United Illuminating to rebuild transmission lines along rail corridor between Milford and New Haven
The United Illuminating Co. is preparing for a multi-year,
$300 million transmission line upgrade along a 9.5-mile stretch of the railroad
corridor between Milford and New Haven, officials with the Orange-based
electric utility said.
The project, which will begin in late 2023 and run until
late 2028, will serve two purposes, company officials said in announcing the
plan.
One is to rebuild 115-kilovolt lines to conform to current
utility industry standards. The other is to separate those transmission lines
from their current spot along railroad catenary structures which power
electrified Metro North commuter trains.
Because UI’s transmission lines are part of a regional
network and the work is being done to improve reliability of the delivery of
electricity, the project will be funded by ISO-New England, the operator of the
grid, company spokesman Gage Frank said.
Frank Reynolds, UI’s president and chief executive officer,
said the so-called Milvon to West River Transmission Line Rebuild Project will
“improve the resiliency of our electric grid.” The railroad line is controlled
by the state Department of Transportation.
“This project will also ensure we can provide safe and
reliable power to help meet the growing energy demands of our customers,”
Reynolds said.
The project takes its name from electric substations that UI
has in Milford’s Devon section and New Haven’s West River neighborhood.
Substations take the very high voltages at which electricity travels on
transmission networks and convert it to a lower voltage for use by residential
and business customers.
As part of the project, UI’s rebuilt transmission lines be
placed on their own dedicated, double-circuit monopole utility towers. The
rebuilt transmission lines will be able to withstand extreme weather
conditions, such as Category 3 hurricane winds, UI said.
Milford to New Haven project is part of a larger effort by UI
to separate the company’s transmission lines from the railroad’s electrification
network, where some of towers and poles were installed over 100 years ago.
The project is designed to have a service life of about 40 years.
During this project, UI will install approximately 160
galvanized steel transmission poles rising from a single footing. The poles
will vary in height from 70 feet to 170 feet, depending on their location and
the existing environment.
The typical span length between the poles ranges from
approximately 300 to 400 feet. But UI officials said that in some locations,
spans as long as 800 feet will be needed to minimize impacts to the environment
as well because of nearby land uses like parking lots, roadways and railroad
spurs.
The final segment is expected to be completed by the fall of
2028, but final restoration activities along the transmission line are expected
to extend into 2029. UI customers should not experience any power outages as a
result of this construction, Reynolds said
“We are meeting the community’s growing energy demands while
working closely with town officials, local tree wardens and with residents and
customers,” he said, to avoid or minimize disruptions to the environment or
Metro-North rail service.
UI officials anticipate that the majority of construction
will be scheduled for daytime hours. But in certain instances, nighttime work
or around-the-clock construction may be necessary to accommodate the
construction schedule and the needs of the railroad.
The project will require that UI acquire new permanent
easements from adjacent landowners. Officials with the utility will also need
new temporary easements during construction to install work pads and access
roads that will be needed to safely remove the existing transmission network
infrastructure replace it with newer equipment.
The Milvon to West River rebuild project is the second in a
series of transmission line projects UI is announcing this year. The company
announced an upgrade of transmission lines in Derby, Shelton and Ansonia in
mid-March and a project in the city of Bridgeport will be announced
later this year, according to Frank, the UI spokesman.
Residents and business owners seeking more information on
the project should call (888) 848-3697 during regular business hours. The
utility serves 341,000 customers in 17 communities in the New Haven and
Bridgeport areas.
Shelton developers seek expanded Petremont Lane development
SHELTON — The development group that received approval for a
47-apartment development on Petremont Lane are back looking to more than double
the size of that project.
Good Guys Development, LLC, is seeking a major modification
to the approved Planned Development District on the property, listed as 0
Petremont Lane, that would bring the apartment total to 100. The Planning and
Zoning Commission earlier this year approved plans to construct a building with
47 units and 93 parking spaces.
Attorney Stephen Bellis, representing Good Guys Development,
said the developers purchased an abutting property on the corner of Coram Road,
which increases the lot size to some 4 acres.
“Good Guys was able to buy the additional land,” Bellis
said, “So there is an application to modify the approval and allow 100 units
total in light of the additional land.”
Bellis said the proposal is for a “high-end luxury apartment
building with parking below the building.”
Among the amenities would be a lobby with a gym, golf
simulator, Amazon package room, and a computer/study room along with a dog park
and two rooftop lounges that would overlook the Housatonic River.
The parking will be on the ground level, with four stories
of apartments — 40 studios, 32 one bedrooms, and 28 one bedrooms with an
office. Bellis sais the developers are voluntarily designating 10 units as
affordable under the state statute 8-30g. Bellis also said there will be two
parking spaces per unit.
