American Bridge Rehabilitates East Haddam Swing Bridge
IRWIN RAPOPORT
American Bridge Company (AB) is rehabilitating the East
Haddam Swing Bridge, which carries Route 82 over the Connecticut River and
links the towns of Haddam and East Haddam, for the Connecticut Department of
Transportation (CTDOT). The total project cost is $78.4 million, with the AB
contract valued at $55.2 million.
The bridge that was constructed in 1913 by American Bridge
is a four-span structure with a west-east orientation. It consists of a fixed
deck truss in Span 1, a fixed through truss in Span 2 and a moveable through
truss swing span (Spans 3 and 4).
"This project involves a major rehabilitation of the
structural, mechanical and electrical components of the bridge," said Josh
Morgan, CTDOT spokesperson. "A cantilevered sidewalk is being added to the
south side of the bridge and approach sidewalks are being constructed, as
requested by the towns. Once the bridge rehabilitation is completed, it will
provide safety, access and operations for vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists;
a safe crossing of the Connecticut River for vehicles and pedestrians traveling
on Route 82; and extend service life and improve swing operation reliability.
"The bridge was rehabilitated in 1988, 1998, 1999 and
2007," he added. "Due to significant swing-span operation problems,
an emergency repair project was completed in 2016. Inspections by CTDOT's
bridge safety and evaluation unit determined that the bridge is in poor
condition, primarily due to the deterioration of its superstructure."
The project includes the replacement of Span 1 deck stringer
and Span 2 deck and floor system, truss strengthening repairs on all spans,
substructure modifications and patching, new bridge and approach rails that
meet standards, operator house repairs, replacement of the generator house
roof, major mechanical system upgrades, full replacement of the electrical
system (including replacement of power, control and operator house
telecommunication submarine cables).
A cantilevered 6-ft.-wide fiber reinforced polymer deck
sidewalk structure attached to the south side of the bridge is proposed. It
will connect to approach sidewalks that will extend on the west side to Little
Meadow Road and on the east side to the delivery driveway at the Goodspeed
Opera House.
Planning for the project goes back several years and CTDOT
has held several public meetings to discuss the project. State and federal
funds are financing the project.
The design was completed in 2021. Construction began in fall
2022 and should be completed in spring 2025. The project was designed by CTDOT
and Hardesty & Hanover.
Some challenges include the environment surrounding the
swing bridge. The Connecticut River is a natural habitat for marine life and
osprey nests on the bridge truss. There are limited access points to the
structure, plus marine access and vehicular traffic needs to be maintained to
minimize impacts. After the project is completed, the service life of the
bridge is extended 30 years.
To complete the work, 25 63-hour road closure periods with a
detour of traffic have been proposed to facilitate deck and floor beam
replacement in Spans 1 and 2. The signed detour route is 30 mi. long and uses
the Baldwin Bridge on I-95. Overnight road closures and alternating one-way
traffic patterns are helping the construction effort.
Measures also include signalized alternating one-way traffic
patterns for approximately 23 weeks over the course of the three years of
construction. For certain periods, the swing bridge will not be operational.
"We're ensuring that residents and business owners are
informed of construction schedules and potential impacts in advance of any
closures through the project website, e-mail communication, text alerts and
social media posts," said Morgan. "Through live traffic cameras on
the project website, the public can also see construction and traffic impacts
in real time."
The construction zone runs from Little Meadow Road,
continues over the ridge, and ends west of the Goodspeed Opera House.
In early February, road work took place in Haddam with
American Bridge crews continuing with retaining wall construction along the
southside of Route 82 and bridge abutment rehabilitation. Bridge work-wise,
west abutment and Pier 1 repairs are ongoing, as well as containment setup,
followed by surface prep and priming on Spans 1 and 2; installation of an
overhead moveable crane on Span 2; steel priority repairs on Span 1 and 2; and
repair work of the swing span mechanical system to return full functionality to
swing operations.
The work is presenting many challenges.
"There is a lot of work to get done in a short amount
of time" said Davin Hazirjian, AB's project manager. "Getting the
initial submittals in early on was important to avoid problems with long lead
time items like submarine cable and many of the mechanical components, which
are forged and then machined. We are on schedule and staying ahead on our
planning and procurement. We're happy with the progress and it has been a very
collaborative relationship with CTDOT and their design team.
