New England 8 April 9, 2025 by Construction Equipment Guide

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By Chuck MacDonald CEG CORRESPONDENT

Interstate 95 runs through the southern section of Connecticut, often within sight of Long Island Sound. This important freeway connects New York City and its vital commerce with Boston in the north and the rest of New England.

In East Lyme, the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) has undertaken a major construction project at Exit 74 where the interstate travels over Route 161. The project will improve sightlines, make the road safer for travelers and ease congestion.

Following Last Summer’s Flooding, Oxford Reopens Last of Seven Damaged Bridges

Officials in Oxford, Conn., hailed the reopening of the town’s Park Road bridge on the morning of March 25, 2025, which marked the completion of the seventh and final bridge replacement project there following catastrophic flooding that hit the area more than seven months ago.

Park Road had been closed since the

historic Aug. 18, 2024, flooding event, which saw torrential rains wreak havoc on area homes, roads, bridges and culverts in that part of western Connecticut.

Oxford was among the hardest hit communities in the area. Two of its residents lost their lives after being swept away as they drove along state Highway 67 when their cars became trapped in water that rose as much as 6 ft. above the banks of nearby Little River.

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South Coast Rail Line Opens; Feds Warn of Span Collapse Risk

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey was joined in the town of Fall River by Mayor Paul Coogan and other local and state dignitaries March 24, 2025, to cut the ribbon on the Fall River/New Bedford commuter route of the state’s long-awaited South Coast rail line.

The service re-connects greater Fall River to Boston by passenger rail for the first time since 1958, when the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad company abandoned train service to the area.

With the resumption of the line, Fall River joined the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) network, which operates commuter rail, subways, buses and ferries across the eastern part of the state.

“I want everyone in this state to feel connected to everyone else,” Healey said. “And one of the most tangible things you can do is literally provide transportation that connects people. That’s what we celebrate today.”

The South Coast rail program extended the existing Middleborough commuter line, reconstructed more than 17 mi. of the New Bedford main line and nearly 12 mi. of the Fall River secondary line, upgraded the existing Middleborough secondary track from Pilgrim Junction to Cotley Junction (a distance of 7.1 mi.), constructed two new layover facilities and built six new commuter rail stations at Middleborough, East Taunton, Freetown, Fall River Depot, Church Street and New Bedford.

Jean Fox, a spokesperson of the MBTA’s South Coast Rail project, said that reopening the line had been seriously envisioned since 1991 — an idle dream even before then — and that naysayers have always been skeptical that the long promised and long-delayed project would ever run again.

“I’ve worked a lot of years on this,” Fox said. “And I’ve heard for many of those years that I’d never see it. The perseverance of the people here … and the fact that we had regional unity behind this made it happen.”

Healey and Coogan rode the 10:38 a.m. train from Fall River to East Taunton on the service’s first day along with several state senators and representatives, MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng, officials from commuter rail operator Keolis, members of the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority and many others. The train also stopped to pick up Freetown Town Administrator Deborah Pettey at her community’s new commuter rail station.

At an event outside the East Taunton station, Healey and other officials spoke about the possibilities that easier public transportation access to Boston could mean for greater Fall River, including increased business development, more flexible job options,

greater housing availability and cheaper access to a wider range of schools.

Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, the former mayor of Salem, said she is aware of the effect that commuter rail access can have on a city.

“I’ve seen commuter rail deliver sort of a turbocharged approach to our city’s economy,” she said. “There’s no way we can manage things like Halloween [and] large-scale festivals without a train to get people up to our waterfront, [to visit] our historic museums, [and] places that are open all yearround. It’s just an easier way to get there.”

Fox, who was given a standing ovation during the event in Taunton, said the $1.1 billion cost of South Coast Rail would pay off down the line.

“In the final analysis, you get a billiondollar investment in the region that is really going to benefit us,” she said.

Eng said there was already “strong ridership” in the first morning of South Coast Rail Line service, with approximately 350 people heading into Boston that day and 200 who had returned. He also expects weekend service on the new Fall River/New Bedford Line to exceed expectations.

