CT Port Authority leaders updated on State Pier repair dispute

John Penney

Old Saybrook — Connecticut Port Authority officials on Tuesday said they’re still negotiating with the construction manager of the $311 million State Pier reconstruction project on who will cover potentially millions of dollars in repair costs at the offshore wind component staging area.

The ongoing dispute with Kiewit was one of several State Pier-related issues discussed at a Board of Directors’ meeting that also touched on the possible closure of a Groton fuel terminal and the addition of an emission-reduction device that will allow docked vessels to connect to the local power grid.

The board met in executive session for an update on talks with Kiewit regarding two construction flaws that arose late last year: a problem at the south end of the New London pier where substandard soil fill appears to have been used on a transportation corridor, and a retaining, or “toe,” wall, that was built at the wrong angle.

No action was taken after the closed-door meeting. Board Chairman Paul Whitescarver, who last year told lawmakers the repairs would cost several million dollars to address, again said Tuesday that Kiewit, as overseer of the project, bears responsibility for making the repairs.

“The authority is not responsible for those costs,” said Whitescarver, who added the pier issues have not affected the loading and off-loading of wind turbine parts at the site. 

Why that exit on Interstate 84 is closing. And for how long amid summer traffic.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation says the Interstate 84 exit won’t reopen until late July.

That’s not great news for motorists who want to get to East Hartford. (Yes, there’s a detour).

The CTDOT says “bridge rehabilitation activities” will be performed on Bridge No. 02380, at I-84 eastbound, Exit 56 in East Hartford.

The project is scheduled to start on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, and will not be completed until Sunday, July 27, 2025, according to the agency.

“The project consists of pin and hanger rehabilitation on various bridges throughout Greater Hartford,” according to DOT.

The work was awarded to Rotha Contracting Company, Inc. at a cost of $5.4 million in 2022, and is scheduled to be completed on July 2, 2026, according to DOT.  The agency said the project is administered by the Bureau of Engineering and Construction, Office of Construction, in Rocky Hill.

The video player is currently playing an ad.

Here’s the detour:

Exit 56 on I-84 Eastbound will be closed starting Tuesday, May 27, 2025, to Sunday July 27, 2025;

Traffic will be detoured to Exit 58 on I-84 Eastbound;

Motorists should turn left onto Roberts Street, then turn right to access I-84 Westbound to Exit 56, Governor Street;

Traffic control signing patterns and detour signage will guide motorists through the work zone and detour.

“Motorists should be aware that modifications or extensions to this schedule may become necessary due to weather delays or other unforeseen conditions,” according to DOT. “Motorists are advised to maintain a safe speed when driving in this area.”

It’s not the only big road work going on this spring and summer.

There are about 545 active capital projects planned for this year on state highways, bridges and roads.

Two hundred of the projects are in the planning phase and 171 are under construction.

“It’s going to be a busy construction season,” state Department of Transportation Communications Director Josh Morgan has said. “We have a lot of major projects that are in the middle of the process and years two, three and four is when that really picks up.”

The DOT also recently noted that it has begun construction on the Dutch Point Viaduct rehabilitation project on Interstate 91 southbound in Hartford. That means detours to access the highway. (We tried it; it takes getting used to)

The viaduct is an 1,800-foot-long elevated bridge structure that carries three lanes of Interstate 91 southbound over the Connecticut Southern Railroad and the I-91 northbound ramps to and from Whitehead Highway in Hartford, according to the DOT. It is near the Connecticut Convention Center and the Colt Armory.

Among its busy schedule for work on state roads, the Connecticut Department of Transportation also is planning some Interstate 91 ramp work.

The DOT also said it is developing plans to realign the Interstate 91 north and south ramps at Exit 24 in Rocky Hill.

Waterbury sets new date for hearing on massive affordable housing development

Paul Hughes

WATERBURY — The City Planning Commission has rescheduled a hearing on a 63-lot affordable housing development that a local nonprofit developer is proposing to build on the city's border with Prospect.

The Planning Commission was unable to convene a scheduled hearing last Wednesday on the special exception application for the proposed Forest Hills development due to a lack of a quorum.

