Connecticut

On the horizon: A new Connecticut River crossing for walkers and cyclists

Published

2 weeks ago

April 29, 2024

On the horizon: A new Connecticut River crossing for walkers and cyclists

Cyclists and pedestrians will have a new route across the Connecticut River starting next month, when the opening of the long-awaited multi-purpose trail along the Putnam Bridge creates a scenic connection between Wethersfield and Glastonbury.

Contractors have completed the roughly 1.4-mile paved trail, and the state transportation department expects to open it in mid-May.

“People are going to enjoy it. There probably won’t be a deluge of people going to either town, but I think it will surprise some people how often it gets used,” said Kevin T. Sullivan, co-founder of Bike Walk Wethersfield, a prominent advocacy group for cyclists and pedestrians.

The project took two years and has spurred planners in both towns to look for ways to link established cycling routes to what is being called the Putnam Bridge Trail.

The new pedestrian and cycling trail on the Putnam Bridge between Glastonbury and Wethersfield. (Courtesy of Connecticut Department of Transportation)

Walkers and cyclists will be able to go from Great Meadow Road in Wethersfield to Naubuc Avenue in Glastonbury.

The Putnam carries about 55,000 cars and trucks each day, but until now non-motorized traffic had to take an 8-mile trip to the Charter Oak Bridge in Hartford to cross the river. Alternatives to the south required an even greater detour: 26 miles to the Arrigoni Bridge in Middletown and back, or else 11 miles to the seasonal Glastonbury-Rocky Hill ferry.

The new Putnam Bridge Trail between Glastonbury and Wethersfield. (Courtesy of Connecticut Department of Transportation)

The plan is for trail connections on the east side of the river to reach the Goodwin College trails in East Hartford, while on the west side Wethersfield planners are putting together a temporary route to Main Street in Old Wethersfield.

Eventually the town plans a permanent, dedicated trail for that, and Wethersfield officials are meeting in May to give a public update about progress.

Sullivan said recreational riders can do 10- or 15-mile rides using connector routes from the bridge trail, but said he anticipates that most of the use will be from people traveling locally.

“I’ve heard from quite a few people regionally who are excited about it, but I don’t know if they’re planning to ride it or they’re just happy to have more trail connections,” he said Thursday. “My personal bet is that more people will be using it for everyday transportation.”

Wethersfield resident Joseph Sica, who was out riding near the oil tanks along the river recently, said he’s looking forward to the bridge route opening. But he questioned whether there will be enough routes to connect with after getting to the other side.

“Sometimes I do 10 miles a day. I like going over a bridge, so I’ll definitely go over to the other side. But there really aren’t many places to go over there, so maybe I’ll just turn around and come back,” Sica said.

Early corrosion on the underside of the Putnam Bridge. A large-scale rehabilitation job in 2026 and 2027 will address this. (Courtesy of Connecticut Department of Transportation and TranSystems)

With the trail work done, the state department of transportation is now turning its attention to a makeover for the bridge itself.

In a presentation earlier this month, DOT planners said they anticipate launching a major rehabilitation project in the spring 2026 that will run through the end of 2027.

The bridge is 64 years old and is suffering corrosion that needs to be addressed, the DOT said. The plan is to replace any deficient structural elements and make repairs to extend its life by 20 to 25 years.

The Putnam isn’t at risk right now, but overall gets just a five rating — “fair” — on a scale of one (imminent failure) to nine (excellent), according to Tracey Brais, a DOT project manager, and Ron Sacchi, project manager for the GM2 consulting firm.

Corrosion on the Putnam Bridge will be addressed by a two-year rehabilitation project planned by the state transportation department. (Courtesy of Connecticut Department of Transportation and TranSystems.)

“There appears to be some seepage through the deck that’s starting to produce corrosion,” Sacchi said.

Workers will replace expansion joints, patch the deck, strengthen steel support elements, strip the asphalt off the bridge deck and repave the roadway, the DOT said.

The four-lane bridge will be repaired in stages, with one lane in each direction kept open and most lane closures limited to nights and weekends, the DOT said.

“When we’re doing top of the deck repairs, we’ll probably have to close one lane in each direction,” Sacchi said. “If more lane closures are required it might involve a weekend closure that would involve a detour over the Charter Oak Bridge. At this point, we are not expecting any long-term closures or long-term detours.”

Federal grants will pay 80% of the cost, with Connecticut covering the other 20%. Brais said planners are still evaluating the cost, which could vary from a base of $31.4 million to slightly more than double that if the entire bridge undergoes repainting.

The cost of removing the bridge’s existing lead paint makes up most of the difference, largely because contractors would need to use a containment system to prevent contamination from falling paint chips.

