Plans to turn the long-restricted Manresa Island in Norwalk, Conn., into a 125-acre public park, beach and nature center represent a massive gain not just for the state, but for the entire Northeast, speakers said at an Oct. 1 news conference announcing the effort.
The blockbuster philanthropic project is anticipated to cost hundreds of millions of dollars to realize, the Hartford Courant reported Oct. 2.
“From Hell’s Gate down in Manhattan to Point Judith, the entire length of Long Island Sound, [there is not an] opportunity like this one anywhere,” U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn. 4th District, told about 100 political, community, and business leaders outside the island’s towering NRG power plant. “This is truly once in a lifetime.”
Billionaire engineer and venture capitalist Austin
Rail Commuters Could Be Negatively Impacted If State Razes Critical Bridge
The Grand Junction Bridge in Boston certainly does not look like an important piece of infrastructure.
Indeed, it is caked in rust and graffiti and half of it has been abandoned, such that when looking down on it from the nearby Boston University Bridge, it is possible to peer straight through its steel lattice structure and see the Charles River below.
Despite its appearance, though, the Grand Junction structure is a critical link in the regional rail system as it is the only
connection within 40 mi. of Boston that links the otherwise disconnected north and south sides of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s commuter rail network.
The Boston Engine Terminal, MBTA’s primary commuter rail maintenance facility, is located 2.5 mi. northeast of the bridge in East Somerville. Anytime a train on the south side needs repair work, it uses the Grand Junction line to get to the shops on the north side.
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Conn. River Bridge Projects Set to Finally Wrap Up in Nov.
Two long-term infrastructure projects, one in Orange County, Vt., and another in Grafton County, N.H., on opposite sides of the Connecticut River, are set to wrap up in November to the relief of residents and business owners in both states.
The Valley News in West Lebanon, N.H., reported Oct. 8 that a 6-mi. stretch of southbound Interstate 91 in Vermont, between exits 16 and 15 in the community of Fairlee, Vt., is expected to reopen at the beginning of November after having closed in April.
The project has so far cost approximately $4 million.
Two weeks later, and after more than 18 months and $9.4 million in construction costs, the bridge over the Connecticut River connecting East Thetford, Vt., and Lyme, N.H., on East Thetford Road is scheduled to fully reopen, about a month later than originally planned.
The most difficult part of any project such as the river bridge is the detour, Joseph Flynn, secretary of the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans), said in a phone interview with Valley News.
“That’s always the challenge: the disruption to travel,” he explained.
To cross the Connecticut River, drivers have either detoured about 12 mi. north to the crossing between Orford, N.H., and Fairlee, Vt., or 18 mi. south to the Ledyard Bridge between Hanover, N.H., and Norwich, Vt.
Currently, detouring motorists from the I-91 southbound closure must go through downtown Fairlee on U.S. Highway 5. The change in traffic flow as a result of the construction efforts has caused delays, longer commutes and a decrease in customers for some local businesses.
“It’s tough, dangerous work that’s essential for us to have safe infrastructure. I’m happy the crew’s here getting that work done.”
Tom Buzzell
Samuel Morey Elementary School
due to being in poor condition.
Country Store on Wednesdays and Fridays for its New Hampshire customers. It also began a pop-up farmstand on Wednesdays in the Lyme Country Store parking lot.
Eric Tadlock, executive director of the nonprofit farm, said he is “very thankful” for the partnership with New Hampshire’s Lyme Country Store.
Despite his farm’s revenue losses of about 30 percent in 2023 and 20 percent in 2024, the business’s “feelings of success come from being able to maintain connections with the Lyme community, not finances and figures,” he explained.
Tadlock, who lives in Lyme, has canoed across the river a few times to commute to work during the Thetford-Lyme bridge closure, a quicker journey, he said, than taking one of the roadway detours.
To cross the Connecticut River, drivers have either detoured about 12 mi. north to the crossing between Orford, N.H., and Fairlee, Vt., or 18 mi. south to the Ledyard Bridge between Hanover, N.H., and Norwich, Vt.
Both Infrastructure Projects Have Faced Delays
Construction on I-91 southbound was set to end by mid-to-late August.
