CT Construction Digest Monday April 6, 2020
Wednesday's Bond Commission Agenda (CLICK HERE)
CT maintains funds for transportation, port development, amidst pandemic
Keith Phaneuf
State government will put its credit card to work next week for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic hit Connecticut.
And while the State Bond Commission will consider $5 million for emergency supplies for state and municipal public health agencies, most of the $1 billion in new financing is aimed at transportation infrastructure, economic development and long overdue municipal aid.
The meeting of the 10-member panel, which is chaired by Gov. Ned Lamont, will meet next Wednesday via teleconference at 1 p.m. The proceeding also will be aired and streamed on The Connecticut Network, the state’s public access cable channel.
“Even during this unprecedented pandemic, state government and its operations must continue to operate, and the state has an obligation to ensure proper investments are being made, and the timing could not be more crucial,” Chris McClure, spokesman for the governor’s budget office, said Wednesday.
The commission agenda also includes $30 million to support ongoing efforts to transform the port of New London into the green energy capital of the Northeast.
Lamont announced on Feb. 11 that the authority had reached a deal with Eversource and its Denmark-based partner, Ørsted North America, to develop an offshore wind turbine farm expected to create 400 jobs and generate as much as 4,000 megawatt hours of electricity. Part of that initiative includes redesigning State Pier and the surrounding area in New London into a heavy-lift capable port that can accommodate wind generation equipment and other related cargo.
The bond commission also is expected to release more than $106 million in grants to cities and towns — some of which is nine months overdue.
The agenda includes the first $30 million installment of this fiscal year’s $60 million Town Aid Road grant.
The funds, which help communities pay for road repairs, tree-clearing and snow removal, normally is delivered in two installments: half in July and half in January.
The governor, who first asked for tolls on all vehicles and then shifted to large trucks only, had insisted he wouldn’t support a new two-year bond plan until the tolls issued was settled. But Lamont relented in February, conceding legislators would not order tolls. The governor and General Assembly finally agreed on a new two-year bond package on March 11.
Next week’s commission agenda does include the full $76 million pledged to towns this fiscal year through an omnibus public works grant.
Funding for a third bonded grant, $30 million for the Local Capital Improvement Program, is not on the agenda.
State sees dramatic drop in traffic as residents ‘stay safe, stay home’
Tom Condon
f you are still getting meeting or appointment notices on your phone, the chances are very good that they include the advisory: “The traffic is light.”
Your phone has this one right.
Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and all of the attendant precautions, traffic on the state’s major roadways has dropped off precipitously, particularly on weekends. Data compiled by the State Department of Transportation show that from early March through the end of the month, traffic volume on most roads was down 40 to 50 percent on weekdays and as much as 70 percent on weekends.
“We knew that [traffic] volume was way down, but it was still a shock to see the numbers. It brings it home that this is very serious,” said Brad Overturf, a DOT supervising planner.
For example, the Branford count station on I-95 shows a drop in weekday traffic from 80,432 vehicles on March 13 to 41,864 on March 31. On weekends, the numbers went from 77, 0296 on March 7 to 21,114 on the 31st.
On I-91 in Wethersfield, weekday traffic dropped from 142,167 vehicles on March 12th to 65,845 on the 31st. Weekend numbers went from 126,167 on March 7 to 46,878 at the end of the month.
A peek at the DOT’s highway count dashboard.
The data suggest that weekend motoring began to decline slightly before weekday driving, but that both dropped precipitously after the middle of the month, as the dangers of virus transmission became better known and officials began encouraging residents to stay home. Gov. Ned Lamont’s “Stay Safe Stay Home” executive order halting nonessential travel and business went into effect on March 23.
Traffic reduction also is allowing the DOT to expedite construction projects, by closing lanes when necessary or shifting what had been night work to the daytime, eliminating the pay differential for night work. “We can do more work in less time and save money,” said Maziarz.
Another plus, being measured over much of the world during the pandemic, is improved air quality. Motor vehicles are a “major source of air pollutants that affect human health, “ according to the U.S. Department of Transportation (see here). Fewer vehicles mean less pollution. Connecticut’s Air Quality Index on Friday was Good, the highest rating.
There is one downside of the traffic reduction: speeding has increased. The DOT also monitors highway speeds, including at its work zones. “We know speed is up,” Maziarz said. Speed is a factor is about a third of highway fatalities, according to the National Highway Safety Administration.
CT maintains funds for transportation, port development, amidst pandemic
Keith Phaneuf
State government will put its credit card to work next week for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic hit Connecticut.
And while the State Bond Commission will consider $5 million for emergency supplies for state and municipal public health agencies, most of the $1 billion in new financing is aimed at transportation infrastructure, economic development and long overdue municipal aid.
