Replacement of North Street Bridge in Greenwich will close the road for up to 81 days
GREENWICH — Construction
of a new North Street Bridge is beginning this
month, potentially closing
the road entirely all summer, according to the Greenwich Department of Public
Works.
The $4.52 million project to replace
the century-old bridge over West Brothers Brook aims to improve
long-term safety and reliability for motorists, officials say.
Planning for the bridge replacement has been significantly
changed in recent years due in large part to public outcry about closing the
road entirely for an extended period of time.
DPW originally projected that the replacement would take
between 18 and 24 months while the bridge was open to alternating one-way
traffic.
However, local officials presented a plan that lessened the
construction time, but called for a complete closure, which was ultimately
chosen.
In order to complete major phases of construction, North
Street will be fully closed between June 8 and Aug. 28, for a maximum of 81
consecutive days.
If the contractor completes the required work sooner, the
road will reopen ahead of schedule, according to DPW officials.
Construction by South Windsor-based McCarthy Concrete Inc.
is funded through the Local Transportation Improvement Program, or LOTCIP,
for construction and inspection, with designs funded by the town of Greenwich.
Motorists are encouraged to plan ahead and allow extra time
to travel during construction.
Officials say the full closure is planned to align with the
summer school break.
Construction is slated to begin this month, with completion
expected to be next spring.
All dates are dependant on the weather and subject to change
based on conditions and construction progress, DPW officials said.
Before and after the full closure period, traffic will
operate under alternating one-way traffic during construction hours with
Greenwich police on site to assist.
Typical construction hours are scheduled Monday through
Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
During these hours, alternating one-way traffic may be in
effect between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
To minimize impacts during peak travel times, no lane
closures or alternating one-way traffic will be permitted outside of the full
closure period between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. and between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., Monday
through Friday.
This restriction is intended to reduce disruptions during
school drop-off and pick-up times, as well as peak commuter traffic periods,
DPW officials said.
An official signed detour route will be in place during full
closure and posted in advance, officials said.
DPW officials say emergency vehicles will be able to follow
the detour and access all private homes without traveling though the
construction zone, and there will be full access at all times to adjacent
properties, but the public will not be allowed in the active work area.
There will also be no pedestrian or bicycle access across
the bridge during the full closure.
Utility services are expected to remain uninterrupted, but
there will be typical construction noise and vibration, officials said.
United Rentals expands use of customer AI tools as companies continue to embrace growing technology
Stamford-based equipment rental company United
Rentals said it has launched a new artificial intelligence-powered
digital assistant designed to help customers identify equipment for
construction and industrial projects.
The tool, called Equipment Agent, allows users to describe
project needs in plain language and receive recommendations for equipment
rentals. The system can also compare equipment types and provide specifications
such as capacity, reach, terrain limits and required accessories.
The company said the assistant connects users to product
pages on its website where equipment can be reserved. In late December, United
Rentals also announced its launch of a Manual Assist AI web application to
deliver diagnostics and immediate access to equipment manufacturer manuals to
its service teams.
The moves come as more companies integrate AI tools directly
into their products and services.
Earlier this month, Norwalk-based financial data and
analytics firm FactSet
created a chief AI officer position to oversee the expansion of
artificial intelligence across its software platform and client offerings.
United Rentals said the Equipment Agent draws on
customer inquiries and internal equipment expertise. The company operates more
than 1,600 rental locations in North America and serves construction,
industrial and municipal customers.
Interstate 84 ramp at major CT interchange set for nighttime closure for weeks. Here’s why.
Get ready for a detour.
A project that will require the nighttime closure of the
ramp that takes traffic from Interstate 84 eastbound at Exit 51 to
Interstate 91 northbound will start on Monday, March 23, according to
the the state Department of Transportation.
The project
requiring this bridge rehabilitation closure includes bridge deck
repairs, parapet improvements, joint removal, substructure repairs and
paving, according to the DOT.
The ramp will be closed to all traffic from 9 p.m. each
weeknight to 6 a.m. the next day from Monday, March 23 to May 29, according to
the DOT. This will occur nightly, Monday through Friday.
Stage construction is anticipated for the duration of the
project, including shifting traffic for installation of temporary barrier along
Exit 51, according to the DOT. Traffic will be detoured so watch for signage.
The transportation agency notes that the “primary purpose”
of the project is to address “operational, safety and preventative maintenance
concerns as well as to evaluate and if necessary, improve the structural
integrity of the bridge to a ‘state of good repair’ extending its useful
service life.”
The agency also noted the project was awarded to Rotha Contracting Company, Inc. at
a cost of $5,586,864.17 in December 2025, and that it is expected to be
completed Nov. 30, 2026. It is administered by the Bureau of Engineering and
Construction, Office of Construction, District 1 in Rocky Hill.
The span, which is about 1,700 feet long, is also known as
the I-84 Flyover Bridge, “is a nine-span curved girder structure comprised of
steel box girders with a reinforced concrete deck,” according to the DOT. The
bridge was built in 1990 and carries Interstate 84 eastbound to Interstate 91
north over I-84/I-91 ramps and the CSO railroad, according to DOT.
“Motorists should be aware that modifications or extensions
to this schedule may become necessary due to weather delays or other unforeseen
conditions. Motorists are advised to maintain a safe speed when driving in this
area,” according to the agency.
Right-of-way impacts associated with the project were not
anticipated and it is anticipated to be undertaken with 90% federal funds
and 10% state funds.
Revolution Wind, a key offshore wind project and object of scorn for Trump admin, comes online
A large offshore wind project off the coast of Connecticut
and Rhode Island that was repeatedly stopped by the Trump administration came
online Friday evening, sending clean energy to New England’s power grid.
