Exit 74 reconstruction project meets its first major milestone

Elizabeth Regan

East Lyme ― Almost a quarter of the way into a four year, $148 million reconstruction of the Interstate 95 Exit 74 interchange, crews on Wednesday were preparing to meet the project’s first major milestone.

While the existing northbound off-ramp continued to spit drivers out at the convoluted intersection with Route 161 in front of Starbucks, subcontractors working for general contractor Manafort Brothers of Plainville were readying a new off-ramp 500 feet down the state road.

State Department of Transportation (DOT) project engineer Andrew Millovitsch said the new off ramp is scheduled to open at 6 a.m. Friday, if all goes according to plan. The old, shuttered off-ramp will eventually be swallowed up by the new commuter lot to be constructed as one of the last major improvements before the project’s expected completion in the spring of 2027.

The DOT by the end of November had spent roughly 24%, or $35 million, of the overall project budget, according to Millovitsch.

“I can confidently say we are on time and on budget,” he said.

Crews on the unopened off-ramp Wednesday were installing guard rails, cycling through a new signalized intersection to make sure it was detecting vehicles, and installing wrong-way signs in anticipation of the expected opening.

The new off-ramp will be longer than its predecessor and have three lanes where it ends across from Burger King, he said. The added length gives drivers more time to slow down so backups and rear-end collisions are reduced.

Millovitsch said each project milestone is significant because it means the contractor can move on to the next phase and keep the project on track.

“Opening this ramp opens up a lot of possibilities for the contractor to perform work,” he said.

He described the timing of the new off-ramp as a gift of sorts.

“We understand that our presence here hasn’t been 100% welcomed by everybody and we understand that we impact their daily lives and their travel plans,” he said. “But we kind of thought that actually delivering this off-ramp before Christmas was sort of a Christmas present to the town and the traveling public.”

Also expected to finish up before the holidays is the blasting project that has closed both sides of the highway for short intervals most weekdays since Aug. 1 as crews dislodged 800 feet of ledge. The goal was to keep the closures below 20 minutes, though that didn’t always happen in the densest areas of rock.

Millovitsch said tentative plans are to conclude blasting work by the Thursday before Christmas. Either way, there will be no blasting that Friday to accommodate holiday travelers.

Ledge on the southbound side of the highway will be removed in a separate phase. Millovitsch estimated work could possibly begin in the spring depending how things progress through the winter. He emphasized each phase depends on the one before it.

On that critical path is the replacement of the Route 161 overpass that will begin this winter. Once that’s done, crews will be able to start on what he described as the project’s single biggest safety improvement: the alignment of the highway itself.

“We are raising the highway on the south side of the bridge while lowering it on the north side to create a more gradual passage,” he said.

The work will get rid of the hills and valleys that currently make it hard for drivers to see ahead. He said the phased approach means drivers at some points will notice people driving next to them at different elevations. It also explains why the new off-ramp is about 8 feet higher than the existing highway, according to Millovitsch.

He said there won’t be any closures related to the bridge work on the highway during the day, when the contract specifies two lanes must remain open at all times. But traffic on the state road below can be stopped in daytime for up to 10 minutes.

He said he can’t guarantee all closures will happen at night even though that’s the preference. Ultimately, the decision depends on factors including how the work is progressing and when subcontractors are available.

The upheaval that can result from closures in the area was evident last week when the Exit 74 on- and off-ramps were shut down for two days for a last-minute paving project.

Millovitsch described the paving job as a stopgap measure to get through the next two years until Route 161 is scheduled to be overhauled. That’s when the road from Stop & Shop to True Value Home Center will be widened to accommodate four 11-foot travel lanes, 11-foot turning lanes, 5-foot shoulders and 5-foot concrete sidewalks on both sides.

Millovitsch said it was “a business decision” to interrupt traffic for two days in exchange for two years of safer conditions. He said conditions were marked by poor drainage, patching related to underground utility work and overall age.

“We just milled off two inches, put back two inches and established a crown on 161 in the center of the road,” he said. “So now all the water is hitting the road, running to the gutters and then going to catch basins.”

