Load limit put in place for CT bridge by DOT. Here is why and where.
The Commodore
Hull Bridge, which carries Route 8 over the Housatonic River between
Shelton and Derby, will now have a posted load restriction of a 32 tons load
for all vehicles using the span, according to the Connecticut Department of
Transportation.
The bridge remains safe to use, according to DOT.
The DOT said an emergency
declaration has been signed for the bridge.
A DOT spokesman said this declaration took place as, “during
a special inspection of the Commodore Hull Bridge in preparation for a future
project, further deterioration on the gusset plates was noticed.
“These plates connect the truss members together to support
the weight of the overall bridge structure and traffic load on the bridge. Due
to the additional deterioration found, starting the week of June 2, CTDOT will
begin milling off the bituminous wearing surface, posting a 32-ton weight
restriction for all vehicles, and implementing lane shifts to keep traffic away
from these areas,” the spokesperson said.
“The Emergency Declaration signed allows CTDOT and its
contracting partners to move forward with permanent repairs more quickly,” the
spokesperson said. “The bridge remains safe for the traveling public. We urge
motorists to slow down, move over, and use caution when traveling through this
area to keep themselves and workers safe.”
Construction will begin on Monday in the area. On Route 8
northbound, Howe Avenue and Kneen Street on-ramps may be closed to traffic and
mainline traffic will be maintained for two lanes across the bridge in a lane
shift configuration, according to DOT.
During a 2022
DOT public meeting on the bridge, officials also said it is safe to use.
Every two years the bridge undergoes a hands-on inspection
of the superstructure and substructure and is given a rating, DOT
officials said, according
to records about the project and the meeting.
“The rating scale from best to worst condition goes:
Good, Satisfactory, Fair, Poor, Serious, and Critical. This bridge is rated as
Satisfactory. The bridge also undergoes an underwater inspection every two
years,” the 2022 records say. “The underwater inspection reports show a history
of scouring, but today it is still far from the critical scour depth. The
purpose of this project is to add scour countermeasures around the piers as a
preventative measure to prevent the riverbed from scouring further during
future major storm events.”
The records show that meeting was held on the rehabilitation
of (Bridge No. 00571A) the Commodore Hull Bridge, noting “specifically, the
project” for “installing scour countermeasures at Piers 9 and 10 within the
Housatonic River.” It was not clear if the work to be done now on the bridge is
part of Project
0126-0176, or a separately named project. Scour is erosion of streambed or
bank material due to flowing water, a DOT official said during that meeting.
That project was said to be funded with 80% federal funds
and 20% state funds, with no municipal funding.
The bridge was constructed in 1951 and widened in 1990,
according to DOT.
For the new work, on Route 8 southbound, two-lane traffic
will remain in the area across the bridge. The off-ramp to Wharf Street will
remain open. Work will be performed between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., according to
DOT.
In separate other upcoming work, milling and resurfacing
will begin on Route 816 in Newtown on June 9 with a scheduled completion of the
project on June 26.
The CTDOT said the project, being performed by state
workers, will be done in Newtown, Shelton and Derby 0.20 miles east of
Washington Street to the Southbury Town Line.
Delays and one-lane traffic alternating traffic are said to
be expected. The project will have the time frame of 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday
through Friday. Weather or unforeseen conditions may modify the schedule. The
CTDOT asks that motorist maintain a safe speed in the area.
Cedar Heights Road bridge in Stamford reopens to traffic after multiple delays
STAMFORD — The bridge on Cedar Heights Road in Stamford is open to two-way
traffic after
numerous delays.
About 3,800 vehicles passed over the more-than-90-year-old
bridge on a daily basis before it closed, City Engineer Louis Casolo previously
told The Stamford Advocate. The bridge was opened on May 16, according to the
city’s website.
The bridge was rated to be in “serious” condition before it
was closed, according to data from the Connecticut Department of
Transportation.
A "serious" grade is defined as a bridge with
"major defects; strength and/or performance of the component is seriously
affected." A bridge with this grade also calls for "more frequent
monitoring, load restrictions and/or corrective actions."
The project to replace the bridge on Cedar Heights Road cost
$2,773,082, according to the city’s website. Eighty-percent of that money came
from the federal government, officials said, while the remainder came from the
city.
Also, the bridge
on Wire Mill Road was closed May 19 for construction to begin work on
its replacement, according to the city’s website.