Waterbury-based NEST has partnered with Meriden-based Carabetta Development on the "workforce housing" project on a mostly wooded 30-acre property off the northern side of Route 69. NEST is a nonprofit community development organization dedicated to expanding home ownership opportunities and revitalizing neighborhood.

City Planner Robert Nerney said Forest Hills is the largest housing development to be proposed in Waterbury in recent years. It is also the largest housing development that NEST has proposed since its founding as Neighborhood Housing Services of Waterbury in 1980.

The plans for Forest Hills call for the construction of 63 single-family homes consisting of 27 two-bedroom homes and 36 three-bedroom homes, a community center with a kitchen, gathering space, and game and fitness rooms, and walking trails. There will be five designs for the "contemporary farmhouse residences" that NEST and Carabetta Development propose to build.

If approved, the two- and three-bedroom homes in the Forest Hills development will be priced between 80% and 120% of the area median income to be affordable for working people, according to NEST.

The 30-acre development site is on the northern side of Route 69, and it is bordered by Bateswood Drive on the west and and Greenwood Road to the east in Prospect. City-owned open space parcels and the Reidville Industrial Park occupy lands to the north of the site in Waterbury.

NEST has negotiated a sales agreement with the owner of the property, Sunrise Farm LLC, and NEST and Carabetta Development will develop the affordable housing project.  NEST will also offer housing education and counseling to home buyers.

The bulk of the parcel is vacant and undeveloped, and a majority of the property is wooded, according to the application. It was previously mined for sand and gravel. There is a small equestrian paddock in the front southwestern corner of the property.

NEST is seeking approval for a special exception for the Forest Hills project under the city's zoning regulations for residential campus developments.

The Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission approved a wetlands permit for the project at its April 2 meeting.

Because the proposed development site is within 500 feet of the Prospect town line, state law required referrals to Prospect's Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission and Planning and Zoning Commission.

Norwalk break grounds on $1.3M project to improve safety on 5-leg intersection on Hospital Hill

Kaitlin Keane

NORWALK — As construction begins this week on a streetscape improvement project, city officials said they hope to see a safer intersection on Hospital Hill by the end of 2025.

“This is a project that has been in the works for some time, and we’re very excited to get started,” Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling said Monday morning at the groundbreaking for the construction project. 

The $1.3 million project is focused on improving the safety of the five-leg intersection of Stuart Avenue, Stevens Street and Magnolia Avenue, which the city determined was the third most dangerous intersection in Norwalk.

“Too often drivers are confused about the flow of traffic in this intersection,” Laoise King, deputy commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Transportation, said at Monday’s groundbreaking.

In addition to drivers often traveling in the wrong way, the intersection has been the site of several reported accidents, three of which involved pedestrians, according to the city’s Department of Transportation, Mobility and Parking.

The improvements planned for “this outdated and confusing intersection” will include replacing “a dangerous five-way intersection with two intersections” as well as installing high visibility crosswalks and creating better access to nearby Norwalk Hospital, among other improvements, King said. 

The Department of Transportation, Mobility and Parking, which is managing the streetscape improvement project, also plans to create a clear path for traffic using stop signs and  to adjust parking by adding a 13-space lot between Stuart and Magnolia Avenues and parallel parking along one side of Stevens Street.

The project aims to enhance the neighborhood’s streetscape design and beautify its public space as well as improve parking and increase safety. 

The city received a $800,000 grant for the improvement project in November 2023 from the DOT's Community Connectivity Grant Program. Along with supporting Norwalk’s recently adopted Complete Streets legislation, the grant will help transform the Hospital Hill district and business community by enhancing its economic development, pedestrian accessibility and overall aesthetics, officials said.

A small crowd of state and city officials as well as project advocates gathered in front of the intersection for the Monday groundbreaking ceremony, with renderings of the Hospital Hill project on display. 

Colonna Concrete, a Woodbridge-based construction company, is expected to start work on Tuesday and to complete the project by the end of the year, according to KC Bushka, who works for Norwalk’s Department of Transportation, Mobility and Parking.