However, Bruce Martin, a VTrans project manager, told the Valley News in a July email that the scope of the project expanded when workers “found several locations that would be expected to fail and could overwhelm the southbound lanes with rock material.”
The construction on that stretch of I-91 began following a rockfall this past February.
Since then, J.A. McDonald Inc., based in Lyndon, Vt., has served as the prime contractor and worked to stabilize the cliffside by clearing trees, removing existing mesh,
hand-scaling loose rock material and vegetation along the faces of the ledge, and installing dowels to hold the rocks in place.
A rolling roadblock has been implemented periodically on the northbound side of I91 during the scaling activities to prevent cars from driving through areas where falling rocks could cause damage, Valley News noted.
The Thetford-Lyme bridge was originally supposed to open this month, but last winter the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) granted the project’s contractor, New England Infrastructure Inc., of Hudson, Mass., a time extension after the need for more structural steel repairs were uncovered in the cleaning and painting process.
The span, built in 1937, had deteriorating steel and concrete, a factor that put it on NHDOT’s Red List along with other state bridges that require stepped up inspections
Before the structure closed in April 2023, it had a reduced weight limit of 15 tons, the agency said.
NHDOT spokesperson Jennifer Lane told Valley News that following the bridge’s scheduled opening Nov. 15, some construction cleanup will continue until just before Thanksgiving Day.
The decision to rehabilitate the bridge instead of demolishing it and building a new one came down to a variety of factors, the New Hampshire news source said, including the span’s eligibility for placement on the National Register of Historic Places, a National Park Service listing of structures and places worthy of preservation.
Locals Cannot Wait for Projects to Open
As the detours on both sides of the Connecticut River are now set to end next month, residents took time to reflect on their impact.
“I couldn’t believe one bridge like that would take so many customers away,” said Bonnie Huggett, owner of Huggett’s Mart, a gas station and convenience store along U.S. 5 in East Thetford. “Closing the bridge was very devastating for small businesses like mine. My sales were hit really hard.”
Sam Ranger, retail manager of the farmstand at Cedar Circle Farm on Pavilion Road in East Thetford, told the Valley News that although the business has seen a reduction in sales, its New Hampshire workers “have done a good job reaching across the river.”
Cedar Circle Farm, which operates a farmstand, cafe, commercial kitchen and educational center, started a pre-order and delivery service last summer at the Lyme
Many businesses on the Lyme, N.H., side of the river told Valley News that they did not see too much of a difference in revenue as a result of the bridge being shut down.
“Everybody’s been really good about it,” said Tami Dowd, owner of Dowds’ Country Inn and Event Center. “The locals grumble about having to go through Hanover but that’s about it.”
And Theo Damaskos, the manager at Chapman’s General Store in Fairlee, Vt., said she’s seen an “uptick in customers who would normally be going down [U.S. 5].”
Along with travelers detouring off I-91 southbound, the bridge closure also is directing new patrons to the store, especially from Hanover, according to Damaskos.
Nearby, Janice Neil, owner of the Jan’s Fairlee Diner, said “people have stopped in who didn’t know the diner existed or even the town of Fairlee existed.”
In speaking with the local news source, Neil said she is not worried about losing business once the interstate reopens but appreciates the support the diner has received.
However, the detour and rolling roadblock is still a disruption of daily life for many Connecticut River Valley folks.
Samuel Morey Elementary School, situated off U.S. 5 in Fairlee, has experienced “minor delays” from the roadblocks and increased traffic volume have sometimes made staff and families late to school, Principal Tom Buzzell said.
Needless to say, the school community is looking forward to the road “being back to normal,” Buzzell noted.
He does, however, recognize the importance of the construction.
“It’s tough, dangerous work that’s essential for us to have safe infrastructure,” Buzzell explained. “I’m happy the crew’s here getting that work done.”
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Mass. Town Looks to Boost Its Efforts to Reconstruct Bridge
Town officials in Northfield, Mass., are continuing their push to reinvigorate the effort to reconstruct a new Schell Bridge over the Connecticut River.
Recently, they invited state and federal legislators, key stakeholders from various Massachusetts state departments and local groups to visit the community to discuss the project.