“On the weekends, some of our corridors have over 200 percent of pre-pandemic ridership, which shows just how important that is,” he said. “Really, times have changed and people want to use mass transit to go visit family, friends, see sporting events, see

shows, have a nice meal. So that weekend service is going to be, I think, even more popular than people could have imagined.”

Feds Warn Three State Bridges at Risk of Collapse

A full year after the deadly collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Md., federal officials are warning that dozens of bridges around the country — including three in Massachusetts — could face a similar risk.

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials investigating the Baltimore catastrophe issued a new report in late March 2025 warning that 68 bridges in 19 states have not been properly evaluated to determine their risk of collapsing.

Among the structures included in the report are some of the nation’s most popular and heavily-trafficked, like San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge and New York’s Brooklyn Bridge.

In Massachusetts, the NTSB listed both the southbound upper level and northbound lower level of the Tobin Bridge, in addition to the Bourne and Sagamore bridges on Cape Cod, as being at risk.

The Maurice J. Tobin Bridge connects Boston to Chelsea and is the largest such structure in New England. In 2024, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) launched a near-

ly two-year planning study to determine possible replacements for the bridge.

Both the Bourne and Sagamore bridges already are set to be replaced, though their construction is not expected to begin for several more years.

NTSB officials said its new report indicates where local and state authorities have not properly assessed bridges to see if they are at risk of collapsing.

“Frankly, we’ve been sounding the alarm on this since the [Key Bridge] tragedy occurred,” NTSB Chair Jennifer L. Homendy said during a recent press conference. “We need action. Public safety depends on it.”

Although the agency noted that the total number of bridges in the report are not certain to fail, officials said the structures need an evaluation to determine whether they meet the acceptable risk threshold based on guidance from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).

In the case of the Key Bridge collapse, the NTSB said the 8,636-ft.-long steel arch continuous through truss bridge was found to be almost 30 times above the acceptable risk threshold. The main spans of the bridge fell into the Patapsco River after being struck by a container ship in the early morning hours of March 26, 2024, killing six people. 

Ribbon-cutting ceremony for the South Coast rail line.

Massachusetts Department of Transportation photo

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Federal Funding Pauses for CRC Projects Throughout N.H.

Water quality improvement and flooding mitigation projects along the Connecticut River and its tributaries are on hold due to a federal funding freeze, according to a March 24, 2025, article in the Valley News, published in West Lebanon, N.H.

In November 2024, the Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC) was awarded an $11.5 million, five-year grant for a project titled “Improving water quality and climate resiliency in New Hampshire through ecosystem restoration” from the Regional Conservation Partnership Program, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The money came from the Inflation Reduction Act, but funding allocated through the act was halted Jan. 21, 2025, through the Trump administration’s Executive Order 14154 “unleashing American energy.”

“It’s a huge amount of money that has potential to do so much for water quality and ecosystems in the entire Connecticut River Watershed,” said Marilla Harris-Vincent, a river steward for New Hampshire at the conservancy.

The nonprofit organization works on river-related projects in the Granite State, as well as in Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut. The headwaters of the river are in Pittsburgh, N.H., and from there travel more than 400 mi. before emptying into the Long Island Sound.

The CRC’s goal was to complete 15 projects over the course of the grant, including work in Pittsburgh and Lancaster, N.H. Now, however, there are fears that the summer work season — which typically runs from June through September — will be lost.

“Our construction seasons are so short in New Hampshire,” Lauren Zielinski, stream restoration specialist and Regional Conservation Partnership Program project manager of the CRC, told Valley News. “We really take this time to get all of our projects lined up and designed and permitted and contracted. There are many things that go into the project before we break ground.”

The group has planned projects to put in riparian buffers, which involves planting trees, shrubs and other plants to filter water, which has an added benefit of slowing the flow of the river during extreme rain events. Riparian buffers also assist in keeping sediments in place, which can contain nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus. An excess of those nutrients can lead to algae blooms, which can cause water quality to decline.