Neither bridge could be closed at the same time since they
each served as a detour for one another. Commuters can get around the
construction on Wire Mill Road by using Cedar Heights Road or High Ridge Road.
Construction on the bridge on Wire Mill Road, which was
built in 1957, is expected to be completed by Nov. 30. The city could lose some
or all of the federal funds that support the project if it does not complete it
by that time, Casolo previously said. The bridge is wholly backed by federal
money and costs $2.6 million.
The bridge on Wire Mill Road was also rated to be in
“serious” condition, according to data from the DOT.
The bridge on Cedar Heights Road was originally supposed to
be completed by Nov. 30, 2023. That date was pushed back to May 31, 2024, then
to June 30, 2024.
The completion date was then pushed back again to the end of
November 2024 because the contractor for the project, Stamford-based A. Vitti
Excavators, needed to submit plans for handling the flow of the Rippowam River
— which runs under the bridge — demolishing the bridge and supporting utility
lines on the bridge to an inspection firm before moving from one stage of
construction to the next.
The documents went through multiple rounds of reviews, which
resulted in more delays.
The completion date was pushed back again to the end of
April after it was discovered the bridge was built too low. Despite completing
the Cedar Heights Road bridge in May, Fuks said construction on the Wire Mill
Road bridge is on schedule to be completed by November.
BROOKFIELD — This fall, more baseball and softball games
can be played on the town's athletic fields, thanks to a
$545,000 state grant awarded to Brookfield.
The grant from the state’s Small Town Economic
Assistance Program, which was announced Wednesday, will go toward a
multi-million dollar project to add lighting and install artificial turf on
both the baseball and softball fields, said Greg Dembowski, Brookfield's
economic development manager.
The project, called “Brookfield High School Athletic Fields
Renovations, Phase 1," will add "an estimated 380 hours of field
usage each year by adding fifty-six precision engineered light fixtures on 10,
seventy-foot high steel poles around the softball and baseball fields," he
said.
The total cost of the project is expected to be between $4.2
million to $4.5 million, officials say. The town applied for the grant in
February through the state’s STEAP program for $775,00, which will pay for the
first phase. The town will fund 30 percent of that amount, or $230,000.
Phase 1 is expected to be completed in the fall, with
construction most likely beginning in August, Dembowski said.
Phases 2 and 3, which entail adding synthetic turf, a
concession stand, public restrooms, a fence along the outfield and upgrading
the storm drain system, will be the subject of future grant applications and
additional town funds, he said.
"The improvements are going to be great,"
said Steve Harding Sr., who has been president of the Brookfield
Baseball and Softball Association for 15 years.
"The first phase of this project… is going to put
lights up on the high school field for both the baseball softball fields. It’s
going to allow the high school to use (those fields) more now.
"Hopefully, people will be able to schedule more games
up there now, especially in the summertime with the lights," Harding
said.
"(Prior to the grant being awarded), we were talking
about putting another field in town to accommodate (playing more games),"
he said.
The grant allows the town to accommodate two games per night
instead of one. "We’re going to accommodate four games, five games in a
weekend," he said.
Harding spoke of the need for field drainage, saying,
"Anytime we’ve got an extended period of rain, it’s very hard for us to
get back on the field ... You have to wait a long time for the field to dry
out."
The only time play would be disrupted during the project's
construction is during phase 2, when the turf field is put in. During the time,
the town may have to play on fields in other towns, Dembowski has said.
The grant Brookfield received was part of $30 million in
state grants to 46 small towns announced by Gov. Ned Lamont.
Brookfield has received STEAP funding previously for streetscape
improvements in the town center district, Town Hall renovations, pickleball
courts and a Water Pollution Control Authority sewer
extension, Dembowski said.
New Milford begins work to replace bridges on Van Car Road, Sand Road: 'Structurally deficient'
NEW MILFORD – Motorists in the New Milford area can
expect new detours this spring as the town begins work on major projects to
replace two bridges in poor condition.
The construction work to fully replace the “structurally
deficient” Van
Car Road bridge is underway, while the work to replace
the Sand Road bridge is expected to start in mid-June, according to
officials from New Milford's Public Works Department.
“Both of these replacement projects will make the roadways
safer for commuters as well as provide resilience for the future to prevent
flooding,” said Chuck Ballard, the roads design engineer for New Milford’s Public
Works Department.
