SOUTHINGTON — Old Mountain Road has been shut down following the cracking of a temporary pavement. A detour will be put in place until it can be re-paved in April.
“The extreme high and low temperatures this winter ate through the patch we’d put on it and it is no longer safe to travel,” said Town Manager Garry Brumback on Tuesday. “We had done several patches and the police were monitoring any changes. After this last snow, it just didn’t hold.”
Last August, the town awarded Martin Laviero Contractor of Bristol $694,450 to repair the Old Mountain Road bridge, which Brumback said had been weight-limited more than 20 years ago due to deterioration. Brumback said the road has now deteriorated to the point where it can’t be patched.
“It would require us to spend a considerable sum on a thick temporary overlay and we believe this is not advisable,” he said. “We have contacted the contractor and he has agreed to resume work on the project. The contractor will attempt to re-establish the detour today at which time we can stop around the clock police protection. He will mobilize as soon as he is able and should be actively working by late this week or early next week. The contractor will contact the police department to get officers for traffic control while he resets the detour.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
City awarded $3m federal grant toward restoring two-way downtown
MERIDEN — The city reached a “critical step” in transforming the downtown traffic pattern Tuesday, with the award of nearly $3 million to update traffic signals.
Meriden was one of 10 municipalities across the state to receive part of a $20 million Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program grant from the Federal Highway Administration.
The $2.99 million Meriden received will be used to upgrade 12 traffic signals in the city center.
“This is a critical step in our transportation plan,” said Howard Weissberg, associate city engineer.
The federal grants are designed for transportation projects that will improve the flow of traffic, improve air quality, and reduce energy use.
In a statement from his office, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said, “These grants combine two of the most critical issues of our time: transportation and the environment. Growing and modernizing our transportation system in a way that’s beneficial to air quality is absolutely critical. We must keep working to provide a best-in-class transportation system — the future of our state hinges on it.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
The sewer boundary line bisects the 70-acre parcel located along the east side of Jerry Brown Road between Coogan Boulevard and Pequotsepos Road, leaving about 60 percent not served by sewers.
The entire property needs to be sewered for the project to occur and developer David Lattizori is asking the authority to include the entire farm in the sewer district so he can move forward with planning the project.
Lattizori said the outcome of Tuesday’s meeting was promising.
“I think they’re supportive. We just have to work out the technical issues, which I’m confident we can,” he said.
First Selectman Rob Simmons, who also attended the meeting, told the authority that, “this is the best plan I’ve seen for saving the Perkins Farm. It saves half of it.”
The estimated $60 million project would generate an estimated $1.1 million a year in annual tax revenue for the town. It also would create an estimated 350 well-paying permanent jobs, many of them in the medical and research field, as well as 400 construction jobs. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Gas expansion on tap
Eversource said it's nearing the start of construction that will expand natural gas systems in several areas of the state.
The Connecticut and Massachusetts-based utility said work starting this spring will impact Oxford and Stonington, while it is finalizing a plan to bring natural gas to Darien public buildings and some residences.
Eversource installed approximately 14 miles of new gas mains last year in communities ranging from Danbury to Putnam.
Hartford Vote Allots Extra $5.5M In City Money To Finish Yard Goats' Stadium
HARTFORD — The city council has approved a deal allowing Hartford to kick in $5.5 million for cost overruns at Dunkin' Donuts Park, clearing the way for work to be completed at the site.
Mayor Luke Bronin reached an agreement last month with the Hartford Yard Goats, the minor league team set to play at the ballpark, and developers of the stadium to address $10.4 million in overruns.
Under the agreement, developer DoNo Hartford LLC would give up $2.3 million in fees and make additional annual tax payments of $225,000 on the entire Downtown North development, a mixed-use project that includes the stadium. The higher tax payments would extend over 25 years.
The Yard Goats would contribute $2 million and give up $500,000 that the city would have paid for designated team parking. And the city would initially shoulder $5.5 million from bonds issued by the Hartford Stadium Authority, which is overseeing the project. The additional tax payments from DoNo Hartford would eventually reduce Hartford's share of the costs to about $3.5 million.The council's six Democrats on Monday voted in favor of the proposal. Members Larry Deutsch and Wildaliz Bermudez, both of the Working Families Party, abstained. Cynthia Jennings, also of Working Families, was absent. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Developer Will Demolish Buildings On The Former Campus Of The Hartford In Simsbury
SIMSBURY — The new owner of the former campus of The Hartford will demolish the office buildings on the property, town officials confirmed Tuesday.The 172-acre property was sold for $8.52 million in late December, including 641,000 square feet of building space and farmland to the north.
Thomas Cooke, director of administrative services, said Tuesday morning that The Silverman Group, a New Jersey real estate development firm, filed an application for demolition of the 200 Hopmeadow St. site with the conservation commission Monday.
"In many ways, this is not a surprise," Cooke said. "The good news is that The Silverman Group has been meeting with staff and moving forward with plans to get permits for mixed development.""Every indication is that they want to move forward quickly with the new plan and it's not going to be a long, drawn-out process," Cooke said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Work On West Hartford's Mayflower Street Bridge To Start In March
WEST HARTFORD — Work on the Mayflower Street bridge is expected to start on or about the week of March 1.
Construction on the bridge, which carries Mayflower Street over Interstate-84, is expected to be completed by December, according to a press release.
The project was awarded to New England Infrastructure, Inc. at a cost of $6.28 million, and the rehabilitation will be undertaken using state funds.
The rehabilitation project consists of replacing the existing bridge deck, structural steel members and parapets, and construction will occur in two stages. During the first stage, traffic will use the east side of the existing structure while the west side is being constructed. In the second stage, traffic will shift to the newly constructed west side so the remainder of the structure can be built. The one-way travel lane will be controlled by a temporary traffic signal. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE