CT Construction Digest Monday June 12, 2023
Plan to ease Hartford-area transportation troubles — including I-91/1-84 interchange — taking shape
A far-reaching plan for solving Greater Hartford’s transportation troubles is now taking final shape, including a half-dozen options under consideration for easing congestion at the I-91/1-84 interchange in Hartford, a notorious bottleneck.
The interchange is at the center of the Greater Hartford Mobility Study, launched in 2020. The study is taking a comprehensive look at highway transportation, but it also is going well beyond to include rail, bus, bicycle and pedestrian — and how they connect and could work together to ease traffic congestion.
A report from the state Department of Transportation is expected this fall with recommendations that also would help reduce carbon emissions that, experts say, are contributing to climate change.
“We wanted to look at — not just how the interchange interacts with the city and with the other side of the river — we wanted to look at local roadways, pedestrian and bicycle facilities as well as looking at bus and rail transit services,” Shannon Burnham, a DOT spokeswoman, said. “So, it’s looking holistically at the Greater Hartford transit system.”
Traffic congestion is not only a frustration, it can impede economic growth because a city can be seen as too difficult to navigate — impacting the prospects for restaurants, bars, entertainment venues and others to build their businesses, said David Cadden, professor emeritus of entrepreneurship and strategy at Quinnipiac University in Hamden.
Cadden said office workers are more likely to leave earlier and not stick around for dinner, a show or a drink if they believe they need to leave early to beat the traffic.
“If people want to come in for the evening, and they don’t want to be caught in a traffic jam, they might not come in,” Cadden said. “So, it has a tremendous impact on the desirability of people to access facilities within the city.”
The pandemic also threw another variable into the study with fewer office workers spending the entire work week in Hartford and more working full- or part-time at home, Cadden said.
The DOT declined to discuss details of the options now being considered for the interchange. But it is likely some are similar to those outlined in 2019 after an earlier study of the interchange. The I-84/I91 interchange is the busiest in Connecticut, serving 275,000 vehicles a day.
In 2019, the options for the interchange included rerouting I-84 into the North Meadows and erecting a new bridge across the Connecticut River; tunneling the highway through the South End or leaving the interchange in place and just widening it.
A plan to bury the I-84 viaduct between Park and High streets in Hartford and I-91 along the Connecticut river in Hartford also were on the table. Both plans have been advocated for years by U.S. Rep. John B. Larson, D-East Harford.
The interchange now features tight, sharp exit and entrance ramps and only two through lanes on the Bulkeley Bridge.
Dramatic shift
The mobility study was a dramatic shift away from years of focusing on highways to solve traffic congestion in the Hartford area. Those efforts targeted both the I-84 viaduct —and whether it should be lowered or buried in a tunnel — and what to do about the I-91/1-84 interchange at the viaduct’s eastern end.
The viaduct replacement project was estimated in 2019 to cost at least $5 billion. The cost of the interchange project had not been pinpointed but would certainly run well into the billions of dollars, possibly exceeding the viaduct project.
In 2019, just as a recommendation on the viaduct appeared imminent, the DOT decided to expand the focus to include more forms of transportation under the mobility study.
The change was possible because repairs to the viaduct had extended its life to 2040, and Larson was pushing for highway tunnels. But the shift disappointed some who saw lowering the viaduct as a means to potentially reconnect neighborhoods divided by the highway’s construction in the 1960s.
The area included in the study is now larger: stretching from Bradley International Airport south to Cromwell and from West Hartford east to Manchester.
The study is considering alternatives in East Hartford where land — relieved of a tangle of exit and entrance ramps in what is known as the “mixmaster” — could be redeveloped to build the town’s tax base and create jobs.
The DOT’s Burnham said large projects such as the interchange are still a priority. But smaller-scale improvements are likely to get tackled first, within the next five years. Big-ticket improvements with the interchange may be a decade or more in the future.
One example of a smaller project could be Pulaski Circle in downtown Hartford, poised to become a gateway into the Bushnell South redevelopment area nearby.
Vehicles traveling fast dump off I-91 into the traffic circle near Bushnell Park. Once there, they converge with slower-moving vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians already struggling to navigate the confusing, even dangerous, area.
Pulaski Circle could be helped by more signs to urge those exiting I-91 on what is known as the Whitehead Highway to slow down, planners have said. What may ultimately be needed is a reconstruction into a modern roundabout or intersection with traffic lights, they say.