If fully funded, the proposal would consist of a complete replacement of the historic Pennsylvania truss bridge, named after Francis R. Schell, a New York merchant who gave $42,000 for the span’s original design and construction. The bridge, carrying East Northfield Road over the river, opened in 1903 but has been shuttered since 1985 due to advanced deterioration of its steel truss components that rendered it unsafe to use.
When it was in service, it linked two sections of Northfield, the only town in Massachusetts that is divided by the river.
“It was a great chance to have these stakeholders come back out and see why it’s important to the town,” Northfield Town Administrator Andrea Llamas said of a September tour of the structure. “It was
really a chance to talk about the project, what’s going well … where we are in terms of funding, where we are in terms of design.”
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) recently gave an update about the redesign process, intended to lower the cost of rebuilding the bridge, the Greenfield Recorder noted on Oct. 22.
The agency noted that cost has been an ongoing challenge for the project, which currently has an estimated price tag of $61.35 million. Of that, $36.36 million has been secured, according to Leslie Roberts, Northfield’s grant development director.
To make up the difference, the town has made numerous appeals to state and federal officials seeking funding support.
Llamas explained that once MassDOT does finish rebuilding the Schell Bridge, the town would then transfer ownership to the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation. Northfield Selectboard member Barbara “Bee” Jacque added that this would mean the removal of a $10 million liability for the small community.
see SCHELL page 14
Construction Begins On New $43M UMass Health Facility
As a graduate of the School of Public Health & Health Sciences Kinesiology department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, doctoral student Petra Ypsilantis is aware of the separation and lack of cohesiveness among the school’s six departments.
“We’re all spread out,” she explained, observing that she has a long walk from her research space at the Ruth J. Totman Physical Education Building on Eastman Lane to collaborate with students from other departments.
That will change in the fall of 2026, when a 26,800-sq.-ft., three-story School of Public Health & Health Sciences (SPHHS) Hub opens, where all of the university’s graduate and undergraduate students will have space dedicated to their programs, much like what exists at the college’s Isenberg School of Management.
On Sept. 10, UMass Amherst hosted several state and local leaders to kick off the official start of construction of the new $43 million facility. The structure will serve as the heart of SPHHS, which currently has its six departments housed in seven locations around campus.
Work actually began in May at the project site, located at the corner of North Pleasant Street and Eastman Lane adjacent to the Totman Gymnasium, and is scheduled to be complete in December 2025.
“The thought of having a hub — a collective space — is really exciting,” said Ypsilantis, who was among the students observing the ceremonial groundbreaking.
She told the Daily Hampshire Gazette in Northampton, Mass., that she studies the rehabilitation process for those suffering from traumatic brain injuries and enjoys the opportunity to work more closely with others.
Expensive, Impractical Alternatives Abound Over Bridge Demo
BRIDGE from page 1
Similarly, Amtrak’s Downeaster trains, which operate out of North Station, rely on the Grand Junction connection to access the company’s Southampton Street maintenance facility in South Boston.
But, under current construction plans for the proposed Allston Multimodal Project, a $2 billion reconfiguration of the Interstate 90/Massachusetts Turnpike and Soldiers Field Road, the southern abutments of the Grand Junction Bridge on the Boston side of the river would be demolished to make room for 12 new lanes of riverfront highway.
Several years in the future, when the road work is due to be substantially complete, contractors would then reconnect the Grand Junction with a new rail viaduct that could potentially carry a new transit connection between Boston and Kendall Square.
However, officials from Amtrak and MBTA are throwing cold water on that plan, Streetsblog Mass reported Oct. 10.
At an Aug. 21 working group meeting for the Allston Multimodal effort, MBTA officials warned that if the highway project cuts the Grand Junction link, “MBTA service would cease within weeks due to an inability to conduct required maintenance.”
Alternatives Are Impractical, Expensive
There are options for the MBTA to continue maintaining its trains if the Grand Junction were cut off, but they would impose considerable costs on an agency that is already strapped for cash and resources.
One alternative would be for the MBTA to take its trains on a detour deep into central Massachusetts, where there is another northsouth rail connection.
