NORWALK — Residents, business owners and elected and appointed officials shared their concerns about the state’s upcoming replacement of the Walk Rail Bridge during a public hearing at Norwalk Concert Hall on Thursday evening.
More than 100 people attended the state Department of Transportation hearing in the City Hall auditorium.
Norwalk Redevelopment Agency Vice Chairwoman Lori Torrano was among a number of speakers who asked the DOT to perform an Environmental Impact Statement — a more thorough analysis — of the roughly $1 billion project that is slated to start by 2018.
“The information obtained through the EIS process will assist the DOT, the city and those who will be negatively impacted by the this project to better understand alternative approaches and plan appropriate mitigation measures to ensure that SoNo is not made a state construction site for more than three years,” Torrano said.
At issue now is the Environmental Assessment/Environmental Impact Evaluation, as prepared by the DOT and the Federal Transit Administration and open to public input through Dec. 5. The report explains the need for the project, the various design alternatives considered and their effects.
After Dec. 5, the DOT will consider the public input and issue a Finding of No Significant Impact or proceed with the preparation of an EIS. The decision will be made in three to four months, according to the DOT.
Many local officials consider the existing report inadequate.
“It’s not as complete as it should be,” said Norwalk Harbor Management Commission Chairman Anthony T. Mobilia as he viewed DOT display boards in the City Hall atrium. “We would like more detail. They’ve got a lot of information in the report, but not in the right places as far as we’re concerned.”
Mayor Harry W. Rilling called for a “thoughtful and careful consideration” of the project’s effects.
“What is the effect on the city, our residents and our businesses?” Rilling said. “What is the project going to be? How long is it going to last? What businesses and residents will be displaced? What will happen to them? What will happen to our parks, the (Maritime) Aquarium.”
Steve Kleppin, Norwalk’s new director of planning and zoning, described the existing Walk Bridge as an iconic symbol of Norwalk. He asked for the DOT to take that into consideration as it moves forward with the project. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Transformation of XL Center on tap at Nov. 29 hearing
A $250 million improvement plan for the XL Center goes before the public at a hearing scheduled for Nov. 29.
The hearing, held by the Capital Region Development Authority, is set for 6 p.m. in Room 21 of the Connecticut Convention Center, 100 Columbus Blvd., Hartford.
Originally opened as the Hartford Civic Center in 1975, the 16,500-seat arena is home to sporting events that include the UConn basketball and hockey teams and the Hartford Wolf Pack, as well as concerts, trade shows and community events.
Michael Freimuth, executive director of the CRDA, has argued for the improvements, which the state needs to approve in the next legislative session in order for the center to cater to a national sports market.
A 2015 study by SCI Architects concluded that at least 100,000 square feet of additional space is necessary to bring the XL Center up to modern venue standards, improve circulation, meet certain ADA and building code requirements and enhance the fan experience. Sufficient space to meet these needs is available in the large atrium, unused retail space and a portion of the parking garage adjacent to the center, the study found.
"This transformed arena will look and feel like an entirely new building," SCI wrote at the time.
Since CRDA assumed control of the building in 2012, leasing it from the city of Hartford, it has invested nearly $40 million in the building to modernize mechanical systems, repair the ice-making system, upgrade elevators and security systems, and make other improvements.
It Took 18 Years, But Highway Interchange Project In New Haven Finally Coming To End
A sweeping, 18-year project to rebuild the I-91 and I-95 interchange and surrounding area is essentially complete, coming in about $200 million under budget, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced Thursday morning.
The outcome is an entirely revamped network of overpasses and ramps, a new Q Bridge, more travel lanes, and better facilities for transit buses and Shore Line East, according to the state Department of Transportation.
The DOT says the new interchange will make for safer, smoother driving through one of the busiest highway hubs in the state.
"For too long, our state did not make the needed investments to keep up with our transportation needs — and we can no longer afford to sit back and let the status quo remain," Malloy said at a press conference. "Our economic future depends on these kinds of major upgrades, and our residents deserve nothing less."
As of Thursday, all major road construction was finished and all travel lanes were open, Transportation Commissioner James Redeker said.
Malloy said the final cost is about $200 million — or 10 percent — below the roughly $2 billion budget. But the DOT has not yet released a detailed breakdown of the costs.The DOT began engineering designs in 1998, during the administration of Gov. John Rowland. The plan was to thoroughly reconstruct the confusing network of interstate on-ramps, off-ramps, flyover lanes and Route 34 alongside the since-demolished New Haven Coliseum. Work began in 2000, and one of the first parts of the job — a new railroad station on State Street — has been standing more than a decade.
The single biggest and most visible component was construction of the new Q Bridge, a roughly $420 million job that was finished in 2015. Contractors have also rebuilt 7 miles of I-95 between Long Wharf and Branford, improved 18 local streets, added full shoulders where necessary, and installed better lighting, signs and pavement markings.
The original 1958-built bridge over the Quinnipiac River has been demolished, and the new one has four additional travel lanes. The DOT predicts that extra space will reduce east-west congestion through New Haven, where traffic is estimated at 140,000 vehicles a day.
Earlier this week the DOT announced it had won grand prize in the America's Transportation Awards competition. Redeker has said the Q Bridge was the biggest single job the agency has tackled yet.