He acknowledged many people were caught off guard by the last-minute project that he said didn’t allow for “a lot of notice.”

“Unfortunately, we didn’t get the word out as early as we would have liked,” he said.

The project website, i-95eastlyme.com, now includes live video feed from multiple areas of the project recently updated to include Route 161.

“We encourage the locals to avoid traveling through here if possible to help our delays – and that way they’re not delayed – but at the same time we want them to stay in the area and keep visiting the businesses that are located on the job or right off the job.”

I-95 Exits 71 and 72 Southbound Will Be Combined in 2028 Plan

Cate Hewitt

OLD LYME — In a $29 million project slated for 2028, the historically dangerous southbound stretch of I-95 between exits 71 and 72 will be combined to include a frontage road and stoplight, creating safer driving conditions according to state officials. 

“This area of I-95 includes a short weaving section between the Exit 72 on-ramp and Exit 71 off-ramp, which results in frequent crashes and traffic congestion,” Kafi Rouse, director of communications for the Connecticut Department of Transportation, wrote in an email to CT Examiner on Wednesday.

“Safety and operational improvements can be achieved by reconfiguring this interchange by combining and relocating Exits 71 and 72 southbound and extending the on-ramps to provide vehicles additional time to accelerate and merge onto the interstate,” Rouse said.

The project is in its conceptual stages and is estimated at $29 million, said Josh Morgan, spokesman for the state department of transportation.

Exit 72 provides access to the Rocky Neck Connector in East Lyme. Exit 71 connects to Four Mile River Road in Old Lyme. 

Sam Gold, executive director of RiverCOG, which includes Old Lyme, said the project “will reduce the friction and the hazards in between the exits of 71 and 72, and will reduce accidents.” 

Gold said project funding was approved as an amendment to the FY 21-24 Transportation Improvement Program at Wednesday morning’s meeting of RiverCOG and Lower Connecticut River Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization. The Transportation Improvement Program, or TIP, is an ongoing list of projects scheduled to receive federal funding within a four-year period.  

Amanda Kennedy, executive director of the Southeastern Connecticut Council, which includes East Lyme, told CT Examiner that her staff has reviewed the project information with the Department of Transportation staff. 

“Our executive committee has voted to recommend approval of the TIP amendment at our December 20 meeting,” she said. 

Planning and engineering of the project are expected to begin in 2024 and completed  in 2027.  

“This proposed project is currently in early design, and we continue discussing the project with our local community partners. As the project moves forward, a public information meeting will be held, with construction anticipated to begin in 2028,” said Rouse. 

EXCLUSIVE: Engineer Warned RIDOT That Washington Bridge Joints Could Fail

A report written by a leading bridge engineer from Connecticut warned the Rhode Island Department of Transportation that failure of the joints of Washington Bridge was possible if specific action was not taken.

The report was submitted as part of a 2020 bid by the Cardi Corporation for the construction work to repair the bridge. The work was initially awarded to Cardi and then reassigned to Barletta Heavy Machine after legal fights.

According to representatives of Cardi Corporation, who had partnered with the Connecticut engineer Michael “Pete” Culmo, who today is the Chief Bridge Engineer at CHA Consulting in Hebron, Connecticut, the issue was known to RIDOT officials for nearly three years.

Culmo warned in that submission that the design preferred by RIDOT officials had serious technical issues and due to wear, could cause failure.

Warning issued to RIDOT by Cardi and Culmo

Rhode Island Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti said Monday night that bridge closure was the result of the pins designed to brace the bridge having been severed.

This is the very issue flagged by Culmo in his warning to RIDOT in 2020.

“The addition of the link slab alters the location of the hinge point at the end of the beams. Before adding the link slab, the hinge point is at the bearing. With the addition of the link slab, the hinge is now located at the mid-depth of the deck. End rotation brought on by live loads leads to movement at the bearing, resulting in shearing forces on the bearing pin and beam ends. This can lead to several problems. The bearing pin could fail, and the beam end could be damaged due to the force transfer at the pin. Note that the link slabs cannot be moved to the expansion ends of the hung spans, because that will lead to problems similar to those noted above,” wrote Culmo.