Should Middletown City Hall, Russell Library be razed, rebuilt or relocated?
MIDDLETOWN — A committee charged with determining the feasibility of relocating or building new municipal offices and a library has determined that a vacated Main Street bank site cannot support a combined facility.
The city has been in conversations with the owner of the former Citizens Bank corporate offices at 225-243 Main St., on the corner of College Street. It is being considered as a "potentially workable site" for a new municipal complex, Mayor Ben Florsheim said at the June 5 Common Council meeting.
The feasibility committee hired an architectural firm that determined the bank site is "quite suitable," but only for a new City Hall, the mayor said, although the assessment was a preliminary one. The municipal building is some 35,000 square feet.
However, parking would be an issue at the site.
The issue first came to light in August 2020, when the mayor said the circa-1958 municipal building at 245 deKoven Drive had undergone additions and renovations over the decades, but is at the end of its useful life.
"This is not something that is going to be happening in the immediate future," the mayor said.
The Russell Library/City Hall Feasibility Study Committee also is exploring options for the library's aging 123 Broad St. location, one block up from Main Street.
The library is comprised of a number of old structures dating back some 150 years and has far outgrown its space. In addition, there have been a great deal of structural and mechanical issues plaguing the facility. It originally was designed to last only a century, Director Ramona Burkey said. The Hubbard Room was added in 1930, and the last major construction occurred in 1983.
“The building is definitely showing its age, she said. “Many of our major mechanicals are at end of life, and (we are) just short of having enough square feet to serve our population per Connecticut State Library guidelines.”
Also, it was designed before the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law and the internet became popular. Plus, the third floor was never built to support heavy book stacks, the director said.
“It is extremely difficult and nonsustainable right now in its configuration to heat and to cool, and staff. It’s a lot of work to keep it supervised and safe and secure,” Burkey said.
“You can’t keep adding on and making a big conglomeration of buildings with many vintages. At a certain point, it gets to where you need to start over with something major," she said.
An assessment conducted a few years ago determined the current structure “isn’t functioning well as a 21st century library for us now — and it won’t be going forward,: Burkey said. "It’s time to make those plans and have the conversations and see what resources are out there."
Library administrators and the board of trustees want at least some part of the current building to be an annex — or even a branch, something the city had in several locations around town some 100 years ago, Burkey said.
“All these ideas will go into the mix,” the director said.
A new facility would be supported mostly by the public through a bond referendum, Burkey said. Federal funding is scarce, although some grants are available through the state, such as the Community Investment Fund 2030 and Connecticut State Library.
The library has had a number of issues in the complex, including significant flooding from heavy downpours during a storm last November. When it comes time to activate the air conditioning in the summer, staff “cross their fingers,” Burkey said.
Common Council member Anthony Mangiafico, co-chairman of the feasibility study along with council Minority Leader Phil Pessina, said members have determined that, even if the library buildings were to be razed, the property lacks enough area for a modern-day facility and parking.
The goal is to find a site between a 2 and 2½ acres, Mangiafico said.
"People do not want to move the library to, let's say, Westfield. They want to keep it somewhere in the general vicinity, to make it a driver of economic development for Main Street," he added.
Committee members recently toured the bank building, Pessina said. "It was quite revealing that, in the future, it would be more than adequate for our City Hall and residents," he said. "… It could be one-stop shopping."
With the Return to the Riverfront master plan in the works, City Hall vacating the site could mean new development there.
"The future of this site is one of the exciting possibilities that has been opened up by this feasibility committee, whether it is for a new library or another kind of development," Florsheim said.
“I’m really proud of Middletown. I’m really excited that we are committed to making plans for the future,” Burkey said. “Nobody that I’ve spoken with wants to kick the can down the road, because we know that ends up being the least desirable and most expensive option.”
What's next for long-stalled POKO building on Norwalk's Wall Street? Developer updates original plan
Katherine Lutge
NORWALK — For years, the skeletal framework of the unfinished building at 61 Wall St. stood as a reminder of stalled progress due to lawsuits. Finally, developers are moving forward with the project and updating the original plan.
“As you can imagine, there has been an enormous amount of interest in this project, in large part because it’s taken so long to get it moving with the lawsuits,” said Louis Schulman, a member of the Planning & Zoning Commission.
Architect Michael Weissbrod, representing Wall Street Recap Associates, presented the “refinements” to the plan during the commission's meeting last Wednesday. The commission previously approved the project in December 2020.