A traffic management plan will be in place during construction, and detour signs will be placed in the neighborhood to redirect traffic, Bushka said. The Department of Transportation, Mobility and Parking met with businesses on Hospital Hill to keep them informed of the plans, he said.

Jay Habansky, head of Norwalk’s Department of Economic and Community Development, thanked officials for their “continued investment in improving the quality of life in Norwalk.” Jim Travers, director of Norwalk’s Transportation, Mobility and Parking, also credited “the impact that comes from Community Connectivity grants.”

“This project is going to be a reality,” said Josh Goldstein, a member of Norwalk’s Common Council. “It’s policy going into action.”

Plainville will vote on these projects on June 3

Brian M. Johnson

PLAINVILLE – Residents will have the opportunity to vote on multiple public works projects, including the creation of a new Public Works Department, during an all-day referendum June 3 at the Plainville Firehouse.

The referendum will be held between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. at the firehouse at 77 W. Main St.

Town Council Chair Chris Wazorko said the five items, which include town and Board of Education capital projects, will be “budget neutral.”

“I myself, the council and town administration encourage people to get out and vote, and to vote yes,” he said. “These are all projects that we need to get done but that we’ve put off for a number of years.”

Wazorko said the town won’t have to raise any taxes or increase spending if the referendum passes.

“It is a budget neutral referendum,” he said. “The budget can absorb the costs.”

The referendum questions include the following:

– Shall the Town of Plainville appropriate $3,175,896 for construction of the Shuttle Meadow Road pump station rehabilitation project and authorize the issue of bonds and notes to finance the portion of the appropriation not defrayed from grants?

– Shall the Town of Plainville appropriate $6 million for the road and related improvements program and authorize the issue of bonds and notes in the same amount to finance the appropriation?

– Shall the Town of Plainville appropriate $1 million for the acquisition of a new public works facility and authorize the issue of bonds and notes in the same amount to finance the appropriation?

– Shall the Town of Plainville appropriate $1 million for Board of Education mechanical improvements and authorize the issue of bonds and notes in the same amount to finance the appropriation?

– Shall the Town of Plainville appropriate $1 million for town mechanical improvements and authorize the issue of bonds and notes in the same amount to finance the appropriation?

Combining Public Works and Roadways departments

Wazorko said the town is looking to have its Public Works Department and Roadways Department consolidated into one new building.

He said this will save the town money in the long run versus renovating both existing facilities.

“I talked to a lot of people about this and nobody remembers why the two departments were separated to begin with,” Wazorko said. “Most towns have both of those departments operating under the same roof.”

If approved, the new building will be located on a parcel of land on Camp Street owned by Aiudi Construction. It will replace two 50-year-old buildings.

Pump station

In the case of the Shuttle Meadow Road pump station, the town is looking to replace existing pumps and motors with submersible style pumps, within a new precast wet well and valve vault, according to the town.

They are also looking to replace the existing control and generator building with a new pre-engineered and fabricated electrical building.

The project would include all new electrical pump controls, instrumentation, a generator, modifications to the existing wet well and targeted demolition of existing components and site work, according to the town.

The town anticipates receiving a $3.18 million loan from the State of Connecticut’s Clean Water Fund Program to cover the cost. The loan would be repaid over a 20-year term at an interest rate of 2% for this project.

Roads and ‘mechanical improvements’

The referendum includes two questions to approve $1 million for “mechanical improvements” in the schools, and another $1 million for town facilities.

At Plainville High School, the school funds would pay to replace the emergency generator, upkeep the pool and replace the pool room heater, replace the rooftop units ocer the technology education classrooms, and rehab the press box at Tinty Field, according to the town.

The school funds would also go towards repointing brick at Toffolon and Linden Schools.

The $1 million for the town would fund replacement of the HVAC systems at the Plainville Public Library, Plainville Senior Center and Plainville Fire House. It woudl also go towards replacing the library roof, according to the town.

The $6 million for road projects would pay for rehab and reconstruction of roads, milling and repaving, chip sealing, restoration or installation of sidewalks, landscaping restoration and drainage improvements, according to the town.