Milford-Stratford rail bridge to be repaired, eventually replaced in $2.2B federal transit project

Nick Sambides

MILFORD — The Housatonic River Railroad Bridge's long recent history of malfunctions and repairs may soon be coming to an end as part of a 12-year, $2.2 billion federal project to first repair and then replace it.

Part of a $16.4 billion federal funding package designed to improve rail service along the nation’s aging Northeast Rail Corridor, the Devon bridge repair is expected to finish in 2026, with the bridge's entire replacement with a new structure occurring in 2035. The package includes Norwalk’s Walk Bridge $1B replacement and the construction of a new train bridge over the Connecticut River, said Josh Morgan, a Connecticut Department of Transportation spokesperson.

"Our railroad infrastructure is incredibly old and it is incredibly important," Morgan said Monday. "It (the funding) is such a game changer for making sure that our infrastructure can handle more traffic and outlive us for another 120 years."

President Joe Biden announced the funding package last week. The "bascule span deck" or drawbridge, features rail tracks that serve roughly 175 passenger trains a day as part of the Metro-North Railroad’s New Haven Line and Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor. The drawbridge also controls boat traffic in the Housatonic River.

If 12 years seems like a long time in which to replace a single bridge, consider that the rail and sea traffic that it controls can't be rerouted while the work is being done, Morgan said.

"If it is stuck open or closed, it (the bridge) is stopping one mode of travel or the other," Morgan said. 

That's happened frequently through the years. The quarter-mile structure is 118 years old and has seen its day, said Morgan. In one of its worst malfunctions, in 2015, the drawbridge got stuck in the open position on July 1 of that year and repair work continued over the holiday weekend. It stopped train traffic for several days and rail commuters were reporting 10 to 15 minute delays as of July 6.

Nor can the bridge or its replacement be elevated to avoid interfering with river traffic. That "would increase the grade for miles," Morgan said. "You can’t have the train hit a hill and just go over it."

The bridge "is in bad shape," Morgan said. "It definitely needs the repair and the full replacement."

The $16.4 billion in new funding addresses 25 passenger rail projects on the Amtrak corridor. All of the projects will rebuild tunnels and bridges that are over 100 years old, the White House said in a statement. As matching funds, Connecticut will provide $45.4 million and Amtrak will provide $15.9 million for the bridge replacement, according to the Federal Railroad Administration, which regulates rail safety as one of 10 agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation that handles intermodal transportation.

Lamont introduces new DECD chief in ‘transformative’ New London

Lee Howard

New London ― Gov. Ned Lamont introduced Daniel H. O’Keefe as his incoming head of the state Department of Economic and Community Development during a downtown news conference Tuesday afternoon.

O’Keefe, the state’s chief innovation officer, previously had been known as a technology investor, most recently as managing partner of Apax Digital in New York City. A Harvard University graduate, O’Keefe received high praise from outgoing DECD Commissioner Alexandra Daum, a former developer who is leaving early next year to accept a position at Yale University.

“He’s worked with countless technology companies that are growing and innovating,” Daum said. “Congratulations to the governor for a good pick.”

Meeting at the High Tide Capital redevelopment project at 133 Bank St., former home of Jason’s Furniture where 13 out of 16 newly constructed apartments are now occupied, Lamont said he wanted to make the DECD announcement in New London because the city over the past few years has seen a bigger economic transformation than any other place in the state.

“We’ve got a tailwind, and it’s a really good economy,” he said in a speech on the first floor of the Bank Street project, where High Tide developer Dash Davidson announced a Texas-based chicken and waffles restaurant will soon locate, marking its third location nationwide. “There’s something people are rediscovering about what makes the state special.”

In an interview after the news conference, O’Keefe said he sees Connecticut moving in the right direction with the recent news that the state saw a net in-migration of about 58,000 people last year.

“It’s really about vibrancy,” said O’Keefe, who is stepping into a job with a $215,000 annual salary.

And in his speech Tuesday, he elaborated by making a positive case for the future of Connecticut.

“The pandemic rewrote the rules, in a way,” O’Keefe said. “That benefits the state of Connecticut. If you have more flexibility on where to live, why not live in a place where the quality of life is high? Why not live in a place that is one of the best in the world to educate and raise your children? And that is exactly what is happening. People are voting with their feet and with their wallets, our population is growing, our economy is expanding.”