“Generally, we are keeping in spirit with the previously approved project,” said Weissbrod.
The previous developer had planned for an automatic parking system in the basement of the building, but Weissbrod said they did not find that plan feasible. In the presentation, he outlined new plans to put a fitness center, bike storage and leasable commercial space in the basement.
Moving the fitness center and storage to the basement opened up space on the second floor for two additional apartments, he said. Weissbrod also mentioned plans to add two more apartments on the sixth floor, increasing the total number of units from 101 to 105.
Parking was also one of the issues that stalled the project. The 2020-approved plan included covered parking in the middle of the Wall Street building and a parking garage across the street at 18 Isaacs, the former site of the Garden Cinema. The site will be transformed into a parking garage with 50 additional units on top.
The original plans entailed a total of 151 housing units, with 50 at market value, 35 for those qualified at 80 percent of the area median income, 32 for those qualified at 60 percent, and 34 at 40 percent. Weissbrod confirmed that these numbers would not change with the addition of the four extra units.
Weissbrod mentioned plans to create a green space for all the residents to use above the covered parking in the Wall Street building.
The final change to the plan is to update the windows to be more energy-efficient and alter the balconies to enhance safety.
“Previously, we had proposed these balconies to be 2- to 3-feet deep. We are now rethinking that to make them a little bit safer, just proposing to make them Juliet-style balconies,” Weissbrod said.
When Schulman inquired about the project’s timeline, Weissbrod expressed hope to begin construction within a couple of months.
“I think that is going to be very soon. We are just about done with the construction document, so we are going to be going through the final approval process with the city very soon,” Weissbrod said.
The Planning & Zoning Commission approved the changes to the plans unanimously.
POKO History
In 2007, the city sold 61 Wall St. and some property on Isaacs Street to POKO-IWSR Managers LLC under a Land Disposition Agreement, aiming to revitalize the Wall Street corridor. However, the 2008 Great Recession caused construction to halt, leaving the building only partially completed.
Unexpectedly, in 2017, POKO’s CEO Kenneth Olson died, leaving the property in a state of uncertainty. Consequently, the two main properties were sold to separate owners: Citibank acquired 61 Wall St., while developer Jason Milligan obtained the remaining Isaacs Street property, which included a large parking lot.
The sale of the Isaacs Street parking lot by the POKO estate violated the city’s Land Disposition Agreements, resulting in years of litigation.
Initially, POKO had planned to use Milligan’s Isaacs Street property for parking in conjunction with 61 Wall St. However, the lawsuits between Milligan and the city entangled the development of 61 Wall St.
In April, a settlement was reached, compelling Milligan to pay the city $1.25 million and provide 88 public parking spots.
The settlement allowed Wall Street Recap Associates to proceed with their plans for 61 Wall St.
Hartford's Bulkeley High School will reopen a year later than expected after going $61M over budget
HARTFORD — Bulkeley High School at 300 Wethersfield Ave. was quiet Friday morning. Surrounded by tall fences and appearing abandoned, you'd never guess it was in the midst of a complete remodel.
School officials say the project is running behind schedule and over budget. Construction on Bulkeley High School is set to cost $61 million more and take a year longer than anticipated due to COVID-19, supply change issues and inflation.
The project, which began in 2020 and was expected to cost $149 million and re-open in fall of 2024, will now cost over $210 million and re-open in 2025.
"Unfortunately, the pandemic has really put a damper on these projects to where pricing allocated prior to the pandemic doesn't match the escalation during and post-pandemic and COVID itself has led to the increased costs of the project," said Paul Drummey, chair of the School Building Committee.
The school building committee was able to turn to the state to receive the additional funding needed to complete the project, a feat Drummey is proud of.
"I have never been a part of such a joint collaborative effort," Drummey said. "In such a short period of time to make up that much money? It is an extraordinary feat."
The Bulkeley High School construction project divided the student body into two campuses on opposite sides of the city. At a recent Board of Education meeting, students complained about food quality, student experience and conditions inside the buildings.
Design phases on the project began in 2019. In 2020, Hartford's central office relocated to the Bulkeley campus, and the students moved to the two swing spaces, at the old Dwight Elementary School in the South End and the old Mark Twain School in the Blue Hills neighborhood. The construction on the central office building also cost more than expected, according to Drummey.