"We are about 30 miles inland from the coast, so the
soil is mostly sand, but this has not presented any issues," he added.
"Utilities are always a challenge, both overhead and underground, but the
providers here in Connecticut have been very good to work with, and responsive
in getting things moved as needed on occasion. As is typical with a rehabilitation
project on an old steel bridge, lead in the paint is a factor. All the proper
precautions and measures are being undertaken as part of our Lead Health and
Safety Plan (LHASP) to protect our workers while they abate this hazard.
Crews were working throughout the winter.
"Temperatures don't get too extreme in Connecticut, and
our union labor force is used to working in the elements all year round,"
said Hazirjian. "Ice flows in the river are the biggest weather-related
impact we will need to plan for in the winter. We've planned our work to
utilize a top-down approach where we have very little need for marine
equipment, which minimizes our exposure. It's a two-lane bridge that carries
vehicles in 12-foot lanes, which will be squeezed down to 6-inch shoulders when
the temporary bridge rails are up. Working in single-lane closures is tight.
Off the bridge, on the east approach, is tight due to the sharp curve and the
proximity of the bridge to an Opera House situated on the banks of the river.
Besides that, we have been fortunate to procure two decent-sized laydown yards
for materials, equipment and offices.
"Our relationship with the client has been top
notch," he added. "Open lines of communication have been steady since
the award date. They coordinate conference calls and meetings to help resolve
technical issues with their design engineers. And commercial-related items are
handled very professionally and timely. It's been a pleasure."
The plan of attack for the road and bridge work is a
top-down approach.
"All bridge work will be accomplished with equipment
either on land or on the bridge, with nothing in the water with the exception
of the dredging for submarine cables," said Hazirjian. "Laborers are
working on the earthwork along both approaches, as well as substructure
concrete work with the carpenters. Painters are on the bridge abating the steel
by blasting and painting. The Ironworkers are right behind them doing steel
repairs. The electricians have work all over the bridge and are able to bounce
around un-interrupted due to the Safespan access below deck."
Safespan is a proprietary/brand name suspended scaffold
system.
Equipment-wise, crews are using a Caterpillar 322 wheeled
excavator, a Volvo L60H wheeled loader, a Liebherr LTM 1055-3.2 mobile crane, a
custom built 25-ton gantry crane built by Moye Handling and telehandlers — a
JLG 450AJ and a Genie Z45. Add to this a Tadano GR-150XL hydraulic crane.
Planning is ongoing for upcoming work.
"Our team is constantly planning ahead so that we maintain
our schedule and can proactively identify any potential challenges that may
arise," said Hazirjian. "Again, we're working closely with the owner,
which has been a very collaborative, positive experience for us."
Supply chain issues were factored into the planning.
"The biggest concern was procuring submarine cable and
machinery components, but those seem to be in the rear-view mirror now,"
said Hazirjian. "There doesn't seem to be supply issues with fiberglass
reinforced polymer [FRP], though we do see some volatility in that market.
Paint may be in issue, specifically with the zinc-based primers and then also
with the pigments for the color in the topcoat finishes."
The AB management team includes a project manager, a project
superintendent, project engineers, field engineers, a quality control manager,
a safety representative and office manager, and interns/co-ops.
"The team is hard working and supportive," said
Hazirjian. "We put in a lot of hours, and that won't be slowing down for a
while. But in those hours, there is plenty of laughing and camaraderie with one
another. You have to keep it light when you can, especially when you're
spending more time at work with your team than you are at home with family. You
can tell the surrounding community is close-knit and while we know this project
is a big change for them, the community has been really welcoming to our team.
"We brought in some key foreman from previous projects
to head up the first few crews," he added. "Everyone else has come
from the local union halls, which has turned into a great group that are
performing well and in a very safe and professional manner."
On busy days, there are approximately 13 AB employees and
about six to 10 subcontractor employees on site. Regional and local
subcontractors are aiding the effort.
Demolition and excavation activities should generate
concrete, 500 tons of steel, asphalt, earth and rock.
New materials consist of structural steel, grid deck,
soldier piles, micropiles, UHPC, bridge machinery/mechanical components,
submarine cable, bridge rail (four-rail), FRP deck panels, and bridge balance
blocks.