The project, known as Revolution Wind, is nearing the end of
construction and will ultimately generate up to 704 megawatts of
electricity — the equivalent of powering 350,000 homes. That’s about 2.5% of
New England’s electric supply. Construction on Revolution Wind is expected to
be completed later this year.
“This project is key to diversifying our energy supply and
lowering utility costs for families and businesses,” said Connecticut Gov. Ned
Lamont in a statement.
“Today’s milestone marks an important step forward for Rhode
Island’s energy future,” Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee said in a statement.
“Offshore wind is part of our state[s’] all-of-the-above
energy strategy,” he said.
The wind farm is expected to lower electricity costs
throughout New England. The region has some of the highest electricity prices
in the country. It’s also expected to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and
lessen the risk of blackouts during winter and other periods of high demand.
“Today is good news for Connecticut and the region’s
ratepayers, who will save hundreds of millions of dollars a year on their
electricity bills thanks to Connecticut and Rhode Island’s efforts to bring
Revolution Wind online,” said Connecticut Department of Energy and
Environmental Commissioner Katie Dykes in a statement.
“As we’ve seen from the harsh winter we’ve had, and the
impacts to fossil fuel prices as a result of the Iran war, having diverse
sources of stable, reliable power that both perform strongly in the winter and
are insulated from geopolitical events is beneficial to Connecticut
ratepayers,” she said.
Environmental and economic benefits
Revolution Wind is the second large-scale offshore wind
project to come online in New England.
Vineyard Wind 1, an offshore wind project off the coast of
Massachusetts, finished construction on Friday and has been sending
electricity to the New England power grid since 2024.
Together, these two projects could lower the risk of power
outages in New England by 55%, according to an analysis of winter wind speeds by the Union of Concerned
Scientists.
“Offshore wind adds a lot of power at times when the power
grid is most stressed,” said Susan Muller, senior energy analyst at Union of
Concerned Scientists. “It’s going to help protect everyone in New England from
blackouts, especially in the winter.”
The new power source will also help reduce New England’s
reliance on fossil fuels.
“Over the course of the last 25 years, it’s no secret that
New England’s electric grid has become increasingly dependent on fuels such as
natural gas,” said Chris Phelps, state director of Environment Connecticut.
This past January, as cold temperatures dipped during winter
storm Fern, the Department of Energy issued an emergency order, allowing power
plants that burn oil and natural gas to exceed federal air quality limitations
to keep electricity flowing to customers.
“When we see dramatic spikes in energy demand in New
England, as we did during the coldest periods of the winter just a few weeks
ago, some of those older, dirtier fossil fuel and power plants start to spin up
in New England and our air quality is harmed as a result,” Phelps said. “With
offshore wind available, that becomes less necessary.”
Offshore wind is also less volatile than natural gas when it
comes to prices, Phelps said.
“Gas prices in particular have experienced moments of
extreme volatility and price swings up and down. Wind is an example of an
energy resource that doesn’t have that problem attached to it,” he said.
On-again, off-again: Trump’s ongoing offshore wind battle
Construction on Revolution Wind was abruptly halted by the
Trump administration twice last year.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) issued its
first work-stop order on Aug. 22, stating the federal government needed to
review the project and address national security concerns. Revolution Wind was
approximately 80% complete at the time with 45 of its 65 turbines installed.
Developers said the project had already been reviewed and permitted by the
defense department with all necessary state and federal permits secured in
2023.
Two lawsuits were filed in response — one by Orsted, the
Danish company developing Revolution Wind, and another by Connecticut and Rhode
Island. One month later, in September, a judge ruled work could continue on
Revolution Wind, stating the government failed to “make any factual findings or
cite any reasons” why the project should be stopped.
Four months after that, on Dec. 22, the federal government
issued another work-stop order — this time stopping construction on five
offshore wind farms on the East Coast, including Revolution Wind. The other
wind farms included Vineyard Wind 1 off Massachusetts, Sunrise Wind and Empire
Wind off New York, and Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind off Virginia.
BOEM suspended leases on all five wind farms, stating
national security risks for radar equipment used by marine vessels.
According to the Department of the Interior, “unclassified
reports from the U.S. government have long found that the movement of massive
turbine blades and the highly reflective towers create radar interference
called ‘clutter’” and false targets.
Energy experts were quick to criticize the statement.
“The current evidence suggests that these risks are quite
modest and can easily be addressed,” said Kenneth Gillingham, professor of
energy and environmental economics at Yale School of the Environment.
“You can change the radar settings so that false positives
are less likely to happen. This is something that's done all the time in places
where there happens to be a lot of steel,” he said, noting militaries that work
around offshore wind turbines in Europe’s North Sea.
“This is the use of the executive branch in an arbitrary way
that has never been used before,” Gillingham said.
The judge said the administration failed to explain why
construction could not continue and that members of the administration were
vocal in criticizing offshore wind farms for reasons unrelated to national
security.
Visual impact
The island of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts is one of
the closest points of land to Revolution Wind, about 12 miles away.
Bettina Washington, tribal historic preservation officer for
the Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe on Martha’s Vineyard, said the tribe does not
oppose renewable energy, but wind farms have changed what was once an endless
horizon.
“The true visual impact — which would affect anybody who
wants to come up and out to the south, southwest, southeast, off Aquinnah — is
quite jarring, and especially at night,” she said. “So, we understand that this
energy is being produced to help cut down on fossil fuels. In essence, we
support that. But it is a very difficult — I would say — thing to see, and how
that affects us for our viewsheds.”
She said the Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe will continue to call
for no additional turbines to be built along the island coast.