Harris-Vincent noted that riparian buffers

“also enhance habitat for sensitive species like brook trout, endangered dwarf wedge mussels and wood turtles.”

The federal grant also could be used for dam removals and culvert replacements.

“The great thing about this funding source is it’s five years,” Zielinski said. “It allows us to react quickly to projects that come up.”

The now-frozen funds also were slated to support the organization to conduct outreach, engage with landowners, hire consultants and contractors and implement restoration projects across the watershed, according to a CRC news release.

“It’s a long process and there’s a lot of different players involved,” Harris-Vincent said. “You really can’t move forward if you don’t have any of the money to start this.”

While the initial projects in New Hampshire were planned miles from the Upper Valley, they could affect the way water flows downstream.

“Whenever you have a healthy stream up in the headwaters it means it’s better able to cope with the sudden heavy storms that we’re getting from climate change,” said Adair Mulligan, executive director of the nonprofit Hanover Conservancy, a New Hampshire organization that owns Lower Slade Brook Natural Area, part of which borders the Connecticut River.

The headwaters act as a “sponge” that helps absorb water and sediments, she said.

“All of these things add up. The more healthy stream miles we have, the healthier the river will be at the end of the day and the healthier the Long Island Sound will be.”

Stream Restoration Projects Heavily Dependent On Federal Funds

Approximately 75 percent of the projects that the CRC does in New Hampshire are connected to federal funding, which also act as leverage when soliciting other sources of revenue, Zielinski said in speaking with the Valley News.

“Usually, funders don’t want to be the only funder,” she added.

In a follow-up e-mail to the West Lebanon news source, Zielinski said that the Connecticut River Conservancy also is waiting on the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) — another USDA program — to approve its contract for construction funds for a separate Regional Conservation Partnership Program grant issued in 2021.

In all, there are three projects connected to that funding source slated to begin this summer, including one using natural materials to address erosion on Jacob’s Brook, a tributary of the Connecticut River in Orford, N.H., according to Zielinski.

That project, which will cost between $250,000 and $270,000, was scheduled to begin in August or September 2025 to rein-

force part of the stream bank with native plants to slow soil erosion due to a risk that flood waters could break through the current bank.

The stream runs along New Hampshire Highway 25A and the Orford town offices are located on the state route near Jacob’s Brook. Only eight years ago, the waterway flooded and damaged the roadway.

“There was a lot of work that had to be done to repair that,” said Bob Hedges, chair of the Orford Conservation Commission.

He described the erosion work scheduled for Jacob’s Brook as being a big benefit to the community because it will help people who live all along the streambank.

“It’s an expensive undertaking,” he told Valley News. “It’s hard to imagine an individual person doing that. This kind of funding isn’t about academic research; it’s about, in our community, maintaining the property and making sure the stream banks are safe and … we’re ready for the next big rainstorm which we know will happen.”

While the three conservancy projects tied to the 2021 grant are now shovel ready, the pause in funding them is due to a national review of government contracts.

“We have a little bit of wiggle room, but we work with local contractors and they need to schedule their summer projects,” explained Zielinski. “Ideally, we’d know by May if those projects are a go or not.” 

CT River Conservatory photo

Water quality improvement and flooding mitigation projects along the Connecticut River and its tributaries are on hold due to a federal funding freeze.

As Oxford Celebrates Recovery, Work in Southbury Remains

BRIDGES from page 1

Oxford First Selectman George Temple gathered with dozens of town officials for a ribbon-cutting ceremony while standing at the site of the new bridge. The event was a celebration of both the Park Road bridge’s reopening and the overall resilience of the community.

“This is the culmination of a lot of blood, sweat and tears for the people of Oxford,” Temple said. “It goes back to the devastation of that flood, and this is the final stage of the recovery. I think the town is going to be able to withstand the storm. I guess that’s a metaphor for the real storm that caused all this damage.”

He added that he is confident the new structure has been built to survive a similar flood in the future. The previous bridge gave way during the flooding and then later, in December, a Revolutionary War-era stone archway that was beneath the bridge also collapsed.