That diversion would require the agency to send its south side trains all the way out to Worcester, then north on a freight railway connection to Ayer, before turning back into Boston via the Fitchburg Line to access the Boston Engine Terminal maintenance facility.
That adds up to a 103-mi. detour for a trip that currently travels just 2.5 mi.
As could be expected, in a presentation to stakeholders in the Allston Multimodal Project, transportation agency officials said that that detour “is not feasible for the MBTA’s maintenance needs.”
Streetblogs Mass said that MBTA’s other option is to build a new maintenance facility specifically for its south-side trains. And, in fact, the agency has already started preliminary design work for just such a project, along with an accompanying train storage yard in Readville at the end of the Fairmount
Line.
However, despite MBTA having set aside $5 million for early design and environmental permitting work, there is currently no money available for the agency to actually build the facility.
In 2020, former Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Secretary Stephanie Pollack said that the maintenance facility project could cost approximately $300 million; with high rates of construction cost inflation in the four years since then, the price tag today might be closer to $400 million.
That would bring up the question as to just who would pay for the effort, another critical consideration, Streetblogs Mass noted.
The MBTA is still struggling to repay debt associated with the Big Dig highway project in the early 2000s; forcing the cash-strapped agency to borrow another $400 million to benefit yet another highway megaproject will be a politically heavy lift.
There also is the question of timing.
Some advocates and MBTA officials have suggested that new layover yards and a modern South Side maintenance facility ought to be designed for a future fleet of all-electric trains. That will not happen, though, if MassDOT forces the MBTA to finish the new shop building before it has a chance to electrify all of its rail lines running out of
South Station.
“With loss of access to [Boston Engine Terminal], many of these facilities need to be geared towards the needs of the MBTA’s current diesel fleet, instead of future fleet electrification,” agency officials warned stakeholders in the August meeting.
“Regional rail electrification projects will be delayed by use of financial resources and real estate on these diesel projects.”
Third Option: MassDOT Takes Responsibility
It is unclear whether any stakeholders ever discussed it at that meeting, but there is a third possible solution to this dilemma: MassDOT could require future construction contractors working on the Allston/I-90 project to keep the Grand Junction rail connection open until a replacement bridge is ready.
That alternative would likely complicate the project’s construction logistics in a notoriously tight site on top of the Charles riverbank and add to the multi-billion-dollar price tag for MassDOT’s highway proposal.
But given the alternatives, Streetblogs Mass said MassDOT’s highway builders might just have to take responsibility for the disruptions, rather than handing the region’s transit riders more debt and travel problems.
University of Massachusetts Amherst photo (L-R) are Chris Greenfield; Eliza Frechette; Andrew Mangels; Felicity Oliveira; Chancellor Javier Reyes; Dean Anna Maria SiegaRiz; Steve Karam; Mary Burns; Fouad Abd-El-Khalick; Barbara Kroncke; Lily Stoe-Alekman; and State Rep. Aaron Saunders. see UMASS page 12
Newly Renamed Bill Russell Bridge in Boston to Open Soon
The new structure to replace the more than 100-year-old North Washington Street Bridge over the Charles River, between Boston’s North End and Charlestown, and under construction for over six years, is finally nearing completion.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), it is expected to finally be “fully open” to all traffic by next April.
Ahead of its anticipated completion, on Oct. 21, the new span was renamed the William Felton “Bill” Russell Bridge to honor the late Boston Celtics great, Basketball Hall of Fame member, and noted civil rights leader.
The eastern side of the nearly bridge partially opened to the general public a year ago, noted StreetsblogMASS, an online news site, but work has been continuing on the western, or upstream, portion of the new structure. Its construction cost is estimated to be nearly $177 million.
Carrie Lavallee, a chief engineer for the state agency, reported at Oct. 16’s MassDOT board meeting that “our current estimate is to have the
deck complete by the end of this season, and to make sure that the traffic can be switched over to the new bridge by the end of the year. We hope to have the bridge fully open by the end of [next] spring.”
Bridge Will Create Inbound Lane for Busy Bus Route
For the past five years, motorized traffic through the bridge construction zone has been confined to just three lanes.