Thus far, maintenance issues have been minimal.
AB is renting all the equipment being used, which is being
supplied by H.O.
Penn, Sunbelt Rentals, United
Rentals and Bay Crane.
"The dealerships have all been very helpful," said
Hazirjian. "They have some great sales reps up here. We have corporate
accounts with just about all of the dealerships mentioned, so it's just a
matter of meeting the local rep when we come on to a project in a new market.
They make it very easy because they are always willing to go above and beyond
to get our business and keep us calling back the next time." CEG
Public comment period extended on Tweed New Haven airport environmental review
NEW HAVEN — The Federal Aviation Administration has extended
the public comment period on the draft
Environmental Assessment of Tweed New Haven Regional Airport's proposed
expansion project by 15 days to May 1 after being approached by representatives
of both the airport and expansion opponents.
But an opponent to Tweed expansion said a 15-day extension
isn't enough and the FAA should grant a 45-day extension.
The public comment period was to have been 45 days, ending
April 16. Instead, it will be 60 days, ending May 1, according to
correspondence from an FAA official.
The Tweed New Haven
Airport Authority will hold a public information workshop and hearing
on the
draft EA at East Haven High School April 1. It will begin with an
"open house" question-and-answer session from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.,
followed by a more formal hearing from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
"Expansion of HVN’s runway and a new terminal are
incredibly important to the future of Southern Connecticut," said Tom
Rafter, executive director of the Tweed New Haven Airport Authority. "Our
team of experts have spent many hours over the course of two years working closely
with the FAA, CT DEEP, EPA and the Army Corp of Engineers to draft this
Environmental Assessment for public review.
"Extending the comment period demonstrates the
commitment to gathering as much public feedback as possible," Rafter said.
"It also shows that the NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) process
works.
Lorena Venegas, an East Haven resident, member of the 10,000
Hawks community group and an active participant in the Keep Tweed Small and Fly
Tweed Facts Facebook groups, said the community needs more time to comment.
"The FAA should grant a full 45-day extension since the
numerical values and methodology in the Draft Environmental Assessment have not
been shown to the public at any open, public meeting in East Haven in the last
2 years," Venegas said.
"As an Environmental Justice town, #17 out of 169,
there is no town deal, no community benefits plan, no taxation revenue and
every burden of air/noise pollution, traffic, wetlands encroachment, wildlife
destruction and health impacts inside designated FEMA flood zones,"
Venegas said.
The Environmental Assessment, released in early March, says
that extending Tweed's runway and building a new terminal on the East Haven
side would improve the airport's impact on the environment, among other things.
Among the EA's findings is that the project would reduce
overall noise by shifting aircraft ground noise farther from nearby
homes.
It would improve air quality in adjacent neighborhoods in
part because aircraft would be farther away from homes, while having a minimal
impact on undisturbed wetlands, affecting less than 0.2 acre, with mitigation
measures to achieve an overall policy goal of "no net loss," the
report concluded.
While the plan calls for the runway to be extended from
5,600 feet to 6,635 feet, the draft EA found that a 60-foot reduction in that
proposed length could avoid construction impacts within tidal wetlands.
"Therefore, the proposed runway length would be approximately 6,575
feet," which would accomplish Tweed's goals "while fully complying
with FAA design and safety standards," it says.
The plan also calls to build a new 80,000-square-foot
terminal on the East Haven side of the airport. A new airport entrance would be
off Proto Drive in East Haven, with access off Coe Avenue.
The EA found that the expansion project would not
significantly affect traffic at 11 key intersections. A new traffic signal and
intersection improvements would be installed at Proto Drive and Coe Ave in East
Haven.
The EA is posted at a
link on Tweed's TweedMasterPlan.com and FlyTweed.com websites. Paper copies will
be available to view at all five branches of the New Haven Free Public Library,
as well as the Hagaman Memorial Library in East Haven and the Blackstone
Memorial Library in Branford.
HAMDEN — The town has won $5.4 million in state aid to
demolish and abate the abandoned middle school on Newhall Street, a site Mayor
Lauren Garrett hopes ultimately will become Hamden’s “community
campus.”
But in a town that is strapped
for cash, some local officials and community members have questioned the
plan, asking whether it is the best way to spend Hamden’s federal and state aid
money, including its allotment from the American Rescue Plan Act.