Lamont said the state experienced “a bit of a lost decade” before COVID, as young people left the state in droves. But now there’s a new growth in places like New London, which are in the process of becoming “beautiful, dense, walkable communities,” he added.

“It’s just transformative what you’ve seen in this amazing city,“ Lamont said. ”We’ve got to bring our cities back to life in a significant way. Our cities were 30, 40, 50% bigger a couple generations ago. And now they’re coming back, and it’s urban centers, like here in New London, New Haven, Hartford and Stamford where people are rediscovering our state.“

A case in point could be found at 133 Bank St., where the upper floors had been unoccupied for more than a generation before High Tide Capital started a transformation earlier this year. Now, the apartments are nearly fully occupied, and four of the tenants are from out of state, according to the developer Davidson.

“I think this building is a testament to the collaboration between New London and the state of Connecticut but really specifically to the programs that run through the DECD,” particularly the state historic tax credit program, Davidson said. “That’s the reason we’re able to do these historic preservation projects.”

“We just can’t wait to do more projects like this,” he added.

Darien Doubles Sewer Budget for Pipe Repairs, Flood Mitigation

Sophia Muce

DARIEN – Officials voted Monday to double the town budget for sewer system improvements — to $4.6 million — in an effort to combat flooding and lower an annual payment to Stamford.

Darien’s sewer system runs along 81 miles of the town, and flows over to the Stamford Water Pollution Control Facility for treatment. But with an increase in flooding during storms and “questionable” pipe quality, Department of Public Works Superintendent Ed Gentile went before the Board of Selectmen on Monday to request an additional $2.3 million for phases two and three of the town’s sewer project.

“Right now, I’m pretty much solvent at zero,” Gentile said of his remaining budget.

In October 2020, town bodies approved an original $2.3 million appropriation for the Gentile’s sanitary sewer system project. He said the department has completed phase one – inspecting the system, hiring an engineer and repairing some of the broken pipes – and was starting the second phase when he realized he was over budget.

“We’re projected to be at a total of $2.9 million,” Gentile said. “We’re about $580,000 over.”

Gentile said he dipped into federal funds allotted to the town from the American Rescue Plan to offset the overage, but needed the town to issue another bond to continue the improvements. 

The town has continually struggled to mitigate flooding during major events like tropical storms Elsa and Ida, which wrecked Darien houses and businesses.

In a memo to the selectmen, Gentile said the three-phase sewer project focuses on areas with high infiltration rates to eliminate overflow.

He also said that the project will reduce the total annual sewage to Stamford for use of their wastewater treatment plant. In fiscal year 2022-23, Darien paid Stamford about $3.6 million.

The two municipalities first entered an agreement allowing Darien to use the Stamford plant in 1971. Per their current five-year agreement, Darien can send over no more than 3.7 million gallons per day. Gentile did not respond to CT Examiner questions about the town’s sewage output on Monday.

Stamford calculates the town’s payment based on its sewage output and pipe size, so a more-efficient sewer system could seemingly help to reduce the town’s annual cost.

In a Monday email to CT Examiner, Stamford WPCA Executive Director William Brink said the city’s annual average daily intake decreased from 16.2 million gallons per day in 2021 to 14.6 in 2022. Despite new commercial and housing developments in Stamford and Darien in recent years, Brink attributed the drop to 2021 upgrades to the city’s treatment plant and new technology.

“The additional flow from new development appears to be offset by the use of flow saving water fixtures and appliances in new and existing development,” Brink explained.

But even with the eco-friendly technology, Darien’s payment to Stamford has increased by almost 39 percent in the last year, compared to their $2.5 million charge in fiscal year 2020-21.

In phases two and three, Gentile told the selectmen, the department will inspect, clean and fix the remaining 60 percent of the town’s infrastructure. Once the project is complete, he said he can finally be confident in Darien’s sewer system.

“The next phase, and even the next evaluation phase after that, is going to start wrapping up this town to an area where I know the sanitary sewer system is reliable,” Gentile said.

The board unanimously approved the appropriation, with little comment other than thanking Gentile for his work. On Tuesday, Gentile will appear before the Sewer Commission for their approval.

Developer Randy Salvatore seeks city permit for 473-unit apartment development on Hartford’s former RPI campus