Under current plans, however, when the new bridge fully opens, it will include a single inbound bus lane for one of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) busiest bus routes — the 111 — in addition to the less-frequent 92 and 93 routes through Charlestown.
In September 2019, just before the old bridge closed for good, the city of Boston painted a southbound bus lane on North Washington Street between the bridge and MBTA’s Haymarket station. Nearly two years later, municipal officials added a second bus lane in the northbound direction on the same street.
Those changes fueled speculation that when the new bridge finally
opened, the city might retain the three-lane bridge layout for general traffic in order to add a second northbound bus lane for the roughly 17,000 bus riders who cross the structure on a typical weekday.
Earlier in October, though, Boston transportation officials confirmed to StreetsblogMASS that the city does not plan to add a second northbound bus lane on the new bridge when the wider bridge deck opens to traffic later this winter.
Instead, the new bridge’s opening will add a fourth lane for private vehicle traffic, which will expand lane capacity and inevitably subsidize more motor vehicle traffic in downtown Boston.
Additionally, on both edges of the bridge, separated from the motor vehicle lanes by vertical barriers, are 19-ft.-wide sidewalks next to 7-ft.wide protected bike lanes.
The firm in charge of building the new bridge is J.F. White Contracting Co. in Framingham, Mass.
New Structure to Honor Leader On, Off Court
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey,
Bill Russell’s wife, Jeannine, and members of the Celtics organization gathered at a ceremony to announce the new bridge’s name, reported WBUR Public Radio in Boston.
Many donned Celtics green and wore pins with Russell’s jersey number.
The span over the Charles River also is close to Boston’s TD Garden arena, the current home of the Celtics.
Jeannine Russell spoke tearfully of her husband’s legacy, on and off the basketball court.
“Bill never chased acknowledgment, but I know he would be so proud to be honored with this bridge naming,” she said. “Because deep down, Bill understood that outcomes of his convictions could be a bridge to better understanding of the challenges we face in society and how to navigate our path forward.”
Russell not only changed the game of basketball but was among its most successful players by winning 11 championships over 13 seasons with the Celtics. He later became the first Black head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
He also was an outspoken activist
for civil rights, including participating in the March on Washington, working with the NAACP, advocating for changes within the NBA, and protesting segregation in Boston’s schools.
He died in 2022 at the age of 88.
Also speaking at the ceremony was current Celtics star and recent NBA champion Jaylen Brown, who called Russell an inspiration.
“Bill challenged us … daily, challenged us throughout his legacy, throughout his career, throughout his time spent here,” he said. “And as I maneuver through my career, I plan on continuing to walk in his light.”
Additionally, Wu announced two parks will be dedicated on either end of the bridge to two “resident heroes,” community advocate Robert DeCristoforo and Boston Fire Lt. Stephen Minehan.
“They represent, along with Bill Russell and the many, many people he inspired, mentored and shaped, the type of leadership that would make sure our city was a beacon of equity, justice and hope, and legacies that continue to bridge our communities,” she said.
UMass to Build School of Public Health, Health Sciences Hub
UMASS from page 8
Ypsilantis added that she looks forward to connecting with students from different majors at the new facility.
The emphasis on the new building being a hub was a theme among the guest speakers’ remarks during the groundbreaking as people gathered on the entrance patio of the Totman building, which will be connected to the new structure and undergo some renovation as well. Once complete, the complex will feature a plaza between the two buildings.
Nearby, a perimeter fence currently extends along both North Pleasant Street and Eastman Lane, next to the roundabout, where construction workers with heavy equipment are beginning to prepare the site of a former parking lot.
New Hub Is ‘Dream Come True’ for Many
Anna Maria Siega-Riz, dean of the SPHHS at UMass Amherst, said she had the same feeling as many of the nearly 1,700 undergraduate and 500 graduate students who attend classes and labs in the six health departments: having all the departments under one roof is a dream come true.
In addition to Kinesiology, those departments are Biostatistics & Epidemiology; Environmental Health Sciences; and Health Promotion & Policy; Nutrition; and Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences.
“This is a landmark moment, as it is the first ever structure on the campus designed for our school,” she told the Daily Hampshire Gazette.