Brennan Construction in Shelton needed fewer than six months to complete the rebuilding effort, leading Temple to add in his remarks that similar projects in the past, not connected to the storm, often took two years to finish.

Oxford town officials told CT Post that the total cost for reconstruction of flooddamaged local roads will likely come in around $8 million, of which the town is hoping to receive about a 70 percent reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Meanwhile, not too far northwest, Southbury is another small town heavily impacted by last summer’s flooding and its Old Field Road is the only roadway yet to be reopened, CT Post reported.

Jeffrey Manville, a Southbury First Selectman, said the bridge there was one of dozens in the community destroyed by the flooding. However, its reconstruction is taking longer to complete because it had already been earmarked for replacement and was in the design phase prior to the destructive

rains, meaning it is not eligible for FEMA reimbursement.

Regardless, Southbury town officials have said that they are moving ahead with the Old Field Road bridge project just as they would have had there not been any flooding. They expect the roadway to reopen later in the spring.

The town suffered an estimated $10 million in damage from the flood, a total that is slightly higher than that of Oxford. That was due, in part, to the fact Southbury’s losses included more local roads, while much of Oxford’s damage was centered along Conn. 67. Those repairs were the responsibility of the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT).

Damage also was heavy at the Southbury Public Library on Poverty Road where the basement and all of the building’s mechanical infrastructure were destroyed by the raging floodwaters.

Manville announced that the library is scheduled to reopen by November 2025, meaning it will have ended up being closed for a total of 15 months. However, he expressed his disappointment that Southbury has not received additional funding for the building’s reconstruction.

“The state and federal government … told [us] that we were going to get help,” he said in speaking with CT Post. “The library in Hartford received $1 million for water damage, but we have received nothing.”

In the meantime, the town recently established a temporary library in the lobby of the Heritage Hotel.

Southbury also is looking to replace the three tennis courts at Community House Park, all of which were ruined as a result of the floodwaters.

Manville also is unhappy that his community is not being provided the level of funds to “build back better,” noting that most of Southbury’s roads have simply been repaired to the state they were before the August 2024 storm and are still susceptible to future floods. 

(Logo courtesy of Oxford, Conn.)

Officials Hope Long-Awaited Village Upgrades Can Proceed

Officials in York, Maine, at the extreme southern end of the state, are cautiously optimistic that the much-anticipated York Village revitalization project will break ground in 2026 as they prepare to clear a critical funding milestone.

The York Selectboard is expected to release the town’s $400,000 contribution toward the $3.5 million project, which aims to transform historic York Village by building new sidewalks and relocating its Soldier’s Monument to improve traffic flow. The community’s portion of the funding was approved by voters in 2016.

York’s contribution marks a significant step toward the project’s realization, noted the Portsmouth Herald, in nearby Portsmouth, N.H.

York Village is a neighborhood near the Maine coastline that is noted for its historic structures and upscale shops. The proposed upgrades are expected to bring a brick plaza, open lawn and parking improvements to the area and have been in the works for more than 10 years.

However, the Selectboard has opted to delay the vote until April 14, 2025, as some members requested a detailed breakdown of costs from Dean Lessard, the town’s engineering director, who was unable to attend the group’s meeting on March 24, 2025.

The funds will go toward completing final designs and construction documents to be used by the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT), which will oversee construction and contribute 10 percent of the project’s funding.

The remaining costs are slated to be provided by the federal government through a partnership with MaineDOT and the Kittery Area Comprehensive Transportation Study Committee.

But, the York Village effort has been plagued by years of delays, the Herald noted March 27, 2025, with the most recent setback occurring in 2024 when the Selectboard learned that construction would be pushed from 2025 to the spring of 2026.

And, according to a memo shared with the board, the timeline has now shifted to fall 2026 or spring 2027.

York Town Manager Peter Joseph said he could not rule out further delays given the project’s history.

Selectboard Chair Todd Frederick said the step toward funding the final designs is significant because it is the last one before a shovel hits the ground, although he added that it does not mean he is holding his breath that the project will get under way on time.