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Connecticut

Connecticut Medals of Technology to be Awarded to Yale Professor, Danbury Technology Business — Connecticut by the Numbers

Published

3 hours ago

May 16, 2024

Press Room

Connecticut Medals of Technology to be Awarded to Yale Professor, Danbury Technology Business — Connecticut by the Numbers

“Dr. Elimelech’s pioneering research has not only enriched the academic community’s understanding of a highly complex topic, but also led to innovative approaches to addressing critical environmental issues and spawned the growth of an industry,” he said. “ARKA’s unparalleled technology expertise is contributing to the success of our nation in a variety of sectors and creating high-skilled jobs that will attract investment to our state and enhance our economy,” Lamont added.

Elimelech’s research and development is in the application of membrane processes including forward osmosis or FO (for desalination and water reuse), high-pressure reverse osmosis or HPRO (for brine concentration and management), and low-salt-rejection reverse osmosis or LSRRO (for brine management and minimal- and zero-liquid discharge applications).

HPRO and LSRRO are expected to revolutionize low-energy, low-cost brine management. Gradiant, a US company specializing in brine management (minimum- and zero-liquid discharge, MLD/ZLD), is commercializing a variant of the LSRRO and FO technologies, which is called Counter Flow RO (CFRO). The current market of brine management is estimated at $11.5B.

Elimelech’s innovative work on forward osmosis (FO) profoundly impacted the desalination and water industry. He was a co-founder of Oasys Water, a company which commercialized the ammonia-carbon dioxide FO desalination technology. More than 13 new FO start-up companies have been formed following his pioneering FO research.

In a recent breakthrough, Elimelech showed that the solution-diffusion model, which has been used to describe water transport in reverse osmosis (RO) membranes for more than 50 years, is fundamentally flawed and he proposed an alternative mechanism and theory for water transport consistent with experimental observations. This finding has direct implications for the design of high-performance desalination membranes.

In 2021, Elimelech was appointed Sterling Professor of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, the university’s highest academic rank; the first engineering professor at Yale to earn this distinction.

ARKA is a world leader in the design, development, manufacture, integration and test of precision optics, telescopes and electro-optical payload systems for defense, aerospace and scientific applications. ARKA’s mission has grown to include groundbreaking communications, software development, and data processing capabilities, expanding their reach to new areas of innovation.

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Connecticut

Indiana Fever at Connecticut Sun Most-Watched WNBA Game on ESPN Platforms Ever

Published

10 hours ago

May 15, 2024

Press Room

Indiana Fever at Connecticut Sun Most-Watched WNBA Game on ESPN Platforms Ever

Indiana at Connecticut delivers 2.1 million viewers across ESPN2, ESPN+, Disney+

Game peaked at 2.3 million viewers

ESPN’s presentation of the 2024 WNBA Tip-Off Presented by CarMax reached new viewership heights for WNBA on ESPN.

The Indiana Fever at Connecticut Sun season opener – featuring Caitlin Clark’s WNBA debut – was the most-watched WNBA game on ESPN platforms ever (regular season or playoffs). The game scored 2.1 million viewers across ESPN2, ESPN+ and Disney+, surpassing the Phoenix Mercury at Connecticut Sun (May 22, 2004).

The game peaked at 2.3 million viewers in the 7:45 p.m. – 7:59 p.m. window.

The second game of the night featuring the Phoenix Mercury at Las Vegas Aces averaged 464,000 viewers, up five percent year-over-year. The two games averaged 1.28 million viewers, up 192 percent versus last year’s regular season average on ESPN platforms.

WNBA Countdown presented by Google pre-game show leading into Indiana at Connecticut averaged 680,000 viewers across ESPN2, ESPN+, and Disney+, up 126 percent versus last year’s average across ABC and ESPN.

WNBA content across ESPN.com and the ESPN App delivered an increase of 409 percent unique visitors year-over-year. Total engagements for WNBA content across ESPN social accounts is also up 125 percent, year-over-year.

Note: Viewership is reported by Nielsen and includes streaming viewership from connected TVs only.

Coverage of the WNBA Tip-Off presented by CarMax continues Saturday, May 18, with an ABC doubleheader featuring Indiana Fever at New York Liberty (1 p.m. ET), Los Angeles Sparks at Las Vegas Aces (3 p.m.). Live presentation will be preceded by WNBA Countdown Presented by Google hosted by Elle Duncan, Chiney Ogwumike, and Andraya Carter (12:30 p.m.).

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Connecticut

D.C. scrapped plan for Connecticut Ave. bike lane. Lawmakers want it back.

Published

17 hours ago

May 15, 2024

Press Room

D.C. scrapped plan for Connecticut Ave. bike lane. Lawmakers want it back.

In 2021, D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) announced plans for a 2.7-mile bike lane that would run from Calvert Street NW in Woodley Park to Legation Street NW in Chevy Chase. The plan — supported by bicycling advocates and intended to boost bike safety — was estimated to cost $7.7 million, and would have eliminated more than 300 parking spaces and cut lane capacity for vehicles in half. It was opposed by business owners, who claimed the lane would affect their customers. A D.C. Department of Transportation (DDOT) official told legislators last month that the plan had been scuttled.

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