The building will focus on student-first instruction, Siega-Riz noted, and fill an increasingly urgent need for health equity, while also hosting conferences, seminars and research space. She explained that the school tackles many contemporary issues, from the opioid crisis and chronic disease to food insecurity and reproductive health.
“Our mission is to achieve health equity and enhance health outcomes for everybody,” she added.
In addition, the new facility will feature flexible, team-based learning classrooms, office space, time-shared cubicles, conferencing facilities, and open areas designed for informal work and collaboration. An outdoor event space to complement the interior academic program spaces to allow SPHHS to host a wide variety of outdoor events also is planned.
“We are providing health and vibrant
space to grow our community,” said senior kinesiology lecturer Eliza Frichette.
Project to Fulfill Several UMass Goals
Chris Greenfield, the former associate dean of administration and finance for UMass Amherst who emceed the groundbreaking ceremony, told his audience that the new SPHHS building comes after decades of growth, vision and planning for the school that was established throughout the 1970s and 1980s, but has been spread around seven buildings, with up to a mile separating students and faculty from various departments.
“This building represents connection for our community,” he said.
Similar sentiments were offered by Chancellor Javier Reyes, who also said the SPHHS building is about maximizing public health and health equity, and a pillar of wellbeing for students, faculty and staff.
“This signifies that effort,” Reyes said.
He added that the building reflects the mission of being a land grant university and that a majority of students, after getting their undergraduate or graduate degrees, stay in state to work at hospitals, health centers and other similar places.
In his comments, Stephen Karam, who chairs the UMass System Board of Trustees, said that the Amherst school is promoting diversity in the health care field, ensuring that the workforce represents the community to be served.
Like other buildings, the SPHHS hub will meet the UMass Carbon Zero initiative, according to Barbara Kronke, executive director of the UMass Building Authority. To be built to silver LEED standards, the university will aim to eventually achieve the gold LEED standard.
The structure’s architect was Boston’s Leers Weinzapfel Associates, and it is being constructed by Fontaine Brothers, a general contracting company in Springfield.
The SPHHS project is one of a handful of buildings currently rising on the UMass Amherst campus, the Gazette noted.
In addition, other ongoing projects include the Computer Sciences Laboratories, a 94,300-sq.-ft., four-story building to be completed next spring off Governors Drive; and the Sustainable Engineering Laboratories Building, a 78,000-sq.-ft. structure latest to be finished during the summer of 2026, next to Stockbridge Hall.
PORTABLE ROCK CRUSHING
UIPMEN
Northfield Officials Continue to Seek Funding Sources for New Schell Bridge
SCHELL from page 6
While a new bridge, which could take up to three years to build, would be primarily intended for pedestrians and bicyclists, it would also allow for increased efficiency for first responders in the event of emergencies that require getting to the other side of the river.
Northfield has advocated replacing the structure for decades, which would also eliminate the threat of the rusted bridge from collapsing into the Connecticut River.
New Bridge Could Boost Local Economy
Jacque also said that a new bridge would be helpful to draw bike tourists to Northfield, adding that they often use Massachusetts Highway 142 on the west side of the river to travel the region.
Aside from the Mass. 10 bridge to the south — which she described as presenting a “safety issue” — cyclists are only able to access Northfield by
The bridge, carrying East Northfield Road over the river, opened in 1903 but has been shuttered since 1985 due to advanced deterioration of its steel truss components that rendered it unsafe to use.
crossing the Connecticut River in Vermont and New Hampshire before coming back south.
The September visit also included a tour of the bridge and visits to local businesses, including the Pauchaug Boat Ramp, Riverview Picnic Area, Cameron’s Winery and The Brewery at Four Star Farms.
Selected participants spoke at each stop about the link between the bridge and existing bikeways through Franklin County, and north into Vermont and New Hampshire, as well as the ways a new span could spur economic development more broadly in
the Northfield area.
“I thought it was helpful to reengage because this has been going on for so long,” Jacque told the Recorder. “We had great representation from all the legislators, federal and state.”
