Connecticut DOT receives $2 million in federal funding for Hartford highway 'lowering' project

Emily DiSalvo

HARTFORD — A project to "lower" the highway system through Hartford that is expected to take some 25 years to complete got a $2 million boost from the U.S. Department of Transportation last week.

The grant funding will enable preliminary engineering, environmental documentation, and public outreach for the River Gateway portion of the Greater Hartford Mobility Study. River Gateway would lower and cap a portion of Interstate 91, redesign the Whitehead Highway and Pulaski Circle, and create a new pedestrian bridge over the Connecticut River.

“These federal funds are going to increase safety and mobility throughout the Greater Hartford region. Much of our state’s infrastructure was designed and built for cars and cut off communities from one another,” Gov. Ned Lamont said. “By refocusing on pedestrians and bicyclists, the state can have roadways that work for everyone."

The Greater Hartford Mobility Study kicked off in 2020 with a focus on improving "multimodal" transportation through the capital city and beyond. In October, the state DOT announced its recommendations for the region, many of which are focused on what to do with the web of urban highways in Hartford, a product of mid-20th century urban renewal projects. 

“The Connecticut delegation fought for the inclusion of the 'Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program' in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to end the isolation caused by the construction of I-84 and I-91, particularly in Hartford and East Hartford,” Rep. John Larson, D-1st District, said. "This grant will advance efforts to reclaim the riverfront, reconnect Hartford’s North End with the rest of the city, and promote multimodal transit."

Larson also highlighted how the project would reconnect the city to the river by lowering I-91 and placing a cap over it. The cap will be weight-bearing and certain types of development will be able to occur on top of the covered highway.

"I commend Governor Lamont and the Connecticut Department of Transportation and I look forward to working with them to fix the Hartford region’s past planning mistakes and move the interests of the community forward," Larson said.

The mobility study proposes four major projects, one of which is River Gateway. The CityLink East effort centers around plans to relocate the interstate juncture to the North Meadows neighborhood. The area currently occupied by the interchange can then become a "boulevard." The CityLink West project includes the proposal to lower I-84 and cap the road to allow for development on top.

Finally, the Founder's Gateway proposes the consolidation of the I-84 and Route 2 interchange ramps in East Hartford. These projects would occur alongside some shorter-term projects like improvements on Pulaski Circle in the South Bushnell area, efforts that are encompassed in each of the larger plans.

DOT spokesperson Josh Morgan said the $2 million from the federal government is merely to start design phases and community outreach. The project itself has no specific timeline.

"We are years and years away from seeing all of these components being completed," Morgan said. "This is a generational and transformational type project that's going to take course over 20 or 30 years."

As the project advances, Morgan said continued federal support will be essential for its completion.

"We're going to be trying to take advantage of every available federal dollar to lessen the tax burden the financial impact here to Connecticut residents," Morgan said. 

Grove Court affordable housing complex in Vernon gets $6.8 million state grant

Eric Bedner

VERNON — Grove Court is receiving a $6.8 million state grant for various improvements, the second round of financing in the past few months to finance a series of substantial upgrades to the affordable housing complex.

The state-funded complex received $2 million in August for other extensive repairs. That was in addition to $3 million in federal dollars for the same projects.

The latest round of funding for the 54-unit, seven-building senior housing complex owned by the Vernon Housing Authority will help cover extensive repairs or replacements of roofs and siding, and upgrades to interior and exterior lighting, flooring, kitchens, and bathrooms, according to the state Department of Housing.

An emergency generator for the community room will be installed and six units will be converted to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The funding, through DOH, is part of a total of $13.8 million in financing for the creation of 139 housing units, including 116 total affordable units for low- and moderate-income renters.

Along with $7.8 million in financing from the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, the expanded affordable housing is expected to generate more than $18.5 million in private investments, according to state officials.