According to the submitted plans, the project site is
undeveloped and consists of 3.52 acres of wooded area and a single-family home.
The site is bounded by Petremont Lane to the west, an undeveloped, wooded area
to the east, commercial development to the south, and Coram Road to the north.
The structure, according to the submitted plans, will be
59-feet high, below the permitted 60 feet. The plan states that the
“stone-faced lobby and brick clock tower (are) intended to provide an aesthetic
enhancement of the streetscape and the architectural shingles and clapboard
will blend in with the neighboring buildings.”
Traffic engineer Kermit Hua of KWH Enterprise, LLC, stated
in his report that the traffic impact from the project would be “limited.”
One issue during the original approval for the site was the
possible impact on Petremont Lane, which is a tight roadway connecting Coram
Road to River Road. Petremont Lane’s intersection with Coram Road is close to
the intersection with Constitution Boulevard South, an already congested
traffic area.
The new plan eliminates that issue, according to Bellis. The
proposal has a driveway and sewer and water to Coram Road, with nothing done on
Petremont Lane.
The commission will hold a public hearing on this
application on a future date.
Petremont Lane is just off River Road. The property abuts a
nonresidential area and a residential area, and, according to the application,
the purpose of the PDD is “to allow the construction of an apartment building
to accomplish a transition between single-family use and an established
nonresidential area.”
Spring 2022 roadway resurfacing is on the horizon in Bristol
BRISTOL – As weather gets warmer, Spring 2022 roadway
resurfacing is on the horizon, said city officials.
Beginning April 21, streets will be milled and resurfaced.
Residents can anticipate work on Daniel Road, Holley Road, Carriage Road,
Country Lane, Artisan Street, Marine Court, Root Avenue and High Street from
the Queen Street intersection to the cul-de-sac.
Road efforts will be completed in two phases with the first
consisting of mill actions to remove bituminous pavement. Crews in the second
phase will install new bituminous roadway surfaces quickly after. The city will
repair any damaged driveway aprons after the resurfacing.
City officials noted there may be minor traffic delays
during the process, but streets will continue to be open for local traffic,
emergency vehicles and mail delivery. No parking signs will be placed
temporarily during the resurfacing process.
Those with questions should contact the Public Works
Engineering Division at 860-584-6125.
Preston wetlands commission approves RV park near Avery Pond
Preston — A proposed RV park and campground cleared its
first hurdle Tuesday, with the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission
voting 3-2 to approve the scaled-down but still controversial project on 65
acres of land owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation at the junction of
routes 2 and 164 and abutting Avery Pond.
Maryland-based Blue Water Development Corp. has proposed the
RV park and campground resort under the name Blue Camp CT LLC, on three parcels
owned by the Mashantuckets at 451, 455 and 495 Route 2.
Commission Chairman John Moulson specified that he was not
voting “in favor,” but voting to approve the project because it met wetlands
regulations. The commission set several conditions, including requiring a
$600,000 bond to be held by the town in case problems arise or the project
becomes abandoned. Other conditions give town Wetlands Agent Len Johnson
authority to issue a cease-and-desist order on all activities if violations are
discovered.
Once the project is completed, the town wetlands agent will
continue to have authority to inspect the property during business hours and
with advanced notice. If violations are found, the officer could issue notices
of violation and cease and desist orders if necessary.
Commission members Doug Fox and Rebecca Hayes voted in
favor, and Commissioners Paul Andruskiewicz and Henry Wrigley voted
against.
The project has been revised several times in response to
concerns from residents and the town’s consulting engineers and was estimated
in March to cost $18.5 million. The plan originally called for 304 campsites, a
T-shaped dock in Avery Pond, an elevated boardwalk leading to tent camping
sites along the pond, three bathhouses, paved roads and parking areas and
several other amenities.
Blue Water has downsized the project to 280 campsites,
eliminated the dock, boardwalk, tent sites along the pond and one bathhouse.
All roadways and parking areas will be gravel-based, except at the main
entrance and welcome center area.
Moulson said the revisions made a difference for him. When
the project started, he said, activity was within 4 feet of wetlands, with
potential for campers, especially kids, to trample wetlands plants and compact
soils.
"At the beginning, Avery Pond was being invaded by the
boardwalk and activity that was less than 50 feet from the pond," Moulson
said. "Moving it to 100 feet, I think made a big difference, as far as I'm
concerned. I think it's reached a point where I don't really like it, but I
think it meets our requirements."
Earlier in the meeting, Andruskiewicz commented on the
many revisions and said, "the place it ended was probably the
place it should have started," with no dock, boardwalk or
paved roads. He said the proposed use itself — with 1,000 people, 270
sites, campfires and propane tanks —poses the greatest threats to the
wetlands.