Schell Bridge advocacy efforts will continue in the weeks ahead, with the nonprofit Friends of Schell Bridge’s annual meeting set for Nov. 2 at The Brewery at Four Star Farms. Additionally, surveys have been sent to Northfield residents inviting them to provide feedback about the process of selecting a bridge redesign, the Greenfield newspaper noted.
Blockbuster Gift to Create Mega Shoreline Public Park
McChord and his wife, Allison, are buying the sprawling former NRG facility and surrounding acreage from a New York developer that was planning to build luxury housing.
The residential development would have included a few trails open to the public, but the McChords proposal is to make all of the property open to all, including its 1.7 mi. of shoreline.
Most coastline property in Connecticut, especially in uber-affluent Fairfield County, is largely in the hands of wealthy homeowners or private associations that expressly keep the public out. Even individual communities often try to restrict municipal beaches to local residents.
“In a state that has only 27 percent of our shoreline available for public access, unlocking these [nearly] 2 miles for public access in this densely populated area is going to be absolutely transformative in advancing our mission of outdoor recreation, [and] access,” said Katie Dykes, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP).
The design for the park, led by SCAPE, transforms the site into a healthy public space with water access, public swimming, playspace, recreational and ecological experiences, and a network of new walking paths.
McChord, a Norwalk native, told the audience.
Connecticut’s political and governmental leaders were effervescent in their praise for the idea, the Hartford newspaper noted.
Island to Be Made Ready for Nature Lovers
The McChords established the nonprofit Manresa Island Corp. to soon purchase the property, according to the Hartford Courant, then commence what is certain to be an enormously costly environmental cleanup and maintenance of the island. The nonprofit’s preliminary plans show a public beach, recreational spaces, an extensive boardwalk, docks and a pier, and long stretches of natural marshes.
The 250,000-sq.-ft. power plant itself would be kept intact but reconstructed as a multi-story public exhibition space and environmental education center. Architectural renderings of a potential design concept show the 165-ft.-high boiler building, the most iconic but foreboding structure in that stretch of Fairfield County’s coastline, transformed into one with glass walls and surrounded by grassy fields, woods and hiking trails.
“Parks like this don’t exist in Connecticut,” Austin
“This absolutely dazzling gift is one of the biggest to Connecticut in this century,” commented Democratic U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal.
Gov. Ned Lamont added, “We’ve got a lot of people per square mile, everything’s getting developed, there’s not a lot of open space. [But] one of the things I love about Connecticut is that there’s a beautiful park usually within a five- or 10-minute drive. It makes it accessible to all our communities regardless of zip code.”
Norwalk Common Council President Darlene Young said she believed that preserving the wildlife on Manresa Island and opening the fenced-off property to the public for the first time in more than 60 years is important.
“This is my first time on the property, and I’ve lived in South Norwalk for 32 years,” she explained. “Coming in, I saw a deer trying to find refuge. This is their habitat and we’re going to retain that.”
Connecticut Light & Power, now an Eversource sub-
sidiary, built the coal-burning plant on the island in the late 1950s and began service in 1960. Homeowners across nearby neighborhoods complained of soot on their cars and windows until it switched to oil in 1972.
NRG bought the facility in 1999, but it was partly flooded by Superstorm Sandy in 2012. By then, the utility was already making plans to take it out of service, which it finally did a year later. The plant has been vacant ever since.
State agencies studied what to do with the heavily contaminated land and its rusting buildings, but there was little progress until Argent Ventures announced last year that it was buying the property for upscale housing.
Earlier this year, the McChords negotiated a deal for Argent to sell the plant and the island to their nonprofit instead.
Allison McChord said she and her husband came up with the idea of saving Manresa years ago.
“Austin and I spent an afternoon kayaking around Manresa,” she said. “Even from the water we saw the potential and said to each other ‘Someone should make this an amazing park.’ When we finally got on site, we were totally blown away by the diversity, the scale of the power plant, the views along the shoreline.
“Austin was on the roof first and said, ‘You can see Manhattan,’” she recalled. “I said ‘No, you probably see Stamford.’ But he was right.”
The couple has not sought tax money for the project and have emphasized that their design team will work closely with the Norwalk community to decide exactly what the property is used for.
