here instead of hiding.”
As the garage, which was constructed in 1975, is somewhat
underutilized, closing various parts at a time for construction does not pose a
major concern to operations, Travers said.
Having gathered input on potential garage improvements, the
city intends to release an online survey next week to finalize design plans,
Travers said.
The survey will remain open for several weeks, depending on
the rate of public response, and alongside the two paint options include different
landscaping and lighting designs to choose, Travers said.
“I think our desire is that we are running through the
design process near the end of this year, and we would go out to bid, picking a
contractor to start in the spring,” Travers said. “Hopefully, we’ll start
construction in the spring and finish in the fall of next year. That puts us in
line to what we are seeing for getting the intersection of Belden and Mott
done.”
The garage design plans are part of a larger project,
presented to the public in mid-June, reinvigorating
the Wall Street area, including reconstructing the intersection outside the
library and Wall Street Theater, widening the area’s sidewalks and improving
the neighborhood’s appearance.
The Yankee Doodle and Wall Street events were designed to
involve the public in the decision-making process, city spokesperson Michelle
Woods Matthews said.
“The Wall Street kick-off goal was to be interactive with
the community, transparent and really engage with them right there and then,”
Woods Matthews said. “So, we had the same goals for this event.”
Flyers for the public survey will be posted around the Wall
Street area in the coming weeks, along with online outreach linking to the
survey.
Centerpiece of ongoing transformation of downtown of New Britain unveiled during groundbreaking
NEW BRITAIN – The centerpiece of ongoing transformation
downtown was unveiled at a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday.
New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart and city officials joined
Jasko Development and the construction team at the future site of “The
Highrailer” - a modern, 114-unit apartment building going up at 283 Main St.
“People are going to look at downtown New Britain
differently,” Stewart said. “This corner is the piece that will make downtown.
It’s going to be monumental and transformative.”
Jasko CEO Avner Krohn was the recipient of many
congratulations, as he is also building “The Brit” right next door at the
corner of Main and Bank Streets, a 100-unit apartment building. Both
developments together will feature over 6,000 sq. ft. of retail space on the first
floor.
Krohn has worked closely with Stewart and her father, former
Mayor Tim Stewart, on many projects throughout the city for well over a decade.
“He’s got a vision and his vision matches ours and the
community of New Britain,” City Economic Development Director Jack Benjamin
said of the developer. “Adding more variety to the city’s housing stock drives
affordability across the spectrum,” he added.
Several business owners in the downtown district joined
officials at the event, excited about the future of their neighborhood.
“I would definitely love to get an apartment here,” said
Antonio Gonzalez, owner of The Canna Bio Group at 77 W. Main St. “I was born
and raised here in New Britain and my business is right down the street so this
would be very convenient.”
Caesar Gahmi, whose family owns Jimmy’s Smoke Shop and the
newly-opened Exotic Snacks, will also be looking to move into the six-story
building.
“What the Mayor is doing for New Britain is good,” Gahmi
said. “It’s cleaning up the streets and improving downtown little by little.”
The Brit and The Highrailer are both expected to be
completed in 2023.
Krohn chose the name “Highrailer” to honor the block’s
history. Amato’s Toy & Hobby closed earlier this year after 60 years and
demolition on the building is already complete. The toy store a Mecca for model
train hobbyists.
“A highrailer is a professional train hobbyist,” Krohn
explained. “This is to pay homage to the Amato family. CTfastrak is right next
door and back in the day there was also a train stop right at this corner. The
idea is to have a young, fresh vibe here while bringing in some of the
historical elements. We want this to be a full-time place to work, live and
play.”