Preston — A proposed RV park and campground cleared its
first hurdle Tuesday, with the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission
voting 3-2 to approve the scaled-down but still controversial project on 65
acres of land owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation at the junction of
routes 2 and 164 and abutting Avery Pond.
Maryland-based Blue Water Development Corp. has proposed the
RV park and campground resort under the name Blue Camp CT LLC, on three parcels
owned by the Mashantuckets at 451, 455 and 495 Route 2.
Commission Chairman John Moulson specified that he was not
voting “in favor,” but voting to approve the project because it met wetlands
regulations. The commission set several conditions, including requiring a
$600,000 bond to be held by the town in case problems arise or the project
becomes abandoned. Other conditions give town Wetlands Agent Len Johnson
authority to issue a cease-and-desist order on all activities if violations are
discovered.
Once the project is completed, the town wetlands agent will
continue to have authority to inspect the property during business hours and
with advanced notice. If violations are found, the officer could issue notices
of violation and cease and desist orders if necessary.
Commission members Doug Fox and Rebecca Hayes voted in
favor, and Commissioners Paul Andruskiewicz and Henry Wrigley voted
against.
The project has been revised several times in response to
concerns from residents and the town’s consulting engineers and was estimated
in March to cost $18.5 million. The plan originally called for 304 campsites, a
T-shaped dock in Avery Pond, an elevated boardwalk leading to tent camping
sites along the pond, three bathhouses, paved roads and parking areas and
several other amenities.
Blue Water has downsized the project to 280 campsites,
eliminated the dock, boardwalk, tent sites along the pond and one bathhouse.
All roadways and parking areas will be gravel-based, except at the main
entrance and welcome center area.
Moulson said the revisions made a difference for him. When
the project started, he said, activity was within 4 feet of wetlands, with
potential for campers, especially kids, to trample wetlands plants and compact
soils.
"At the beginning, Avery Pond was being invaded by the
boardwalk and activity that was less than 50 feet from the pond," Moulson
said. "Moving it to 100 feet, I think made a big difference, as far as I'm
concerned. I think it's reached a point where I don't really like it, but I
think it meets our requirements."
Earlier in the meeting, Andruskiewicz commented on the
many revisions and said, "the place it ended was probably the
place it should have started," with no dock, boardwalk or
paved roads. He said the proposed use itself — with 1,000 people, 270
sites, campfires and propane tanks —poses the greatest threats to the
wetlands.
Litchfield proposes $10 million for Batntam school
JOHN MCKENNA
LITCHFIELD – The town facilities review committee Tuesday
issued a recommendation that a $10 million renovation of the former Bantam
School is warranted so the facility could continue to serve the town for
decades to come.
Committee Chairman Samuel Olmstead presented the
recommendation to the Board of Selectmen during its meeting at the old school,
which is used by several town departments and the Bantam post office.
“There’s solid interest in the committee in bringing this
building back,” Olmstead said. “It is an architecturally significant and
gracious building, and we believe a plan to upgrade it would be in keeping with
Litchfield’s values.”
Selectmen tabled action on the request and plan to consider
it May 3.
Public comment was supportive of the idea of renovating the
building. John Langer of Bantam said the town facilities committee could go one
step further and recommend the building be converted into a town hall to
replace the current Town Hall.
“This is a town hall, for real,” Langer said “There’s
potential here for a town hall and $10 million is not a lot of money to spend
on something that will last for another 50 years.”
Patty Dauten, who serves on the Board of Finance, agreed
with Langer’s assessment. Several other residents who spoke expressed support
for investing in a renovation.
Selectman Jeffrey Zullo, a member of the committee, said it
would be a waste to use the building as a town hall. Zullo instead favors a
diversity of municipal and community uses, and a more creative approach in
determining the future of the building.
The committee’s recommendation includes a request to hire an
architectural and engineering consultant to study the nearly 70-year-old
building to determine how it could be renovated to best serve the town and what
the cost of an upgrade would be.
A consultant likely would cost about $200,000, Olmstead
said. The committee recommends the fund that is used to maintain the building
be tapped to pay for the consultant. The fund has a little less than $450,000
in it, First Selectman Denise Raap said.
An upgrade could be carried out in phases over a number of
years to ease the financial burden on taxpayers, Olmstead noted.
“It would be a solid investment that I don’t think would be
overwhelming,” he said. “We think it would be money well-spent.”
Located on 10 flat acres, the building has potential for
expanded municipal and community uses, Olmstead said.
“It’s time to bring in a professional to vet the options and
determine what it would take to bring the building up to modern standards,” he
said of the request to hire a consultant.