The estimate for the construction was $29,750,000, but now is projected to cost almost $35 million.
Drummey said he is remaining confident the project will not be delayed again and that central office and Bulkeley will be occupied in 2025.
"I have a high level of confidence that this project team, along with the city of Hartford and the Hartford Public School system are going to get this project done in the fall of 2025," Drummey said.
So far, the city has spent just $23 million of the original $149 million budgeted.
Over the last several months as the school building committee has waited for the additional funding to come through, progress on phases of the construction has stalled.
"There's been little to no labor on site over the last couple of months as we have awaited the approval of these phase seven contracts," said John Butkus, program director with Arcadis / O & G / C & R Program Management at a May 15 meeting of the committee.
Phase seven will include demolition and abatement left over from phase five as well as working on the new exterior of the building. At the May 15 meeting, Butkus reported the high school renovation project is just 10.6 percent completed, while the Central Office renovation is 49.1 percent complete.
Norwalk prepares to bid farewell to old Cranbury Elementary School
Kalleen Rose Ozanic
NORWALK — The Cranbury Elementary School community is preparing to say goodbye to its old building.
An official Cranbury School Farewell Event on Saturday will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. At the event, attendees can enjoy Cranbury memorabilia, look at pictures and spirit wear, and take home a daffodil or iris bulb for planting.
The school’s gym wall will be open for writing farewell messages or signatures.
Former and current Cranbury Elementary School staff will be in attendance.
Lunch will be available from the JJB Wood Fire Pizza and Pasta Truck, and treats from the Sono Ice Cream Truck.
As the community says goodbye to the old Cranbury school, it says hello to the new building — where construction is slated to complete in July.
The new two-story building is part of the $45 million project for a new Cranbury. With about 65,000 square feet of space, it will serve students in prekindergarten through fifth grade, starting this fall, with more than 20 classrooms as well as a separate cafeteria and gymnasium.
The new school will have more space for programming and amenities for education, according to Principal Jennifer Masone.
"Having the gym and cafeteria in separate spaces will allow for broader programming choices during school hours and beyond," she said. "Classrooms are equipped with the modern furniture and technology to support twenty-first century teaching and learning."
Most of the 33 acres on school campus are wetlands, so the new construction could only be next to the existing school, Project Manager Michael Faenz said previously.
The old Cranbury School was originally built in 1959. For years, parents have complained that parts of the building have fallen into disrepair and that the community has outgrown its cramped classrooms and hallways.
The new building’s facade incorporates stone, brick and wood to reflect the “park-like nature” of the surrounding area, Lisa Yates, an architect with the Bridgeport-based firm Antinozzi Associates, said previously.
The school is in a largely wooded area south of Cranbury Park.
“It’s the kind of space where you like to be outside, so we like to have this feeling of bringing the outside in,” Yates said previously.
New sports fields will eventually be built where the existing school is located, but that building will not be demolished until the new school is operational in the fall.
According to the district’s website for the project, when the construction is completed, “the existing elementary school will be demolished and a new parent driveway loop and parking area, as well as athletic fields and two age-appropriate playgrounds, will be constructed.”
$25M industrial building development planned for Southington site
Alocal development team is seeking land use permits for a vacant parcel in Southington that they will sell for a future industrial warehouse project.
Mark Lovley and Jason Manafort, principals of Technology Industrial Park LLC, bought a 53-acre vacant parcel at 53 Spring St., for $550,000 in 2021.
They are seeking wetlands and planning and zoning board approval for a 283,000-square-foot industrial warehouse that will be built by Pennsylvania-based Johnson Development Associates Inc.
Once land use approvals are in place, the national real estate developer would purchase the property from the Technology Industrial team for an undisclosed amount, Lovley said.
Johnson Development has six office locations throughout the U.S., and has developed more than 28 million square feet of industrial property, along with 28 multifamily communities, and more than 70 self-storage facilities, according to the company website.
Lovley said Johnson has projects in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Florida and the Carolinas, and is looking to expand into the Connecticut market with this Southington project.
The $20 million to $25 million industrial facility will be built on spec, or without a tenant secured, and can be subdivided for up to four tenants, Lovley said. Plans call for up to 63 loading bays, 76 trailer parking spaces and 202 employee parking spaces.
Tenants would include industrial storage and distribution operations, but no manufacturing, Lovley said.
He anticipates a spring 2024 construction start, with occupancy roughly nine to 12 months later.