 “The potential damage to the beam ends with the introduction of link slabs is a significant issue. If the beam ends become damaged, the bridge above the damaged beams would need to be closed for extensive repairs. Our team does not want to burden the State with a design that could potentially lead to significant repairs and lane closures in the future. We feel that the more prudent, conservative and proven approach is to replace the joints with newly constructed deck joints using high-quality materials,” he added.

He further outlined, “The goal of this project is to provide a design for the Washington Bridge with a 25-year design life. The Department and our team have seen mixed results with replacement of aging deck joints, especially asphaltic joints on high truck traffic volume roadways. The use of the EMSEAL bridge expansion joint system is proposed for deck expansion joints. Considered a 25-year design life system, this is a Department-approved product that, in our opinion, is a more durable joint system, especially for interstate highway use. This joint is made with elastomeric concrete headers located within the overlay portion of the deck; therefore, it is also easily removed and replaced when the deck overlay is replaced at regular maintenance intervals.”

Governor Dan McKee's office refused to respond to questions.

O&G of Torrington to fulfill girl’s wish to ‘swim with mermaids’

SLOAN BREWSTER 

TORRINGTON – O&G Industries and Make-A-Wish are joining forces to help a little girl swim with mermaids.

The Torrington-based company is donating $200,000 to organizations throughout the state, including $70,000 to Make-A-Wish, Kara Oneglia, vice president of the company’s Mason Division said. The donation will cover the cost of making seven wishes come true, including fulfilling 8-year-old Adalynn Sparks’ desire to ride horses on the beach and swim with mermaids, which she will be doing during a family trip to Hawaii in May, her father Tim Sparks said.

Adalynn and her parents attended a check presentation celebration at O&G’s South Main Street repair facility Tuesday. Make-A-Wish Director of Corporate and Community Giving Kim Smith said Adalynn’s was the first wish the O&G funds will grant.

“Today is truly a celebration,” Smith said. “It’s about the partnership with O&G and really doing what you do with the communities that we serve. We can’t do what we do at Make-A-Wish without special friends and supporters like all of you.”

Adalynn, who lives in Bantam, has cystic fibrosis, which Tim said isn’t discussed very much and tends to be “invisible.” Cystic fibrosis, according to the Mayo Clinic, is an inherited disorder that damages lungs, digestive system and other organs.

With help from an O&G crew, Adalynn climbed atop a payloader and looked down at the cheering crowd, giving a thumbs-up when cued to do so by Smith. She went around to the other side of the huge brand new machine and got a boost to the driver’s seat, then posed, holding the giant $70,000 check, in the bucket in front.

Adalynn said she believes in mermaids because she swam with the mythical sea creatures at a water park in New Hampshire.

Members of the Oneglia clan, the family that owns and operates O&G, said the company spread $200,000 in donations to the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary in Newtown; Connecticut Foodshare in Wallingford; Charlotte Hungerford Hospital’s Pink Rose Fund in Torrington; and Move United.

The organizations that received money were selected by employees, with the biggest sum going to Make-A-Wish as it garnered the most votes, Kara Oneglia and Christina Oneglia Rossi said.

Three years ago, during the COVID-19 pandemic when the company couldn’t hold a holiday party, it decided to make donations instead, Kara Oneglia said.

“We said, ‘why don’t we pick five charities and have the employees vote and we’ll give a certain amount to each one just based on a number of votes’,” Oneglia said.

The company decided to replicate the idea for its 100th anniversary.

“The employees felt so good about it and were so involved and it was really nice to be able to do that,” Oneglia said. “And so we thought this time around, in honor of the hundredth too, we would do something very similar.”

O&G was founded in 1923 by Andrew Oneglia and Flaviano Gervasini. Initially named Oneglia and Gervasini, in 1975, the business was rebranded O&G. Four generations later, it is run by Andrew’s third and fourth generation descendants.

