Staff changes at the FHWA CT Division Office

The office is in a high state of flux. Not only are we expanding our office floor plan, we are welcoming new people as promotions to new challenges are made. First we would like to welcome Eloise Powell, our new Planning, Environment and Research Program Manager, Marsha Friedman our new Administrative Assistant and Daniel DiMenna as our new Computer Specialist. We are also saying goodbye to Michael Chong, who is promoting to a Team Leader position in our Boston Office and Greg Shortell our contract Computer Specialist.

2005 National Work Zone Awareness Week

Governor M. Jodi Rell proclaimed the week of April 3-9, 2005 as WORK ZONE SAFETY AWARENESS WEEK in the State of Connecticut. The Commissioner of Transportation, the Commissioner of Public Safety, the President of Connecticut Police Chief's Association, the Deputy Chief State's Attorney, a representative from the Connecticut Construction Industries Association, and FHWA's Division Administrator were guest speakers for the media announcement on Thursday, March 31, 2005.

The 2005 campaign continued with the theme "Slow Down for Them (workers) or You will STOP for US" (law enforcement). The campaign was designed with the cooperation of FHWA's Connecticut Division Office, the Connecticut Department of Transportation, the Connecticut Department of Public Safety, the Connecticut Construction Industries Association, Connecticut Transit and a coalition of utility companies to be a coordinated educational, enforcement, and engineering effort with emphasis on enforcement.

The awareness campaign consisted of several 30-second public service announcements for television stations, and 30-second and 10-second public service announcements for radio. The TV and radio announcements played during prime time as well as off-peak times, primarily during the first two weeks of April and September 2005.

In addition, variable message signs and highway advisory radio were used to promote the Work Zone Safety message during the Work Zone Awareness Week. State agencies and utility companies promoted Work Zone Safety Awareness week by including a work zone safety message in their agency's mailings and customer's monthly bills. Rest Area signs advising "Slow down for Work Zones," as well as safety information on the Connecticut Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration website continued to provide emphasis for the safety message.

This year's campaign included billboard and bus board posters with a theme of "Slow Down for Them (workers) or You will STOP for US (police)," Children's Work Zone Safety Activity Pamphlets, and Connecticut Rest Area Information Brochure. Posters were distributed to town halls, libraries, high schools, rest areas, truck stops, train stations, airports, DMV offices, and State Police Facilities. Also as part of the campaign, a Work Zone Safety Awareness booth was exhibited during both the Annual Paving Conference and the Connecticut Construction Career Day (where education and information packages were furnished to schools).

Focus On Operations

The construction of the Interstate System is nearly complete, with a very few missing links around the country. It is also recognized there will be very few new non-Interstate highways built, except for possibly in the most rapidly growing areas of the country. With this in mind, the FHWA has been shifting its focus away from new construction and concentrating more on reconstruction, preservation, and operations. In Connecticut, there are still some "missing links" in our highway system (Route 6 from Bolton to Willimantic and Route 11 from Route 82 to I-95 are two examples) that need to be completed. However, a large proportion of the efforts in Connecticut will be devoted to reconstructing existing facilities that are outdated or in need of repair. Much more effort will be focused at preserving our existing highways and making them operate more efficiently. Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) infrastructure is being provided in various locations around the State to help us operate our highways more effectively. This infrastructure includes (1) variable message signs and highway advisory radio to provide information on travel conditions to drivers, (2) sensors and video cameras to monitor traffic flow and detect incidents, (3) commercial vehicle operations technological improvements to improve efficiency, and (4) new transit technologies to provide better and more efficient service to customers. The FHWA will be devoting far more effort to the operation of our transportation systems than ever before because it is recognized we cannot build ourselves out of congestion. We can make some improvements to relieve congestion but we must look more and more toward effective operations of our existing transportation facilities. This has become a high emphasis of the FHWA nationally and in the Connecticut Division Office of FHWA.

Regional ITS Architecture

Connecticut has successfully developed both a statewide and a regional ITS architecture. The regional ITS architecture covers the Hartford metropolitan area. These ITS architectures were developed by the Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) with the services of a consultant. The effort required significant outreach and coordination with numerous stakeholders, including the Regional Planning Organizations (RPO's) and various other State and local agencies.

Both ITS architectures were developed in coordination with the Connecticut Division office of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Regional office of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). They were completed prior to the required date of April 8, 2005 in FHWA's final rule and FTA's policy.