"A critical part of what we do is rehabilitating structures while adding new construction," DOH Commissioner Selia Mosquera-Bruno said. "The diversity of these projects and the varying income levels that they serve are examples of our ongoing work throughout the state. From our traditional affordable housing activities, to rehab, to building middle-income housing, this multi-tiered approach is an efficient way to utilize our finite resources."

Nandini Natarajan, CEO and executive director of CHFA, said that supporting affordable housing developments contributes to the well-being of residents and ensures that individuals and families have access to quality, affordable homes.

"Our collaboration with the Department of Housing represents a shared dedication to meeting the pressing need for diverse and affordable housing options across the state," she said.

Bridgeport is receiving the remaining portion of the $13.8 million with $7 million from DOH going toward the redevelopment of the former Father Panik Village Public Housing site and replacement of Marina Village, which was demolished following damage from Hurricane Sandy.

Steelpointe Harbor Apartments in Bridgeport is also receiving a $20 million loan from CHFA to support the construction of 160 units that will be designated affordable to middle-income renters earning between 80 percent and 120 percent of area median income.

Somers solar facility petition denied due to potential adverse environmental effect

Susan Danseyar

SOMERS — Town officials say they are relieved a proposed solar facility on South Road has been denied for its potential adverse environmental effect after they questioned whether the property would eventually be returned to its current agricultural use.

The Connecticut Siting Council on March 14 denied a petition by Santa Fuel Inc. to build and operate a facility spanning 22.1 acres on property the company would have rented at 159 South Road. In its ruling, the council said there would be "a substantial adverse environmental effect associated with the construction, maintenance, and operation" of the 3.85-megawatt solar photovoltaic electric generating facility.

The decision states the facility would not meet all applicable air and water quality standards dictated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

The facility would have been built on about 13.75 acres of the property's existing hay field, 3.05 acres of undeveloped woodland, and 5.3 acres of the overgrown orchard. The property is part of a larger 108.5-acre parcel at 159 South Road owned by the Nancy B. Edgar Revocable Trust and Dianne Bordeaux Lenti.

Although the facility proposed was consistent with the state's energy policy, council members said there was insufficient information about potential redesign of the southwest corner of the site to reduce site grading adjacent to South Road and the residential property at 187 South Road.

The council found the proposed project "will have an adverse effect on water quality by not including adequate buffer areas to on-site wetlands and waterbodies with a diverse amphibian population," the decision states. "Additionally, the council finds there is insufficient information regarding the potential redesign of the site to create buffers to an abutting residential property and South Road, as well as insufficient information regarding a potential redesign of the interconnection route to either eliminate utility poles or place them in an area with less of a visual impact."

Siting Council Executive Director Melanie Bachman said on Wednesday that petitioners have the right to appeal the council's decision.

"It is not unusual for the council to deny petitions and some of them are resubmitted later in a modified design that is responsive to the reasons why the council denied the first design," she said. "In the past five years, we’ve denied a total of seven solar petitions and three of those petitions were resubmitted later in a modified design."

First Selectman Timothy R.E. Keeney said he and senior members of his staff raised concerns with the Siting Council on behalf of abutting neighbors and potential noise from equipment, as well as visibility of the panels on South Road. He said the town agreed with comments made to the Siting Council by Paul Aresta, executive director of the state's Council on Environmental Quality, that recommended retaining topsoil and minimizing grading, trenching, and compaction of farm soil to allow restoring the land to its agricultural state.

Aresta also said the area east of the proposed project site is identified by DEEP as forest habitat, and removal of edge forest could result in a reduction of core forest located further east of the site, Aresta said.

A number of people from towns across the state have voiced concerns that the Siting Council has legal jurisdiction over the location of solar power facilities, rather than municipalities. Officials and residents earlier this month testified during a Connecticut General Assembly’s Energy and Technology Committee public hearing in favor of legislation proposed by Rep. Jaime Foster, D-Ellington, that would provide more local control of their land.