Residents to oppose Ledyard quarry operation at former chemical plant

Lee Howard

Ledyard ― Dozens of residents who live near the former Dow Chemical plant on the Thames River are expected to attend a continued public hearing on a proposed rock quarry Thursday and say the project threatens their health, safety and quality of life.

The Planning and Zoning Commission hearing is slated to begin at Ledyard Middle School at 6 p.m.

The quarry at historic Mount Decatur requires a special permit that the group Citizens Alliance for Land Use said in a release would “adversely impact the quality of life” in the area, creating “noise, vibrations, and air pollution especially carcinogenic fugitive dust known to be produced by quarrying granite such as that found in Mount Decatur.” Fugitive dust, small particles emitted during the quarrying process, is known to cause respiratory problems, according to online sources.

The special permit request to essentially flatten Mount Decatur, submitted by Gales Ferry Intermodal, was originally scheduled to be heard Nov. 16, but “so many opponents jammed the Town Council chambers that the date was postponed and the venue changed,” according to the Citizens Alliance release. GFI is owned by Cashman Dredging & Marine Contracting, a company based in Quincy, Mass.

There are no specific plans for the 40-acre site after the blasting, according to residents, “although Cashman says it could build industrial buildings at some point in the future.”

Rock blasted on site would be processed locally before being trucked or shipped to various construction projects.

The neighborhood nearby includes a historic district, residential neighborhoods, a church day care, and the Thames River Estuary, Citizens Alliance said.

“The Village of Gales Ferry is also concerned about the proposed increase in truck traffic along a steep portion of Route 12, and about destruction of the Mount Decatur historic site itself as a defining feature of the community,” the residents said in their release.

Project proponents

The Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut weighed in Wednesday in an op-ed in The Day on the side of Cashman.

Tony Sheridan, president and chief executive of the chamber, said the 165-acre property near the river and train tracks has served as an intermodal facility for people and freight since 1849, but with Dow Chemical’s closure the site had sat empty until Cashman bought it in May 2022.

“The region has lost significant taxable revenue as manufacturing buildings were demolished and this large industrially zoned property was left mostly vacant and with environmental use restrictions limiting previously developed acreage from redevelopment,” Sheridan said.

Now Cashman has started a big investment at the site, Sheridan said, including the planned reconstruction of an 800-foot, deep-water pier that will be used for such heavy-load needs as the staging of offshore wind projects. Sheridan cited $4 million in investments at the site completed so far.

“We’re proud to have Cashman/Gales Ferry Intermodal as a new (2022) member of the chamber and a partner in promoting marine commerce and supporting the staging of renewable energy projects from their revitalized Ledyard facility,” Sheridan said. "The work Cashman’s team is looking to undertake will attract renewable energy, industrial and marine oriented businesses to the region and in turn, help to bolster the tax base in Ledyard and the economy here in Eastern Connecticut.“

According to neighbors’ historical research on Mount Decatur, the hill overlooking the Thames River got its name after Naval commander Stephen Decatur, trying to save a substantial portion of the U.S. Navy at the time from a British blockade, decided to build a fort and observation point there during the War of 1812. Previously, it had been called Dragon Hill.

“Ledyard Planning & Zoning is including on their agenda the opportunity for the residents of Gales Ferry to express their concerns and point out the ways that this proposal doesn't meet with the P & Z regulations or the Conservation Development Committee regulations, and how this will affect our lives and homes,” said Ledyard resident Liz Smith, who lives on the south end of Mount Decatur, in an email.

Project attorney: Proposed Waterford hotel would replace several blighted properties

Daniel Drainville

Waterford ― An attorney representing New Jersey-based Seven Hills Hospitality Group, which is proposing to build a four-story Woodspring Suites on the New London line, said the hotel would stimulate the town’s economy and improve a gateway to the community.

Seven Hills is targeting 2024 for construction of the 122-room hotel, in hopes of opening it to the public in 2025, said project attorney William Sweeney on Wednesday.