Garrett has proposed
spending $15.4 million, the bulk of the town’s remaining $18 million in
ARPA money, on the community campus. The entire project is expected to cost $59
million, according to a town application for state funding.
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In that application, Garrett asked Alexandra Daum,
commissioner of the state Department of Economic and Community Development, to
allot $15 million from the state’s Community Investment Fund for the
redevelopment of the middle school site.
Located in Newhall, one of Hamden’s most underserved
neighborhoods, the community campus would house child care and elderly
services, social services, a food pantry, an arts and cultural center, a
library and a health and wellness center, Garrett wrote.
Those elements have an estimated $38 million price tag and
would constitute the first phase of the project, the application says. In the
project’s second phase, the town would construct recreational space and
athletic fields on the property for an estimated $21 million, per the
application.
Officials hope to avoid using taxpayer dollars to fund the
construction. Asked whether she had any concerns about getting enough outside
aid to foot the bill, Garrett said the town would seek further Community
Investment Fund money; she also said there are “community partners that are
interested in providing capital to build fields and recreational space.”
“I think that work would be quite feasible,” she said.
The mayor has backing from state officials. At a press
conference this week, Hamden’s state delegation stood with Garrett in front of
the old middle school to express their support for the community campus.
Sen. Jorge Cabrera, D-Hamden, called Garrett a “phenomenal
partner” to the delegation when it comes to fighting for money the community
needs.
Asked about the cost of the project, Rep. Mike D’Agostino,
D-Hamden, said he believed it possible to get the financing needed for the
community campus because it aligns with the goals of the CIF.
“The Community Investment Fund is designed for larger-scale
projects that are transformative to an entire community,” he said.
Either way, moving forward would require the Legislative
Council’s go-ahead. The town’s governing body has yet to decide how to use
Hamden’s ARPA funds; those conversations are expected to take place within the
next few weeks.
“If the council doesn’t want to move forward on the project,
then we wouldn’t be able to,” said Garrett.
On the town’s CIF application, Garrett mentioned that Hamden
anticipated contributing ARPA funds to the project.
“I think we would still be able to do the demolition, but I
would of course verify that with the state,” Garrett said when asked whether
the town would lose the $5.4 million if the Legislative Council does not agree
to commit the ARPA money to the community campus.
Other needs
Legislative Council member Justin Farmer, D-5, represents
the district that is home to Newhall, also known as Highwood. He previously
floated the idea of building a community center at the site of the middle
school, and said he wants to see the school building torn down as much as
anyone.
But he does have concerns about how the town is proceeding
with the project.
In addition to calling for more discussions with community
members about the plan, one of Farmer’s primary points concerns priorities:
Newhall has dozens of homes that need
structural repairs because they were built on contaminated fill.
Administered by the Hamden Economic Development Corporation,
those repairs have been ongoing for years. But in an email to a reporter, Dale
Kroop, who heads up the HEDC, said funding for the project is running out.
When it does, there will still be at least 35 homes that
need work, he wrote. Farmer thinks those homes should come before the middle
school.
“I’m disappointed that the crumbling homes were not part of
the (CIF) application,” he said. “Those homes should have been priority before
knocking down the middle school.”
Farmer also thinks the town should consider spending ARPA
funds on the repairs, he said.
Garrett only learned a couple of months ago that the HEDC no
longer would manage the repairs project once it runs out of money, she said.
“We’ve been in touch with our state delegation about some
potential funding sources, and there are some potential pots of money at the
state that could work for these projects,” she said.
The town will pursue the funding “in parallel” with its
efforts to gain financial support for the community campus, she said.
Before Hamden can successfully apply for those grants,
however, it needs a file of information from the HEDC, Garrett said, adding
that the town has requested and is waiting on that file.
Additional concerns
Because the community campus would include a library branch,
part of Garrett’s proposal involves the eventual closure of two neighborhood
libraries, Whitneyville and Brundage.
The idea aligns with the town’s Plan of Conservation and
Development, she said, which calls for decreasing the footprint of municipal
facilities.
But some worry about what the closures would mean for
community members.
“What happens to the people into those communities that walk
to the library now?” asked Elizabeth Hayes, a longtime Newhall resident. She
described the libraries as an important resource. For example, she said she
visits both the Whitneyville and Brundage branches, where she has seen visitors
working to learn English.