Several communities such as East Windsor are appealing decisions made by the Siting Council or weighing whether to appeal, as Fairfield officials are currently discussing.

Watch: EPA officials explain cleanup work at Scovill Industrial site

MADISON LISOWSKI

WATERBURY – On Tuesday, EPA officials and representatives from the Scovill Industrial Landfill Site met at the Dual Language School in Waterbury to have public discussion with residents near the site and answer questions about the project. This is because of the extensive cleanup that will begin in April that may cause issues for homeowners close-by the 30-acre site.

Ashlin Brooks, EPA Community Involvement Coordinator, said on Wednesday that the full presentation and audio will be available next week.

Key Rhode Island bridge demolition, replacement may cost $300M

Julie Strupp

The I-195 Washington Bridge, a key gateway to Providence, Rhode Island, has to be demolished and replaced, according to an inspection report released Thursday. State officials closed the bridge abruptly in December 2023 after an engineer flagged safety concerns over broken tie-down rods. 

A subsequent audit identified more problems including unsound concrete, corrosion and “structural deficiencies that cannot be viably repaired,” according to the report. The authors concluded that “the decision to close the bridge was the right and responsible decision.”

The demolition and bridge replacement could cost up to $300 million, Rhode Island DOT Director Peter Alviti Jr. said at a news conference with Gov. Dan McKee Thursday, but he stressed that the sum is just an estimate. Alviti said that there will be more clarity on project cost and timeline after a design-build contract is awarded, which he hopes will happen by July.

The westbound Washington Bridge opened in 1968 and carried nearly 100,000 vehicles every day over the Seekonk River. The sudden 2023 closure immediately backed up traffic and has since disrupted life in the area, according to news reports. 

The investigation found that at least two of 12 steel rods that hold major beams in place were severed at Pier 7, and “if all the tie-down rods had failed at one pier, the span would have become unstable and collapsed.” The report authors agreed that demolishing and rebuilding the span is the best option, as the superstructure and all or part of the substructure of the bridge would need to be replaced to come up to code.

McKee said his administration is looking into what led to the failure.

“I am deeply disturbed by the additional structural deficiencies identified by the in-depth review of the bridge,” McKee said in a news release. “When we have all the facts, we will hold any responsible parties fully accountable. The day for accountability will come.”

The U.S. Department of Justice is conducting a separate investigation around the circumstances of the December 2023 shutdown, more specifically an “allegation that false claims for payment for services and/or false statements in support of such payments have been submitted to the U.S. government,” The Providence Journal reported.

The governor’s office said it chose Broomfield, Colorado-based engineer McNary, Bergeron & Johannesen, which is not affiliated with any current construction projects in Rhode Island, to oversee and review the information gathered for the report from other engineering consultants to ensure its accuracy.  

What went wrong?

Officials were aware that the bridge was in bad shape: Alviti wrote about its poor condition in a 2019 grant application, and rehabilitation work was ongoing when an engineer found the critical damage. A Barletta Heavy Division/Aetna Bridge Co. consortium — headquartered in Canton, Massachusetts, and Warwick, Rhode Island, respectively — was repairing the bridge under a $78 million contract awarded in 2021. 

When Dallas-based AECOM performed a routine inspection in July 2023, it rated the bridge as poor overall, but said the rods were in working order, according to The Providence Journal. AECOM didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. 

The governor said about half of the $78 million for repairs has been spent, and he aims to use the remaining money to offset the new bridge’s costs. Barletta-Aetna is doing emergency work on the bridge now under a separate contract, including reworking a temporary traffic pattern. 

McKee said he has been in touch with U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg about the situation and has gotten assurances that Rhode Island will get federal assistance for a new span. Buttigieg is visiting the state Tuesday to promote the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Both the demotion and the design-build contracts will be put out to bid, according to the release, and the new bridge could be complete within 18 to 24 months of a contract award. Demolition is expected to wrap up in March 2025.