“It cleans up some really blighted properties that are an eyesore and are a detriment to that neighborhood. To do it by high quality, extended-stay hotel is really a positive thing in our perspective,” he said.

Sweeney gave a preliminary presentation on the project to the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission two weeks ago. He told commissioners the hotel generate up to $500,000 annually in tax revenue for the town, bringing in people who would spend money locally and beautify the 4.5-acre site, which is one of the first things people see as they enter the town via Willetts Avenue or Boston Post Road.

Sweeney said four parcels would be used for the hotel ― 16 and 18 Boston Post Road, owned by Silverman Realty Group, and 295 and 313 Willetts Avenue, owned by Londregan Commercial Real Estate Group. He said the sales would hinge on zoning approval.

Replacing blighted properties

The parcels include the former site of McNamara’s Sports Pub and Grill and next door, covered in vines, with windows boarded up, is a red house. The paint on both buildings is chipped and patchy, and weeds jut up through cracked driveway asphalt.

At the November meeting, Sweeney agreed with town officials that the blighted buildings and vacant lots provide a less-than-stellar welcome to people entering the town from New London.

“Rather than having a rundown, blighted building with graffiti, you actually have a professionally managed hotel complex, owned by a professional hospitality company with a national brand on it, with national standards, something that looks nice that has a professionally landscaped site plan,” he said.

Planning and Zoning Commission Chair Gregory Massad called the hotel “a good use of the property.”

Sweeney explained to the commission that extended-stay hotels are designed to accommodate guests looking to stay for longer periods, often several weeks at a time. Woodspring’s typical clientele, he said, are college-educated, often business travelers.

“These people who are at the hotel on these temporary assignments will shop locally, they’ll go to the local restaurants, they’ll go to the local supermarket. They’ll bring money into the Waterford economy,” Sweeney said.

He said Seven Hills was drawn to the site by the large workforce in the area, which includes employees of Pfizer, Dominion, Electric Boat and Lawrence + Memorial Hospital.

Sweeney said Seven Hills expects to receive a special permit from the commission before winter’s end, and an inland wetlands permit this month.

Hotel details

Woodspring Suites is a subsidiary of the Choice Hotels International Group, which currently franchises over 7,000 hotels in the world and also includes subsidiaries such as Radisson Hotels, Comfort Inn and Quality Inn, Sweeney said.

The four-story building would feature a neutral color palette while the interior suites would be simple, clean and utilitarian, he said. The hotel would have entrances to each street and would have substantial landscaping.

Each suite would have its own kitchenette, complete with a small range, sink, microwave and full-size refrigerator Additionally, the hotel would provide guests with free wifi, a gym, laundry services and a vending machine.

There would be Individual HVAC systems for each suite while windows, lighting, water heaters and appliance would all be energy-efficient, Sweeney said.

Gov. Ned Lamont says housing and retail project will bring 'Windsor back to the place it used to be'

Emily DiSalvo

WINDSOR — Forty units of housing and 5,560 square feet of retail space are coming to downtown Windsor, a "stone's throw" from the train station.

Grava Properties, founded by Windsor resident Greg Vaca, will be spearheading the project, which will replace the existing Windsor Center Plaza. Vaca, alongside state and local leaders, broke ground on the development Wednesday. 

"The public had a lot of input," Vaca said. "And the result of it was a plan to create a really vibrant place, a more walkable place, a human-scale, pedestrian-friendly center with a more active streetscape. And one that supplied more housing options for folks and more businesses."

The project, known as Founders Square, will be funded with the help of Community Investment Funding, which is also funding the Wilson Park on the south side of town.

Currently, Windsor Center Plaza is separated from the sidewalk by a sprawling parking lot. In the new plans, the retail and housing spaces will be brought up to the curb with parking behind. 

"We'll be putting that street wall back," Vaca said. "The town planner has told me it's like the third wall of our common living room that we'll be putting back here, really for the community."