Councilman Abdul Osmanu, D-3, shared a similar view. He is
not a fan of the plan to close the libraries, he said, because “those are
branch libraries that people in the community frequently use.”
There are “key aspects of the community center discussion
that I don’t really think have been hashed out,” Osmanu said.
But at-large Councilman Cory O’Brien, a Democrat, said the
two library branches “are not sustainable into the future without some
significant investment.”
While he understands there are some drawbacks to the
community campus, he said, he is in support of it because he believes the pros outweigh
the cons.
“The goal here is to ensure that we actually provide better
services, because our branch libraries are providing a fraction of what we want
them to provide,” O’Brien said. The benefits to the community campus “are going
to significantly outweigh any of the challenges.”
Farmer raised another question about the project: can the
town get it done in time, and still do it right?
Hamden must decide how to use its ARPA dollars by the end of
2024 and spend the money by the end of 2026. Farmer does not believe the
timeline is realistic, he said.
“It’s a significant undertaking,” Garrett acknowledged. “We
have to work with (the state Department of Energy & Environmental
Protection) to get approval of all of the plans, so it’s important that we get
started as soon as possible, but the timeline is still manageable if we get
started now.”
Intersection work helped sway PZC support for $100M Southington project
Jesse Buchanan
SOUTHINGTON — A developer’s offer to expand and improve
a key intersection helped convince town officials to approve a $100 million
project off West Street.
Town leaders gave the Texas-based developer approval earlier
this week for the plan which includes 255 apartments along with turning
lanes and a motion-sensing camera for the West Street and Curtiss Street
intersection.
During public hearings on the plan, residents, planners and
representatives from Anthony Properties debated the traffic impact. Neighbors
worried that the addition of 255 new families to West Street would make the
area even more congested and possibly even unsafe.
Traffic engineers representing the developer said
improvements Anthony Properties will make the West Street and Curtiss Street
intersections, including two dedicated turning lanes, will keep traffic flowing
properly.
Unanimously approved
Despite reservations among some Planning and Zoning
Commission members, they approved the development’s special permit and site
plan Tuesday night unanimously.
Mixed-use residential and commercial projects are allowed
along that stretch of West Street, they said.
Peter Santago, a commission Republican, said he’d read
through all the materials presented by Anthony Properties. He found it very
thorough and said it addressed all the town’s regulations. If town regulations
are met, the commission has a legal obligation to approve developments.
“It meets our regulations, it does. Any other consideration
would be biased,” he said.
Traffic concerns, intersection improvements
Plans for the development show eight residential buildings
containing apartments, two commercial buildings and a clubhouse. Access for
residents and customers will only be on Curtiss Street.
West Street area residents were concerned that the
additional traffic would overload the West Street and Curtiss Street
intersection, leading to long back-ups and accidents as drivers going
southbound on West Street tried to cross the northbound lane to turn onto
Curtiss Street.
Brian Shiu, Anthony Properties’ development vice president,
said Tuesday that he heard residents’ concerns expressed at recent public
hearings.
His plan had included building a dedicated left-hand turning
lane on West Street to allow drivers to safely cross it onto Curtiss Street.
The plan had also included an easement of land to allow for a right-hand
turning lane on Curtiss Street onto West Street, allowing more room for traffic
to stack and prevent long back-ups on Curtiss.
On Tuesday, Shiu said Anthony Properties would make
constructing that right-hand turning lane on Curtiss Street part of the plan
right away rather than waiting until it was needed.
He also said the company would buy and install a 360-degree
camera for the intersection. It’s the new method for timing the light,
replacing the old method of in-road sensors that can tell when cars are waiting
to go. Shiu said the camera would help the intersection operate more
efficiently.
Traffic improvements appealing
Jennifer Clock, a commission Republican, said her concerns
about traffic were lessened by the developer’s offer to build a right-hand
turning lane on Curtiss Street.
With that addressed and nothing at odds with regulations,
she founder herself obligated to support the plan.
“I can’t find another reason to not support it,” she said.
Approval includes stipulations for the right-hand turn lane
on Curtiss Street and a requirement that trucks use West Street for highway
access during construction.
