MERIDEN — Work on the Paddock Avenue bridge started with a
bang Sunday as demolition crews cut and hoe-rammed the bridge's concrete
to take it down for construction
of a new bridge.
"It's chaos," said Mario D'Acunto, who lives on
Miller Avenue below a smaller bridge on Route 15. "Up on the bridge, it's
chaos. It's the accidents constantly. They cut across the highway. They're not
putting any signs up. There's too much congestion."
Around the corner on Paddock Avenue, the nighttime bridge
work has created havoc for local travelers forced onto one lane during the day,
, as well as detours, noise and bright lights when the road is closed at night.
The detour takes drivers on a significant loop eastbound from Miller to Paddock
to Murdock Avenue onto Reserach Parkway left on East Main Street and left to
Paddock Avenue, or in reverse.
The bridge replacement is part of phase II of the state
Department of Transportation project to make the junctions of I-91, I-691 and
Route 15 safer and less congested. The bridgework is expected to last two and a
half years, according to the DOT.
Phase II began in March to address traffic and safety
concerns associated with capacity, congestion, and weaving along Route 15 and
I-91 in the northbound direction, as well as capacity deficiencies on the Route
15 northbound off-ramp to I-691 westbound and on the mainline of I-691
westbound. The project was awarded to O&G Industries for $185 million and
is scheduled to be completed Nov. 30, 2028, the agency stated.
"In order to widen Route 15, Paddock Avenue Bridge must
be lengthened to accommodate the new width. Thus, the Paddock Avenue bridge,
beginning with the existing southern abutment, must be demolished and
reconstructed," according to the DOT website.
Workers installed sound barriers, and a metal fencing on the
east side of the bridge will be removed, as needed. The demolition will then
start at the southeast corner of the bridge to cut the concrete deck and
parapet, which will then be hoe-rammed with an excavator to break up the
existing concrete, according to the department.
"This process will be repeated across the bridge over
several nights and will create sound that may carry throughout the
vicinity," the DOT notice stated. "Also, noise monitoring will be
done throughout the operations, and, if necessary, other modifications will be
made"
D'Acunto admitted that even with his hearing loss, the noise
is tremendous. "It really bothers my wife."
While this work is taking place under the bridge, Route 15
will have protection with debris shields and lane closures, the DOT
stated.
The one-way alternating traffic is controlled by a temporary
traffic signal, and nighttime closure on Paddock Avenue over Route 15 between
Barr Road and Overlook Road. The road shutdown occurs between 6 p.m. and 6
a.m.
In phase I workers are widening I-91 by a single lane in the
northbound direction as it enters a steep uphill climb. The project will also
widen several existing ramps to two lanes and remove Exit 17 on I-91 north
altogether, rerouting its traffic onto a new two-lane ramp at Exit 16, which
will connect to both Route 15 and East Main Street.
Longer acceleration and deceleration lanes will also give
drivers more time to merge into traffic and reduce weaving that is responsible
for many crashes, officials said.
While the initial, $85 million first phase of the project
was entirely state funded, DOT officials said that the federal government is
providing up to 80 percent of the funding for the last two phases through the
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
"I know it's going to be better when it's done,"
D'Acunto said.
Those seeking project alerts and updates may visit the DOT
website at i-91i-691route15interchange.com.
See how Stamford's Mill River Park will spend $12M+ to create stage plaza, dog park, 'great lawn'
STAMFORD — Nette Compton sees Mill River Park as
"Stamford's front yard."
But for many years, the portion of the park that runs along
one of Stamford's busiest streets, Washington Boulevard, hasn't been as
visually striking as other parts of the green space, she said.
"About 30,000 people a day are driving by and not
seeing the best of Stamford," said Compton, the president and CEO of the
Mill River Park Collaborative.
That could soon change, thanks to a recently secured
Community Investment Fund state grant that will provide the city with $7.7
million to complete the "Community Commons" project at the park. The
commons refers to the southeastern section of the park that currently holds
a small
dog park and a large area filled with gravel. The section is where the
stage for the annual Alive
at Five concert series is set up.
Once complete, the renovated area will swap out the gravel
for a large grassy area named the "great lawn," as well as new dog
parks for large and small dogs located closer to the intersection with Broad
Street.
Compton said the finished product would transform "what
is now an eyesore into a lush beautiful green space that represents all the
amazing growth that Stamford is making."
She said the collaborative tried applying for the Community
Investment Fund grant twice before, to no avail.
"Third time's a charm," she said.
The reason the funding was approved this time, she said she
believes, is that the city was able to get $4.5
million in federal dollars for the work, which got the project off the
ground. Additionally, she said advocacy from the Stamford delegation of elected
officials, including Mayor Caroline Simmons, was critical.
Compton said the new dog parks will be a major difference
over the small one in place today. For starters, the park would move further
north up the park, and would be located next to trees, providing shade for
those who visit. Some of the details of the dog parks are still being
discussed, but the new ones will provide significant more space than the
current iteration, she said.
"Anybody who uses our dog park will be really excited
about these changes," she said.
The project will also install permanent public restrooms at
the park.
While the project has now secured two pots of grant funding,
Compton said construction costs continue to go up, and that the collaborative
will still likely need to raise an additional $1 million in private
donations to finish the work.
The tentative plan is to begin work in 2026, with the goal of opening in 2027 or early 2028, Compton said.
"It's great when the state and Stamford and the local
community can all get behind a project," said Arnold Karp, chair of the
Mill River Park Collaborative board of directors.
The new
playground at the park, located on the other side of the green space
along Mill River Street, is expected to open next summer.