“The town is systemically inspecting and replacing all
60-plus bridges in its inventory,” he said. “They are prioritizing by
condition, and Sand Road and Van Car are definitely the next ones when it comes
to overall conditions and need for replacement.”
The 62-foot-long Van
Car Road bridge, which was built in 1957, carries traffic over the
East Aspetuck River. Van Car Road has been closed to traffic since
March 24, while the intersecting Paper Mill Road has been closed since April
28, according to the Public
Works website.
Meanwhile, utility work for the Sand Road project started at
the end of April, and Sand Road is expected to close by mid-June, according to
Ballard.
The 65-foot-long Sand Road
bridge, which was built in 1983, carries traffic over the
West Aspetuck River near the junction with Long Mountain Road.
Both of the old bridges are made of steel beams and
reinforced concrete deck superstructures supported by reinforced concrete
abutments and wingwalls. Ballard said both are in poor condition in their
overall roadway surfaces, road abutments and ability to meet current standards
for floodwater.
The Van Car Road bridge carries an average of 840 vehicles
per day, according to data from the Wethersfield consulting
firm Close, Jensen and Miller. The bridge has been deemed “structurally
deficient” and “hydraulically inadequate” with areas of section loss, peeling
paint and moderate to heavy rust on its stringers.
The Sand Road bridge sees average daily traffic of 477
vehicles. It was deemed “structurally deficient” at its last inspection on Oct.
23, according to data from the Public Works Department.
The town is coordinating
with the state Department of Transportation on both projects,
Ballard said.
The Van Car Road bridge project is expected to cost $3.3
million while the Sand Road bridge project is expected to cost $2.5 million,
according to Ballard. Both bridge projects will be paid for with 80% federal
funds and 20% state funds, he said.
“These bridges are coming toward the end of their
life,” Mayor
Pete Bass said. “It just continues with our plan for road and bridge
reconstruction infrastructure work to provide a better road system for New
Milford.”
Construction work on the Van Car Road bridge officially
started around April 1 and is expected to be completed by the beginning of
November, according to Ballard. Watertown-based excavating contractor
Dayton Construction Co. Inc. is doing the work.
The new
Van Car Road bridge will be made of precast concrete box beams
supported by concrete abutments. DOT plans on “slightly widening” the bridge to
create a new 55-foot span and improving the site’s drainage, among other
changes.
Southington-based contractor Brunalli Construction Co. is working on the Sand Road bridge, with the completion tentatively scheduled for the end of November, Ballard said.
Will state lawmakers back Bridgeport's proposed soccer stadium as legislative session nears an end?
BRIDGEPORT — Andre Swanston just wanted to eat his hot
chicken sandwich — hold the pickles — not discuss the chances of his minor
league soccer stadium receiving tens-of-millions of dollars in state funding before
the legislative session adjourns.
But the entrepreneur, between bites, was soon extolling the
benefits of his $1.1 billion redevelopment plan while avoiding any predictions.
"What I know with 100% certainty is this will be one
of, if not the biggest economic impact undertakings in the state in
decades," Swanston said during an interview at Mayor Joe Ganim's annual
lunch address to the business community Thursday.
Swanston should soon have more certainty about if and when
his vision for the lower East Side in Bridgeport, which includes
the soccer venue, a hotel, 1,100 housing units and public recreational space,
will become a reality.
The state House of Representatives recently passed a bill
that would, should Bridgeport officials so choose, allow
the city to use tax incremental financing (TIF) to help pay for up to $190
million of the stadium and infrastructure construction. A portion of
any new real estate taxes generated by the project would pay off the debt
rather than going directly into Bridgeport's municipal coffers.
TIF was used
to help finance the Steelpointe harborfront redevelopment across from
the proposed stadium site where a Bass Pro Shop, a Starbucks, a marina and a
seafood restaurant are open and an apartment complex is under construction.
Bridgeport's legislators as of late last week felt good the
TIF bill would be voted out of the state Senate by the session's end at
midnight Wednesday.
"Barring a catastrophe, (it) will be something that
passes both chambers and is signed by the governor," said state Rep.
Antonio Felipe, D-Bridgeport. "I think we can say that is going to be
available to us. I just think there needs to be a significant state investment
on top of that."