Bob Hammersley, the commission chairman, said those
stipulations and other measures were prompted by neighbors’ statements and
concerns during public hearings.
He credited Anthony Properties with being willing to make
changes based on those concerns.
“I think they were being as accommodating as you can ask
anybody to be,” Hammersley said. “They do hear it, they do listen and they did
what I think is the right thing.”
The next steps for the company are getting state Department
of Transportation approval for work adding the turning lane to West Street.
Curtiss Street work only requires town approval.
Hammersley said the project also needs easement agreements
with neighbors.
The 41-acre parcel on West Street is owned by the Tolles
family.
Shiu said the apartments he’s planning will likely appeal to
young professionals and empty-nesters looking for amenities such as a pool and
clubhouse.
Greeneville, Stanton elementary schools: First step taken on $385M building project
NORWICH — A massive $385 million project to revamp Norwich’s
school buildings moves a step closer.
The Norwich City Council approved
resolutions giving the Norwich Board of Education permission to apply to the
state Department of Administrative
Services for funding for three of the four elementary school projects
– Greeneville, Stanton and Moriarty elementary schools. School Building
Committee Chair Mark Bettencourt said the application for and the work on the
Greeneville and Stanton school projects would be done first.
“We’re trying to get the ground running with the grant
application process,” he said.
Stanton is a priority because it’s a worn-out building, and
building the new Stanton and Greeneville schools first provides more
flexibility for the rest of the process.
“We’ll be able to move kids around and do what’s necessary
that way,” Bettencourt said.
More:Multi-million dollar school building project passes in Norwich.
Here's what happens next.
How Norwich got here
Back in November, voters approved the city’s plans to spend
a total of $385 million to discontinue use of all the existing
elementary schools and build four large new ones, alongside turning the Samuel
Huntington Elementary School into the new district office, and a remodel
of Teachers Memorial
Global Magnet Elementary School. The cost is $385 million, but the cost to
the city was said to be only $149 million, after getting state grants.
A self-imposed deadline for the application is Oct. 1, but
it will likely be filed sooner. Bettencourt said the application should be in
by the end of June, but state Sen. Cathy Osten said the city should have the
application in by April or May.
This is so the city would get added to the School
Construction Priority List for 2023-2024, which is how the state handles grants
for school construction. The project will be voted on by the state’s Education
Committee to be added to the list. Then, it needs to be voted for approval as a
part of the education implementer during the budget process for the state's
2023-2024 fiscal year, Osten said.
The City Council resolutions were a requirement of the grant
application process. The resolutions to seek grant funding for the remaining
school projects will come at a later date, Bettencourt said.
In January, the city sought an owner’s representative for
the school building project, and Norwich picked Construction Solutions Group,
LLC. Bettencourt was out with the owner’s representative and Norwich Public
Schools personnel conducting site inspections Wednesday. With Stanton, there
have been septic and sewer issues, but it is being fixed, he said.
The City Council resolutions were a requirement of the grant
application process. The resolutions to seek grant funding for the remaining
school projects will come at a later date, Bettencourt said.
In January, the city sought an owner’s representative for
the school building project, and Norwich picked Construction Solutions Group,
LLC. Bettencourt was out with the owner’s representative and Norwich Public
Schools personnel conducting site inspections Wednesday. With Stanton, there
have been septic and sewer issues, but it is being fixed, he said.
Bringing back an elementary school to Greeneville
On Monday, former Greeneville Elementary School Assistant
Principal Jan Swicki said to the city council that she hopes returning a school
to Greeneville is a positive, and that it becomes a hub for the community. She
also said she would miss the current Stanton building when it's gone, as she
was also principal there.
When the School Building Committee came up with the school
plans, Greeneville was chosen for a location due to the available land at the
site of the former school, and the area’s population density, Bettencourt said.
After the original Greeneville School closed over a decade
ago, the students needed to be bused to different schools. Some families in the
area may have children going to different schools in the city, making things
hard to coordinate, said Greeneville Neighborhood Committee vice president
Cynthia Jean-Mary.
“It’s going to be nice to have families with multiple
children at the same school,” she said.
Greeneville is an up-and-coming part of the city, and having
a school back there would complement an area with its own main street and fire
house.
“It’s got all the pieces of the puzzle to bring things back
around in the area,” she said.