State Sen. Bob Duff, D-25th District, noting that the power plant was once infamous as one of Connecticut’s worst pollution sources, called the McChords’ plan a game changer for the region, especially when considering how much of a polluter the power plant had become.
“Many decades ago, Stamford and Norwalk were fighting over who gets the power plant,” he added. “We lost. But this will turn it from one of Norwalk’s most colossal mistakes to one of Norwalk’s greatest achievements.”
(All photos courtesy of SCAPE Studio.)
Skanska-Led JV Lands $625M Contract for R.I. Project
Skanska, a global construction and development firm, announced that its joint venture along with McCourt Construction and AETNA Bridge Company has been awarded a $625 million contract by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) for the designbuild of the I-95 15 project. The project will remove 15 bridges from the state’s backlog of poor and fair to poor condition bridges along I-95 and Route 10 between Providence and Warwick, a critical corridor that carries 185,000 vehicles daily, including 9,000 trucks and heavy freight vehicles.
“We’re incredibly excited to be a part of this complex design-build mega project for the Rhode Island Department of Transportation,” said Paul Pedini, senior vice president of Skanska USA Civil’s New England region. “The project will revitalize key components of the roadway’s infrastruc-
ture, aid in alleviating traffic congestion, and enhance the safety of one of Rhode Island’s busiest corridors.”
The cost of the project is offset by a recent $251 million federal Bridge Investment Program (BIP) grant made to RIDOT. Upon completion, this project will:
• Reduce the number of bridges rated poor by 7.6 percent
• Reduce the total deck area of bridges rated poor by 17.5 percent
• Remove permit restrictions affecting the majority of all truck freight
• Improve the flow of 45.2 billion tons of truck freight annually
• Eliminate three of the top five most traveled structurally deficient bridges in the state
Construction began in August of 2024 and is expected to be substantially complete by August of 2030.
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Skanska Completes Upgrades for BC, Northeastern University
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For the renovations at Boston College’s Higgins Hall, the $2 million project entailed the demolition of the auditorium’s existing seating, replacement of the flooring and installation of new finishes for the ceiling soffits and acoustic wall panels.
Skanska, a global construction and development firm, announced the completion of renovations for two local educational facilities, including Boston College’s Higgins Hall and Northeastern’s Robinson Hall.
These projects referred to as “summer slammers,” concentrate on upgrading educational facilities during the summer months in preparation for the student’s return to campus for the upcoming fall semester.
“We’re incredibly proud to announce the completion of two intensive summer slammer projects in the New England region,” said Mark Lootz, vice president — project executive of Skanska USA Building’s New England Region. “Our team continues to set a new bar for the firm’s work on small-scale projects such as these, and we’re thrilled to continue delivering renovations to local universities that will improve the academic experiences of their students.”
Renovations to Northeastern’s Robinson Hall, an $11 million, 35,000-sq.-ft. replacement of the five-story academic building, included the installation of a new rooftop unit and over 100 variable air volume systems (VAVs) to ensure optimal climate controls across all floors. Skanska also was responsible for implementing new fire protection and alarm systems. Small fit-outs were bundled into the project, including two classrooms, the entry lobby and a dance stu-
dio.
Following Skanska’s renovations on Higgins Hall at Boston College last summer, which included a $1.5 million renovation, and as part of BC’s overall masterplan to refurbish multiple auditoriums on campus, Skanska returned this summer to continue its renovation of the 1,600-sq.-ft. auditorium. The $2 million project entailed the demolition of the auditorium’s existing seating, replacement of the flooring and installation of new finishes for the ceiling soffits and acoustic wall panels. Modifications also were made to the electrical system, as well as upgrades to projectors, screens, microphones, speakers and cameras.
Skanska’s robust portfolio with Boston College first began in 2019 to renovate the Margot Connell Recreation Center, now a cornerstone for the school community. The project included demolishing the previous recreation center and building a new $127 million, 244,000-sq.-ft., four-story facility, which consists of a 25-meter competitive swimming pool, rock climbing wall, wellness room, badminton, tennis, basketball and squash courts, along with other student amenities.
These summer slammer projects showcase Skanska’s adept ability to handle smaller-scale projects in addition to its specialty in large-scale projects.
