Aquarion to replace 5,400 feet of water main in Stratford's north end

Richard Chumney

STRATFORD — Aquarion Water Company plans to replace 5,400 feet of water main that runs under a condominium complex in the north end as part of a project that is expected to take several months to complete.

The work is set to kick off on Wednesday at the Far Mill River complex off Warner Hill Road and wrap up later this fall, according to a spokesperson for the company, which is owned by the power utility Eversource. Final paving will then be coordinated with the condominium association.

The roads involved in the project are Fiddler Green Rd, River Bend Road, Wedgewood Road, and Meeting House Road, which are all in the condominium complex. 

“We greatly appreciate residents’ patience during these projects,” Justin Xenelis, an Aquarion official said in a statement. “We will work closely with our customers, contractors and town officials to coordinate the work and minimize any disruptions.”

Aquarion officials said the upgrades are designed to improve the company‘s water distribution system while also reducing leaks and breaks in the water main that can cause service interruptions.

Officials said motorists should expect minor traffic delays and possible detours between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. during the construction. 

The Norwalk-based contractor M Rondano, Inc. will be conducting the replacement. Further information about the planned work can be found at aquarionwater.com/projects.

 Brian Lockhart

BRIDGEPORT — After years of delays, construction of the long-awaited hotel at the Steelpointe redevelopment is a bit closer to reality.

On Jan. 27, the planning and zoning commission will host a public hearing on the coastal site plan approval application for the Marriott Residence Inn proposed for the vacant land at 380 Stratford Ave. That commission's blessing is necessary before development partners the Christophs and True North Hotel Group can get their building permits to break ground on the 142-room structure.

Located along the harbor on the lower East End, just below Interstate 95, Steelpointe has been gestating for decades, with the Christophs' first signature project, Bass Pro Shops outdoor retail superstore, opening there in 2015. There is also a Chipotle restaurant, a Starbucks coffee shop, a high-end marina and Boca seafood restaurant, with an apartment complex under construction.

A hotel has long been a project component. In 2015, the Christoph father/son team of Roberts Sr. and Jr. and then-Mayor Bill Finch's administration announced a 120-room Hampton Inn was coming. That was never built.

Then in September 2022, Mayor Joe Ganim mentioned the Steelpointe hotel was coming during his annual state-of-the-city speech to the business community. The prior winter the downtown Holiday Inn shuttered and was sold to be converted into apartments, leaving Connecticut's largest municipality without a hotel even as officials here were trying to promote Bridgeport as an entertainment destination with a newly opened concert amphitheater.

In an interview following Ganim's speech, Bobby Christoph Jr. expressed hope to break ground on a 150-room hotel early in 2023.

"I have a couple different deals working," he said at the time.

Jump to last June when the Marriott was announced. According to the coastal site plan application, required to address environmental and flooding issues because of the proximity to the harbor and Long Island Sound, the building will measure 105,000 square feet and six stories with 142 units and a 137-space parking lot.

The Christophs could not immediately be contacted for any further details or a construction timeline.

Dan Onofrio, president of the Bridgeport Regional Business Council, said the Marriott cannot open soon enough.

"The largest city in the State of Connecticut doesn't have a place for people to stay in," Onofrio said. "This will be a nice, new facility that will draw attention to not just the harbor but Bridgeport."