Gov. Ned Lamont attended the groundbreaking, along with dozens of residents gathered in the parking lot of the plaza. He said the $3.2 million grant for the project was "easy for us."

"I love what Grava is doing — bringing us back to the way it was, bringing Windsor back to the place it used to be," Lamont said. 

The groundbreaking, featuring Windsor's new mayor, Nuchette Black-Burke, Lamont, Vaca, and state Rep. Jane Garibay, D-Windsort, was interrupted by a group of six protesters chanting, "Ned Lamont, you can't hide: you are funding genocide." Lamont did not acknowledge the protests and continued taking selfies with attendees of the groundbreaking. 

The project will take place in two phases expected to take four years total, Vaca said. The construction will be led by Torrington-based PAC Group LLC.

Garibay said she knew Vaca back when he used to swim at the Windsor High School pool. She applauded his commitment to his hometown in her remarks Wednesday.

"He met and spoke with each and every one who had community conversations, and he actually would change things in the project to accommodate what people's wishes were," Garibay said.

Just across Broad Street from the development is the Windsor train station, which gives riders access to Amtrak's Hartford Line.

"Founders Square is going to be something that future residents will be able to enjoy in close proximity to our train station, the Windsor Art Center, the public library, the Windsor Center River Trail, restaurants, and shops," Black-Burke said. "So local businesses will benefit from spending their dollars here in Founders Square."

The state Department of Transportation recently announced plans to add a second track to the portion of the rail north of Windsor, which will increase the number of trains coming through the station in the coming years.

Of the 40 units planned for Founders Square, 20 percent will be workforce housing. It will also be an Energy Star Certified project, the planners said. Lamont said the development is important given the state's housing shortage.

"We desperately need the housing in the state," Lamont said. "For the first time in a long time, we have tens of thousands of families moving into the state of Connecticut, not leaving in the other direction."

Infrastructure nudges backlog higher as other sectors struggle

Sebastian Obando

Backlog inched up in November to 8.5 months due to an uptick in infrastructure projects, according to a Tuesday release from Associated Builders and Contractors, but other sectors continue to struggle.

The group’s Construction Backlog Indicator moved up 0.1 month in November, marking the first positive shift following three months of decline. The measure still trails last November’s level of 9.2 months, however, and remains 0.8 months lower than July’s cyclical peak, according to ABC, as high interest rates stymie private development.

Large contractors, or firms with more than $100 million in revenue, shed the most backlog in November, losing about 2.8 months worth of work, according to an ABC member survey conducted Nov. 20 to Dec. 4. On the other hand, firms with under $30 million in sales clawed back about 0.5 months of backlog in November, though that amount is still lower than a year ago.

Dive Insight:

Infrastructure projects posted the only gain in backlog in November, adding about a month’s worth of work. For contractors outside of the infrastructure scope, though, backlogs have taken more of a hit.

“A growing number of contractors are reporting declines in backlog,” said Anirban Basu, ABC chief economist. “The interest rate hikes implemented by the Federal Reserve appear to be making more of a mark on the economy. Not only has the cost of capital risen over the past 20 months, but credit conditions are also tightening, rendering project financing even more challenging.”

Commercial and institutional projects in firms’ backlogs remained unchanged in November, while heavy industrial projects lost about 1.4 months in backlog, according to the report.

On the bright side, ABC’s Construction Confidence Index readings for sales and staffing levels both increased in November, while the reading for profit margins fell, according to the report. Still, all three readings remain above the threshold of 50, indicating expectations for growth over the next six months.

Basu also noted that certain interest rates have begun to fall in anticipation of Federal Reserve rate cuts next year, perhaps as early as the first quarter of 2024. That would be good news for the majority of contractors across the board.

But until those rate cuts, Basu expects private-led construction to continue to encounter roadblocks.

“2024 is poised to be weaker from a construction demand perspective for many firms, especially those that depend heavily on private developers,” said Basu. “Those operating in public construction or industrial segments should meet with less resistance on average.”

Only firms in the Middle States region of the U.S. posted gains to its backlog in November, while every other region of the country posted a drop.