Norwich considers pursuing $15 million federal grant for I-395 exit improvements

Claire Bessette

Norwich ― The City Council will be asked Tuesday to support a $15.6 million federal grant request for improvements to the Interstate 395 Exit 18 ramp and to create dedicated lanes for traffic entering and leaving the planned Occum Industrial Center.

The Norwich Community Development Corp. is seeking authorization to apply for the grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity, RAISE, program.

The requested $15.6 million would fund the majority of the proposed $20 million project to upgrade the Exit 18 northbound and southbound ramps with wider lanes, including acceleration and deceleration lanes on the steep ramps, a traffic light at the Route 97 intersection, sidewalks along Route 97 and dedicated lanes to enter and exit the industrial center.

The City Council will vote on the proposed resolution to authorize the grant application at its meeting at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall. NCDC President Kevin Brown said the federal application is due Feb. 28. He also is pursuing letters of support from the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments, Southeastern Connecticut Enterprise Region, the region’s congressional delegation and key city and state leaders.

Mayor Peter Nystrom said if the RAISE grant is awarded, the remaining $5 million in local matching funds for the project could come from a combination of state and local funds, possibly including a portion of the $6 million road construction and improvements bond voters approved in November.

“It’s about working as a team at the federal state and local level,” Nystrom said. “The important thing now is to secure that grant.”

Nystrom thanked the state for awarding the initial $11.3 million in Community Investment Fund grant money to construct the access road and thanked state Sen. Cathy Osten for obtaining another $500,000 in state funding for design work.

Neighbors in the Occum area have opposed the planned industrial center on former farmland and commercial land purchased by NCDC for $3.55 million. The property is zoned for planned development or general commercial development.

The Occum Industrial Center received local planning commission approval in January for a 12-lot commercial lot subdivision and to build the 7,700-foot-long access road from Route 97 into the property.

The council resolution describes the new access road and exit improvements as "a first step in establishing an industrial sector, to be known as the Occum Industrial Center, for environmentally beneficial technologies and help to revitalize core impoverished neighborhoods through economic growth and job opportunities.”

Brown said the RAISE grant application will emphasize the traffic safety improvements to the Exit 18 ramps and Route 97, along with the economic development and jobs benefits the new industrial center would provide. The 184 acres of developable land will be marketed for environmentally beneficial technologies.

Brown said the exit ramp plans and highlights of the project will be posted on the city’s Envision Norwich 360 interactive community website, https://envisionnorwich360.com/en/.

Before construction begins, Lymes’ Senior Center renovation not on time or on budget

Elizabeth Regan

Old Lyme ― Officials are scrambling to come up with savings now that bids have come in more than a million dollars higher than original estimates for the $5.3 million senior center renovation project.

The delay comes as some displaced seniors continue to question why the center had to close its doors more than four months ago when construction still has not begun.

The low bids from professionals in the building trades exceeded by $1.3 million the amount approved by voters in Old Lyme and Lyme last year, according to Lymes’ Senior Center Building Committee Chairwoman Jeri Baker.

The bids came from construction subcontractors vying to work under the Hartford-based Newfield Construction management firm, which was selected in October to manage the project.

Old Lyme is responsible for 75% of the project cost, with Lyme accountable for the remainder.

The estimated budget was based on numbers submitted by project architects from Point One Architects of Old Lyme in March 2023. The firm was hired the previous year for $287,300 to carry out all design and architectural responsibilities through the completion of construction.

Baker on Monday said the architects and construction manager are looking at ways to eliminate costs through what’s known in the industry as value engineering: replacing products and services with cheaper alternatives without compromising overall quality. They’re also looking at the design to see what can be altered or deferred, she said.

“The confidence is we can bring it down hundreds of thousands of dollars without diminishing the plan or the functionality of the space,” she said.

Messages left with Point One Architects and Newfield Construction went unreturned Monday.

Baker said officials must figure out how to bring the costs down ― and secure funding for the remaining overage, if any ― before the current bids expire on May 6 in order not to have to start the bidding process over.

That would mean the senior center could reopen by late February of next year if crews get in the building this May, she said.

First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker said over the phone she will be meeting with Lyme First Selectman David Lahm, Baker and representatives from the design and construction firms on Friday.

She said any request for additional funding will have to go through the selectmen and boards of finance in the towns.

“I would assume we would have to go back to the voters,” she said. “I think it’s a valuable project for our town, and I am sure the citizens of this town will do what’s right for the senior citizens in our town.”

Asked if she had concerns about how the process has unfolded, she said only that the building committee is doing “a great job” coming up with solutions to the overrun.

She acknowledged complaints from residents.

“I’m trying to stay positive and put all the pieces together,” Shoemaker said.