Borrowing or bonding?
There has been a simultaneous push for state lawmakers to
also commit about $100 million to Swanston's project as part of any borrowing
or bonding package included in a new two-year Connecticut budget negotiated
with Gov. Ned Lamont.
But Bridgeport officials are not as confident about that
funding.
"There's a lot of unknowns in the (state) budget,"
said Constance Vickers, Ganim's deputy chief of staff. Federal cuts and other
issues have created "a very tricky session to ask for non-immediate
on-the-ground needs."
"But we are still pushing very hard for this,"
Vickers said. "We believe in the vision and the incredible economic impact
the stadium would bring to Bridgeport and the region."
Felipe and Bridgeport state Reps. Christopher Rosario and
Steve Stafstrom in separate interviews emphasized the importance of
getting Lamont to back the stadium spending. Lamont has previously
expressed support for Swanston's effort but not about providing significant
state funds, preferring the private sector to take on that
responsibility.
"We could put $300 million in (the budget),"
Rosario said. "If he doesn't authorize it, it doesn't matter."
"I've been encouraged by statements the governor has
made in terms of his support for soccer, but ultimately it's his
discretion," said Stafstrom.
Bridgeport has a lot of other financial asks to help balance
the just-passed municipal budget and fund a struggling school district.
Lamont's office in a statement said staff has "been
tracking the Tax Incremental Financing proposal ... and will need to review the
final language before acting on the bill, should it make it to the governor's
desk."
As for borrowing state dollars for the stadium, the
governor's office noted the project was not included in the bond proposal he
submitted to the General Assembly earlier this year.
Big opportunity?
Swanston declined to discuss actual dollars or what it could
mean for the stadium's tentative 2026 opening if no state monies are offered.
But he said, "This may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" for
Bridgeport and for Connecticut.
"We can't be penny-wise and pound foolish," he
said. "This is it. This is the chance."
This is the single chance, he believes, for Connecticut to
get a major league sports team. Connecticut
United, announced in January 2024, is a lower-division club associated with
Major League Soccer that would call Bridgeport home. Swanston's ultimate
aim is for the city to eventually host a major league team.
But Swanston also pivoted to focus more on his plan's
housing component, saying the stadium is the "smallest part" of the
$1.1 billion budget but necessary for getting the East Side redevelopment
accomplished.
The "overwhelming majority of that money is actually
housing and public infrastructure," Swanston said. "There's a housing
crisis in Connecticut and there need to be things that are a catalyst ... for
housing."
At least 160 different developers have told him they need to
know the stadium is happening before committing to erecting residential
buildings, he said.
"Without a catalyst like the stadium, how does
Bridgeport and the surrounding area help attract private capital to solve the
housing crisis?" Swanston said.
Despite the uncertainty, the stadium project was on Ganim's
list of highlights at Thursday's event, held at the concert amphitheater in the
South End.
"It's a real game-changer for Bridgeport and a real
testament to how far our city has come attracting development," the mayor
told the crowd.
Ganim's speech was a reminder of how long it can take for
projects to move forward in Connecticut's largest municipality.
The amphitheater, constructed from the bones of the closed
minor league baseball park, was approved in 2017 and opened in mid-2021. That
was a relatively quick turnaround compared to the timelines of other
redevelopments the mayor praised.
Steelpointe has been a work-in-progress for decades, with
the long-anticipated housing just going up. And while demolition
is underway at the retired coal-fired power plant adjacent to the
amphitheater, efforts to close that facility date back over 10 years.
Another redevelopment Ganim focused on — the modest
Honey Locust Square on the East End, with its supermarket, restaurant, bank
and other retail space — has been in the works since 2018 and should finally
open this year.
It came as no surprise last August when Swanston, who first
went public with his stadium plans in fall 2023, moved
the venue's grand opening from spring of this year to early 2026.
And with the clock ticking away at the Capitol, he is not
the only stadium supporter speaking in now or never terms.
The state-of-the-city was hosted by the Bridgeport Regional
Business Council, whose president, Dan Onofrio, sported a
"Connecticut United" pin on his jacket.
"It's a big ask," Onofrio said of the $100 million
in state aid. "It's a huge ask."
But, he said, "I think we have a short window of
opportunity. If Connecticut wants to be on the map for a sports franchise, it's
only going to be Major League Soccer."