“I’ll believe it when I see it advertised, when there’s an award and there’s a shovel in the ground,” he told the Herald by phone on March 25, 2025.

What Does York Village Revitalization Entail?

York officials have said the revitalization project is based on the York Village master plan approved in 2015. Then, as now, a major goal of the work is changing Long Sands Road’s intersection with York Street to a T intersection.

Currently, the intersection runs around a traffic island featuring the Soldiers’ Monument, but after work begins, the monument will be moved 15-20 ft. away to a location where the roadway is not on each side of the marker. Other changes include transforming head-in parking spaces into parallel spaces and adding sidewalks, bike lanes and new green areas.

The York Village improvement project was originally scheduled to start in 2018, but state officials delayed the work due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues.

Later, in 2023, the Selectboard was told by Brian Keezer, a MaineDOT project manager, that the agency needed more time to establish rights to temporarily stage construction on property owners’ land, as well as to put out bids for contractors.

Keezer, who is no longer with Maine DOT, said in 2024 that there was still difficulty at that time in conducting rightof-way work because of how hard it was in finding licensed real estate appraisers.

Joseph told the Herald that he was not sure where the state stood on its responsibilities.

The delays have led York Selectboard members to be critical of MaineDOT’s efforts, including Robert Palmer, who in 2024 said the lack of progress made him reluctant to work with the state on similar projects in the future.

“Sometimes it’s just not worth taking the money,” he said.

The Herald reported that on March 24, 2025, the Selectboard learned that MaineDOT had completed enough of its tasks so that it was ready for the town to release its funds to complete designs and construction documents.

York Village Revitalization Project to Be Done in Phases

Whenever the construction at York Village finally does get under way, it will encompass two phases, according to a memo from the town’s staff to the Selectboard. The first phase will use $2.1 million in approved funding, while the second portion of work will require an additional $1.4 million.

Phase one, as outlined by Lessard to the Selectboard, will cover York Street from the intersection of Lindsay Road by the York Town Hall to the area around Cumberland Farms; Phase two will extend down York Street to Moulton Lane near Saint Christopher’s Church.

The initiative to enhance walkability in York Village dates back to 2011 when the York Village Study Committee was formed to develop strategies for spurring economic development. Frederick cited a report by Milone & MacBroom, an engineering consultant in the Northeast, which described the goal as “putting the village back in York Village.”

“It’s a very good project,” he said. “We’re hoping to bring new life and vitality to our downtown.” 

Arial view of historic York Village, York, Maine.

Shutterstock photo

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Torrington Awards Contract for Revitalization Project

Officials in the town of Torrington, Conn., have awarded a contract worth approximately $4.2 million to Yield Industries for the community’s Railroad Square Revitalization project, CT Post reported March 22, 2025.

Town leaders are now awaiting approval by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), said Paul Kundzins, Torrington’s city engineer and deputy public works director.

Yield Industries is an excavation contractor based in Torrington.

“Construction will begin as soon as we can mobilize,” Kundzins told a recent meeting of the Torrington City Council. “The project is required to be completed by the end of this calendar year, so we’re going to be done. [It will be a] busy, busy summer.”

The Railroad Square Revitalization project will be funded by a DECD Community Challenge Grant, the city of Torrington Pavement Management Program Bond Fund, and the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) Town Aid Road program.

Yield’s $4.1 million bid, with $207,355 for contingencies and quantity fluctuations, was the lowest one the community received for the project, he said.

“The bids came in very favorably — actu-

ally under the engineer’s estimate,” said Kundzins. “[They] came in 6 percent under and were even under the DECD funding. So, we were very pleased with the results.”

The overall project also includes the replacement of the railroad platform and construction of a canopy at Railroad Square, for which a $632,967 contract was awarded to Bloomfield’s Millennium Builders Inc. in January 2025.

That contract constitutes the remainder of the effort, which encompasses facelifts on Water Street from Prospect Street to the railroad tracks, John Street from Water Street to Mason Street, Mason Street from Prospect Street to Church Street, and Church from Mason Street to Migeon Avenue.