The meeting of the 10-member panel, which is chaired by Gov. Ned Lamont, will meet next Wednesday via teleconference at 1 p.m. The proceeding also will be aired and streamed on The Connecticut Network, the state’s public access cable channel.
“Even during this unprecedented pandemic, state government and its operations must continue to operate, and the state has an obligation to ensure proper investments are being made, and the timing could not be more crucial,” Chris McClure, spokesman for the governor’s budget office, said Wednesday.
Among the projects earmarked for funding are:
- Widening of Interstate 84 in southwestern Connecticut between exits 3 and 8;
- Continued improvements to the “Mixmaster” interchange of I-84 and Route 8;
- And the purchase of 72 new rail cars for the Shoreline East line.
The commission agenda also includes $30 million to support ongoing efforts to transform the port of New London into the green energy capital of the Northeast.
Lamont announced on Feb. 11 that the authority had reached a deal with Eversource and its Denmark-based partner, Ørsted North America, to develop an offshore wind turbine farm expected to create 400 jobs and generate as much as 4,000 megawatt hours of electricity. Part of that initiative includes redesigning State Pier and the surrounding area in New London into a heavy-lift capable port that can accommodate wind generation equipment and other related cargo.
Municipalities get long overdue state aid — but not all
The bond commission also is expected to release more than $106 million in grants to cities and towns — some of which is nine months overdue.
The agenda includes the first $30 million installment of this fiscal year’s $60 million Town Aid Road grant.
The funds, which help communities pay for road repairs, tree-clearing and snow removal, normally is delivered in two installments: half in July and half in January.
This grant, along with other aid financed with bonding, was held up since last summer as Lamont battled with legislators over whether to adopt highway tolls.
The governor, who first asked for tolls on all vehicles and then shifted to large trucks only, had insisted he wouldn’t support a new two-year bond plan until the tolls issued was settled. But Lamont relented in February, conceding legislators would not order tolls. The governor and General Assembly finally agreed on a new two-year bond package on March 11.
Next week’s commission agenda does include the full $76 million pledged to towns this fiscal year through an omnibus public works grant.
Funding for a third bonded grant, $30 million for the Local Capital Improvement Program, is not on the agenda.
Other items on next week’s bond commission agenda include:
- $37.5 million for various state agencies for information technology improvements;
- $31 million for clean drinking water projects.
State sees dramatic drop in traffic as residents ‘stay safe, stay home’
Tom Condon
f you are still getting meeting or appointment notices on your phone, the chances are very good that they include the advisory: “The traffic is light.”
Your phone has this one right.
Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and all of the attendant precautions, traffic on the state’s major roadways has dropped off precipitously, particularly on weekends. Data compiled by the State Department of Transportation show that from early March through the end of the month, traffic volume on most roads was down 40 to 50 percent on weekdays and as much as 70 percent on weekends.
“We knew that [traffic] volume was way down, but it was still a shock to see the numbers. It brings it home that this is very serious,” said Brad Overturf, a DOT supervising planner.
The department developed a data tool or dashboard showing daily traffic volume at 15 representative locations — of 39 they monitor — around the state. The counts come from sensors embedded in the roads that operate around the clock. The result show a consistent pattern.
For example, the Branford count station on I-95 shows a drop in weekday traffic from 80,432 vehicles on March 13 to 41,864 on March 31. On weekends, the numbers went from 77, 0296 on March 7 to 21,114 on the 31st.
On I-91 in Wethersfield, weekday traffic dropped from 142,167 vehicles on March 12th to 65,845 on the 31st. Weekend numbers went from 126,167 on March 7 to 46,878 at the end of the month.
A peek at the DOT’s highway count dashboard.
The data suggest that weekend motoring began to decline slightly before weekday driving, but that both dropped precipitously after the middle of the month, as the dangers of virus transmission became better known and officials began encouraging residents to stay home. Gov. Ned Lamont’s “Stay Safe Stay Home” executive order halting nonessential travel and business went into effect on March 23.
Hartford, I-84 westbound
Traffic reduction also is allowing the DOT to expedite construction projects, by closing lanes when necessary or shifting what had been night work to the daytime, eliminating the pay differential for night work. “We can do more work in less time and save money,” said Maziarz.
Another plus, being measured over much of the world during the pandemic, is improved air quality. Motor vehicles are a “major source of air pollutants that affect human health, “ according to the U.S. Department of Transportation (see here). Fewer vehicles mean less pollution. Connecticut’s Air Quality Index on Friday was Good, the highest rating.
There is one downside of the traffic reduction: speeding has increased. The DOT also monitors highway speeds, including at its work zones. “We know speed is up,” Maziarz said. Speed is a factor is about a third of highway fatalities, according to the National Highway Safety Administration.