The longer term plan is to extend the park all the way down
to the Long Island Sound and as far north as the Merritt Parkway as part
of the Mill
River Greenway project. Karp sees the improvements to the
downtown park as the catalyst for that expansion.
"We continue talking about a walkable
downtown," Karp said. "We are well on our way to being the linchpin
to that."
Windsor looking to fast-track Day Hill Road corridor redevelopment strategy with new study
The town of Windsor has generated investment, jobs and tax
revenue through 16 million-plus square feet of new commercial and industrial
development in the last 20 years, town officials said.
Much of that was within the Day Hill Corporate Area, a
3,000-acre industrial and commercial zone that has been an economic driver for
the town, region and state.
But shifting market forces and the effects of the COVID-19
pandemic have left an abundance of vacant office space in the Day Hill Road
corridor, while the amount of developable land dwindles and demand for
residential projects statewide grows.
So, is more commercial and industrial development
appropriate for Windsor’s main corporate stretch, or would a more diverse mix
of uses bring sustainability and long-term economic stability to the town?
Those are questions local officials, led by Economic
Development Director Patrick McMahon, are trying to answer by commissioning a
study to analyze the market’s current economic climate and provide
recommendations that will sustain the area as a regional economic development
generator.
McMahon said it’s time to explore all possible uses within
the corridor — with help from community input — and eventually align zoning
regulations for future commercial, industrial and/or multifamily projects.
The Day Hill Corporate Area stretches from Day Hill Road
south to Bloomfield Avenue, and from I-91 West to the Bloomfield town line.
Recently completed projects in the corridor include a
170,000-square-foot logistics center at 425 Day Hill Road, where developer
Luzern Associates is seeking a tenant.
A new 165,000-square-foot Safelite Auto Glass center was
built at 105 Baker Hollow Road, and a 180,000-square-foot warehouse was
recently completed at 205 Baker Hollow Road, which will house tenant Marvin
Windows.
These projects join other nearby developments like a
sprawling Amazon distribution facility and the Day Hill Dome, which is part of
a larger recreation and entertainment center.
Mix of potential uses
The town of Windsor is currently searching for a firm to
conduct the analysis of the Day Hill Road corridor. It will include a look at
the current land uses in the area, and a supply-and-demand breakdown for other
development possibilities ranging from multifamily residential, assisted
living, office, hotel and retail projects, along with industrial uses such as
manufacturing.
The study will also map out the best locations for
multifamily and mixed-use projects, and make recommendations for the adaptive
reuse of vacant or underutilized office space.
Town officials expect a final report to be completed by
February.
Once the study is done, the town will consider any
recommendations for zoning changes based on data and community input.
“We’re not certain how much multifamily will be supported or
what locations will be deemed appropriate for multifamily, but that’s what the
study will determine,” McMahon said. “We’ve had developers interested in a few
parcels in our industrial zone for multifamily. One was a vacant parcel, and
another parcel includes an existing office building that they thought they
could potentially redevelop.”
Currently, multifamily development is not allowed within the
Day Hill Corporate Area’s industrial zone without special permitting, a zone
change or creating an overlay district.
That creates extra red tape for developers.
For example, the mixed-use residential and industrial Great
Pond development, which features a 230-unit apartment complex that is now more
than 90% occupied and a 500,000-square-foot Target distribution center, had to
become its own zoning district in order to allow the residential component,
town officials said.
Creating separate zoning for each potential development
would be time-consuming for the applicant and the town.
“We’re trying to be responsive to private-sector
interests,” said Windsor Town Planner Todd Sealy.
Sealy said community engagement sessions will give the
consultants an idea of where residents want to steer development in
that area.
Office abundance
Officials expect a portion of the study to focus on
repurposing office space, as Windsor has an abundance of corporate
parks and one of the state’s highest office vacancy rates.
The Windsor market suffered significant setbacks in
2022, when corporate insurance giants Voya and The Hartford put up
for sale massive
office buildings they owned and significantly reduced their
presence in. Both companies cited an embrace of remote work that
lessened their need for space.
Voya Financial put its 470,000-square-foot Windsor
office building, at 1 Orange Way, up for sale in August 2022, seeking
a buyer that would allow it to lease back 85,000 square feet. The
building was constructed for Voya (formerly ING) at a cost of $100
million in 2007.
The building is now valued at $13 million, according to
town records, and remains for sale without an asking price.
In June 2022, The Hartford announced plans to sell or
lease its 457,396-square-foot Windsor office building at 1 Griffin
Road North, as it reassigned 500 workers to offices in Hartford. The
property, which sits on 72.9 acres, is currently valued at $18.9
million, and remains listed for sale.
More than 59% of Windsor’s 3.16 million square feet of
office space was vacant at the end of the first quarter of 2024,
according to real estate firm CBRE. The town’s 13 Class A office
buildings, with 1.9 million square feet, had a 75.7% vacancy rate.
Landlords and developers state-wide are repurposing office
space into residential, commercial or mixed uses, and McMahon
said there is interest for similar projects in Windsor.
Landlord and developer Mark Greenberg owns several
Windsor office buildings with high vacancy rates and has been mapping
out plans for potential multifamily conversions, including for
a 46,093-square-foot, three-story office building at 10
Targeting Centre that is completely vacant.
McMahon said the study’s goal is to ensure the Day Hill
Road corridor remains an economic engine.
“We have office products with manufacturing, some
recreation uses, small-scale retail, and it’s beneficial to have
those various types of uses,” McMahon said.
“If one particular market goes down and another one is
going better, it helps us create long-term resilience, and that’s the
point of the study.”