Greenway Trail to Expand to Christmas Village

The work also will include the extension of the Sue Grossman Greenway from Water Street to 160 Church St. along railway tracks beside Torrington’s Christmas Village and on to a new parking lot nearby, Kundzins said. The greenway will come close to linking the greenway at the Riverview parking lot behind the library with only a small gap along a portion of Prospect Street.

John Street also is due to get road, side-

walk and crossing upgrades.

A 10-ft.-wide trail will be added along John and Mason streets and a pedestrian promenade is to be installed at 136 Water St., resulting in a public walkway between the train station, greenway and other green spaces that will include new benches, trees and landscaping.

When passengers disembark from the train arriving from Thomaston, they will be able to use the walkway to reach John and Mason Streets, CT Post noted.

The Torrington improvement effort also will include some road reconstruction and the installation of new sidewalks, lighting and drainage fixes. For instance, John Street will be converted to a one-way roadway with new granite curbing, sidewalks and lighting; Mason and Church streets also will be partially reconstructed and get new curbing.

Parking Key Part of Torrington’s Redesign

As designed, the Railroad Square Revitalization project will see crews paving a new parking lot behind Christmas Village

with room for 70 vehicles. The surface lot will be used by teachers at Vogel-Wetmore School, who currently park off Mason Street, next to the Northwest Connecticut YMCA.

Once it is completed, the new lot will free up the one on Mason Street for public use, Kundzins said.

Torrington Mayor Elinor C. Carbone noted at the city council meeting that she has always heard about the need for more parking downtown, including from management at Torrington Savings Bank, who bemoan the lack of parking whenever she meets them.

“There is such a high demand for parking spaces,” she said, adding that if the town’s historic Yankee Pedlar Inn is redeveloped, it, too will need parking.

A small pocket park next to Christmas Village, with areas set aside for food trucks at the intersection of Church and Mason Streets, also is part of Torrington’s revitalization efforts.

According to Kundzins, construction of the train platform and canopy also should be starting soon. 

Warner Theater in Torrington, Conn. Shutterstock photo

Manafort Brothers Leads I-95 Work in East Lyme, Conn.

I-95 from page 1

CTDOT plans to have the project completed by 2027 at the cost of nearly $150 million. By the completion of the project, I95 northbound and southbound will have a new look. The northbound and southbound lanes will be raised approximately 14 ft. from their original position on the west side of Route 161 and cut approximately 10 ft. on the east side.

Contractors are achieving these changes through the construction of temporary earth retaining systems (TERS). Andrew M. Millovitsch, project engineer, is overseeing the project for CTDOT. To create the 16 retaining walls necessary for the project, workers needed to pulverize a massive ledge with explosives. Each blast required a full closure of I-95. Manafort Brothers was the general contractor for the project and worked closely with additional contractors on the job.

The blasts enabled workers to remove 60,000 cu. yds. of material to make way for a new retaining wall adjacent to I-95 northbound. The construction team experienced a major setback when a soil nail wall failed to hold, costing the team two months. The team accelerated the work for five months to bring the project back on schedule. The project is now 50 percent complete.

The contractor is building extended lanes for both acceleration and deceleration for the interchange ramps. The team also is constructing a 6-ft. raised median and 12-ft. shoulders for both north and southbound traffic.

“We have had some existing soil conditions that have proved challenging,” said Millovitsch. “The newly constructed roadway will provide safe areas in the median to handle breakdowns. Drivers will have better sightlines to view the traffic they are driving in and have flatter slopes to improve stopping distances. Also, the new overpass will allow for safer clearance for motorists on Route 161.”

As the 2025 construction season opens, workers will shift traffic onto the recently constructed travel lanes and over Route 161. An additional TERS will be constructed closer to the southbound traffic.

“At that time, the northbound traffic will be brought to final grade and the next third of the bridge construction can take place between the north and southbound lanes,” said Millovitsch.