Seniors have been spread out across Lyme and Old Lyme since October as they participate in exercise classes, attend health clinics, make art and eat communal lunches at various libraries, churches and municipal buildings.

The originally targeted move-in date of Oct. 16 appears unachievable as the timeline continues to get pushed back. The first delay occurred when $1 million in grant funding from the state came through later than project officials planned for.

Lahm did not return a call for comment Monday.

Baker cited fire suppression, originally estimated at $266,282, as one of the most unexpectedly expensive parts of the project. She said the high cost of steel and glass contributed to bids that came in $212,718 higher.

The architects, construction manager and members of the building committee are working with Fire Marshal David Roberge and Building Official Mark Wayland to look at alternative systems, she said.

Holding off on landscaping was an example of something that could be done to reduce costs now “without jeopardizing the functionality of the building when people come back,” she said.

“The goal is to get the people in the building to do the work so we can get the seniors back in to enjoy this beautiful new building,” she said.

Norwalk's new roundabout to make Richards Ave, West Cedar Street safer: 'Good traffic design'

Kalleen Rose Ozanic

NORWALK — A new traffic circle coming to the busy intersection of Richards Avenue and West Cedar Street represents a “paradigm in good traffic design,” state Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff said.

Also called a roundabout or rotary, the traffic circle will replace the more than 30-year-old traffic signal at the intersection, saving the city in future maintenance costs and limiting emissions from vehicles idling at red lights, said Jim Travers, director of the city's Transportation, Mobility and Parking Department.

It will be located near the campus of CT State Norwalk, formerly Norwalk Community College. The Richards Avenue and West Cedar Street intersection is a high-traffic area, said Duff, D-Norwalk.

“The fact that students are across the street a lot during the day and at night sets up a situation where it could be very dangerous,” he said.

The traffic circle, which has $5 million in state funds, will be funded by: $1 million in state bond funds acquired by Duff, and the state Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program from which the TMP Department received $4 million — the maximum amount for a single grant, Travers said.

The $1 million will go toward the design costs and land acquisition the project requires; to complete the project, the city will need to acquire some property from CT State Norwalk campus, Travers said.

The city will use VHB, an East Coast consultant with a Wethersfield location, for the design work, Travers said.

The city looks to break ground on the project in spring 2025, with a summertime construction schedule concluding in the fall, he said.

“The next step is finalizing the reimbursement process,” Travers said of the project, which is 100 percent state-reimbursable. 

The project’s funding limits the taxpayer burden, and adding a traffic circle over a signal is a step in a cost-saving direction, Travers said. Traffic circles have fewer maintenance and repair needs than traffic signals, which eventually need to be replaced, he said.

“I think sometimes signals are the necessary way to move cars, but sometimes we can actually move them better, safer, and with less impact to the environment by using roundabouts,” he said.

The traffic circle will also serve the local students and pedestrians, Travers said. A traffic circle, with a speed limit of 10 to 15 mph, lowers the traveling speed in the area, he said, creating a safer shared space for student pedestrians and vehicles.

The new traffic circle will be one of three in the city.

“We have no modern roundabouts in the city,” Travers said in a text message. “We have a couple that act as a roundabout but lack traditional design.”

Those outdated traffic circles are at the Gregory Boulevard and 5th Street intersection and at Stevens Street and Stuart Avenue.

With the modern vision and safety gains, Duff said he was on board with Travers’ idea and secured the $1 million in state bond funds.

“Jim had talked to me about his vision in that part of the city and that it would help to make the area safer and more beautiful at the same time,” Duff said.

The TMP Department looks to have community conversations and meetings about the project this spring, Travers said.

When will Stamford's torn-up Summer Street reopen? Officials say sidewalks will be done first.

Amanda Cuda

STAMFORD — Good news for those who frequent the city's Summer Street area — city officials said the work being done on sidewalks in that part of town should be completed by mid-March.

The sidewalks are under construction as part of the Lower Summer Street Promenade project, which includes widened sidewalks on both sides of Lower Summer Street (the section between Broad and Main streets), an improved streetscape with new lights and trees, a raised intersection to increase pedestrian safety and other improvements. 

"The Lower Summer Street Promenade project was inspired by municipal designs in other cities that incorporate roadways into a vibrant community destination," said Lauren Meyer, special assistant to Mayor Caroline Simmons.

Meyer said the project costs $2 million and $600,000 is funded by the Connecticut Department of Transportation Community Connectivity Grant Program and $1.4 million is funded by the City of Stamford.

Meyer said the sidewalk roadway construction began last spring, and much of it should be completed soon.

"We anticipate that the sidewalk work will be completed by mid-March, and we are aiming for the project to be substantially completed by mid-April," she said. "Final work such as roadway paving and light pole installation will be completed in early May."