Having a Blast

Blasting proved exciting not only for the construction team and onlookers but also had many practical benefits. A major obstacle was removed, and the remains from the blast were crushed and used for subbase for

the road and for fill as part of the embankments. Both steel and asphalt were recycled as well. The project worked with environmental specialists to reestablish plantings and improve nearby wetlands, floodplains and streambeds.

The team plans to use approximately 80,000 tons of asphalt for the roads and 10,000 cu. yds. of concrete for precast items including drainage structures and retaining walls, as well as cast-in-place elements for the new Bridge No. 00250.

The construction team used a traditional fleet of equipment for the job including excavators, front loaders, cranes, paving machines and rollers. Construction teams are increasingly using technology to complete

see I-95 page 18

A major obstacle was removed, and the remains from the blast were crushed and used for subbase for the road and for fill as part of the embankments.

In East Lyme, the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) has undertaken a major construction project at Exit 74 where the interstate travels over Route 161.

The project will improve sightlines, make the road safer for travelers and ease congestion.

The team plans to use approximately 80,000 tons of asphalt for the roads and 10,000 cu. yds. of concrete for precast items.

I-95 from page 16

the jobs with greater precision and speed.

The technology used for this job included 3D modeling, drone-assisted GPS survey equipment, geo-located software and “open road designer” to assist with placement of proper quantities of material.

CTDOT and contractors were careful to maintain safety both for workers and motorists. Because the work was done in stages, safety specialists were able to delineate work zones and keep the construction activity behind temporary barriers. The work

Contractor Plans to Use 80,000 Tons of Asphalt On I-95 Project

team also used speed camera vehicles to slow down traffic and keep the work zone protected.

The I-95 East Lyme project has been both satisfying and challenging for Millovitsch and his team.

“The vertical realignment of I-95 was a complex challenge,” he said. “This work has allowed us to improve the safety of a historically substandard piece of road. It has also been an area that is accident prone. We hope that will be improved as well.”  CEG

(All photos courtesy of CTDOT District 2.)

When completed the project will provide some welcome relief to the 80,000 motorists who use this part of I-95 each day.

The project worked with environmental specialists to reestablish plantings and improve nearby wetlands, floodplains and streambeds.

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Case 580SR Backhoe/Loader,1:50 scale................................................$150

Case 850B Angle/Tilt Dozer,1:35 scale..................................................$100

Case 1845B Uni-Loader,1:35 scale..........................................................$35

Case DH4B Trencher,1:35 scale..............................................................$75

Case 9030B Excavator,1:50 scale............................................................$50

Caterpillar AP-1000 Asphalt Paver,1:50 scale......................................$100

Caterpillar C-591 Pipelayer,1:70 scale....................................................$70

Caterpillar CB534 Double Drum Roller, 1:50 scale................................$40

Caterpillar D3 Track-Type Tractor,1:50 scale........................................$110

Caterpillar D4E Track-Type Tractor, new color,1:50 scale......................$60

Caterpillar D4E Track-Type Tractor, old color,1:50 scale......................$60

Caterpillar D6H Track-Type Tractor,1:50 scale........................................$90

Caterpillar D9N Track-Type Tractor w/black Tracks,1:50 scale............$100

Caterpillar D9N Track-Type Tractor w/yellow Tracks,1:50 scale..........$100

Caterpillar D8L Track-Type Tractor,1:50 scale......................................$100

Caterpillar D7C Track-Type Tractor,1:50 scale......................................$110

Caterpillar D10 Track-Type Tractor w/ ripper,1:50 scale......................$100

Caterpillar D10N Track-Type Tractor,1:50 scale......................................$40

Caterpillar D11R Track-Type Tractor,1:50 scale......................................$75

Caterpillar 225 Excavator,1;70 scale........................................................$45

Caterpillar 225 Crane w/clamshell

Caterpillar 555D Log Skidder,1:50 scale..............................................

Caterpillar 631 Tilting Dumper,1:70

Caterpillar 773B Off-Highway Truck, 1:70 scale

825B Landfill Compactor,1:50

Military Green 953 Traxcavator,1:50 scale..........................

Mass to Advance West-East Rail Service With New Train Station

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) announced in February that it had selected South of Palmer Yard as the best site for the future Palmer train station, a critical milestone in the efforts of Gov. Maura Healey’s administration to advance the state’s West-East Rail.

The site, located in the town of Palmer, east of Springfield, was chosen following months of extensive review that included community engagement and feedback from local stakeholders, according to MassDOT.

In a news release, the agency said, “Based on the comparative evaluation of sites, [the Palmer location] offers the amount of property needed for a platform to accommodate ADA needs and passenger train length and, of nine alternative sites evaluated, is a preferred site as it will have fewer permit requirements and will be more affordable to build.”

Of the sites considered in MassDOT’s Level 2 Comparative Evaluation, public feedback also favored the train station site because of its relative proximity to downtown Palmer.

The project will now advance to the conceptual design phase, MassDOT noted.

“We’re thrilled to have reached another milestone for West-East Rail and our efforts to expand rail service across the state with the selection of a preferred site for Palmer Station,” Healey said in a statement. “This is going to be a major boost for western Massachusetts and for our state’s economy. We’re grateful for all of the input we received from community members that helped us choose the best site for the station.”

Her colleague, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, added, “Expanding rail capacity and connectivity in Massachusetts is essential if we want to remain economically competitive. We applaud the efforts that have culminated in the selection of a Palmer Station location and look forward to seeing this component of West-East Rail advance to completion.”

Compass Rail Service Expanding in Massachusetts

The new station will be part of Massachusetts’ Compass Rail service, made up of existing and proposed West-East and North-South lines intersecting at a robust hub in Springfield.

Compass Rail — Passenger Rail for the Commonwealth — is a vision for intercity passenger train service within Massachusetts and beyond. Its goal, the state transportation department noted, is to enhance mobility, expand transportation choice and support economic development goals through transportation investments. Compass Rail integrates existing MassDOT-supported services with new, proposed services in a unified vision.

“We are very pleased to see ongoing

progress in the advancement of the Compass Rail program, which will give residents the passenger rail connectivity they need and deserve,” said state Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt. “Throughout the planning and design phase for Palmer Station, we have been committed to working with the community to make a site selection that reflects their needs in the decades ahead. We appreciate all the feedback and look forward to continuing this dialogue.”

“The South of Palmer Yard location has great potential as a future stop within the Compass Rail network, and the local stakeholders’ feedback has been invaluable in helping us reach an informed decision,” said MassDOT Rail and Transit Administrator Meredith Slesinger. “The site’s strategic location within Palmer and its cost-effective geography are significant benefits for the community both short- and long-term.”

The project team will now begin to develop a conceptual design, which will allow MassDOT to engage with railway owner CSX Transportation, the site’s property owner and Amtrak, the proposed service operator, on the feasibility of building a future station.

Existing services supported and managed by MassDOT under the Compass Rail banner include the following Amtrak-operated routes:

• The Vermonter, which runs between Washington, D.C., and St. Albans, Vt., with Massachusetts stops in Springfield, Holyoke, Northampton and Greenfield.

• The Valley Flyer between New Haven, Conn., and Greenfield, Mass. Its other stops are in Springfield, Holyoke, Northampton and Greenfield.

• The Hartford Line and Northeast Regional between Springfield, Mass., and New Haven, Conn., or Washington, D.C.

• The Berkshire Flyer, a seasonal pilot service between Pittsfield, Mass., and New York City.

West-East Rail would be part of the new Compass Rail services that focus on improved connections between western and eastern Massachusetts These routes include the Inland Route, to operate between Boston and New Haven via Springfield, and the Boston and Albany Corridor via Pittsfield, both of which use the same line, and are owned and operated by CSX.

“We are excited to see West-East Rail mark this milestone and move forward with the conceptual design of the project. We look forward to being a partner in helping to create more transportation options for residents here in Palmer and western Massachusetts,” said Kimberly H. Robinson, executive director of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission in Springfield. 