The ITS architectures are available for use on the Internet. The websites fare accessible via the below links:

Hartford Area Regional ITS Architecture: http://www.consystec.com/hartford/web/_regionhome.htm

Statewide ITS Architecture: http://www.consystec.com/ct/web/_regionhome.htm

Sikorsky Bridge

The Sikorsky Bridge, named after the nearby Sikorsky Airport plant, carries Route 15 over the Housatonic River in the towns of Stratford and Milford, CT. Construction began in 2001 on the 60 year old bridge to replace the 12-span riveted steel plate girder bridge that is a structurally deficient bridge, with a new steel plate girder structure on concrete piers.

The new Sikorsky Bridge will eliminate the open steel grid deck that has had a poor riding quality and replace it with a conventional concrete deck with an asphaltic wearing surface. The new bridge will also carry three lanes of traffic in each direction and is being constructed utilizing High Performance Concrete (HPC) and weathering steel plate girders. The bridge will also include a pedestrian walkway/bikeway on the Westbound side of the structure.

Construction of the $84 Million contract is being done by Balfour Beatty Construction, Inc. The bridge is anticipated to be completed during the Summer of 2006.

The I-95 New Haven Harbor Crossing Corridor Improvement Program

The I-95 New Haven Harbor Crossing Corridor Improvement Project ("Q-Bridge Project") is a major I-95 bridge and highway construction project in the cities of New Haven, East Haven and Branford. The current total estimated cost for this major undertaking, in year of expenditure dollars, is $1.4 billion. This makes the Q-Bridge Project the largest highway construction project in Connecticut history.

The project involves the replacement of the existing I-95 bridge crossing over the New Haven Harbor, known as the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge (locally known as the "Q-Bridge"). It also includes other I-95 interchange improvements between Long Wharf and Branford, including reconfiguration of the I-95/I-91/Route 34 interchange. Project limits along I-95 extend from Exit 44 (the Long Wharf Area) to Exit 54 (in Branford).

The objectives for the project are: (1) to prevent traffic congestion from continuing into the non-peak hours, (2) to keep future travel delays through the New Haven area on I-95 reasonable, (3) to remedy the existing Q-Bridge structural deficiencies, and (4) to make operational and safety improvements to this section of I-95 in New Haven.

Key Elements of the "Q-Bridge Project":

Bridge Elements: The new Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge will replace the existing bridge in approximately the same location. The river crossing for the new bridge will be an "Extradosed" Bridge and have 5 travel lanes in each direction, with full width inside and outside shoulders. The approaches to the extradosed bridge will be a plate girder type superstructure.

This type of structure will be the first of its kind in the United States. An extradosed bridge is a hybrid between a cable-stayed and a box-girder structure. Similar in appearance to a cable-stayed bridge, but with shorter towers, the extradosed bridge's structural performance is similar to that of a post-tensioned bridge. The main difference to a post-tensioned structure is that the cables are located outside the superstructure rather than within it. The towers of an extradosed bridge are typically half the height above the deck compared to the towers of an equivalent cable-stayed bridge.

Interchange elements: (1) A newly rebuilt I-95/I-91/Route 34 interchange to replace the existing left hand entrance and exit ramps with right hand ramps, and allow 3 through lanes in each direction along I-95; (2) The existing interchanges 49 & 50 (Stiles Street/ Woodward Avenue) will be combined and serviced by a new connecting road between Woodward Avenue and Fulton Terrace; (3) The Brewery Street on-ramp onto I-95 south and the Brewery Street off-ramp from Route 34 east will be eliminated.

Estimated Construction Schedule:

Visually, construction of the "Q-Bridge Project" will appear to the public to be one large project. However, due to its large cost and complexity, it will actually be constructed as 5 separate coordinated projects. Design of the first phase, (known as Contract 'D') was completed in the summer of 2001. Contract 'D' is located in the Town of Branford and consists of the reconstruction of approximately 2.1 miles of I-95 from the eastern abutment of the Lake Saltonstall Bridge to Interchange 54 (Cedar Street). The Project was completed by the Middlesex Construction.

Contracts C1 and C2, located in the cities of New Haven and East Haven, consist of the reconstruction of approximately 1.9 miles of I-95 from approximately 100 feet west of Woodward Avenue in New Haven to the west abutment of the Lake Saltonstall Bridge in East Haven. Contracts C1 and C2 are in construction and their completion scheduled for completion by November 2007.

Contract B, located in the City of New Haven, consists of the construction of a new Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge carrying Interstate 95 over the Quinnipiac River. The project includes the reconfiguration of Interchange 49 (Stiles Street) and Interchange 50 (Woodward Avenue) into a single interchange accessed by a connector road between Stiles Street and Woodward Avenue. The project includes approximately 1.25 miles of I-95 from approximately East Street to approximately 100 feet west of Woodward Avenue. Contract B construction is expected to commence in January 2007 with a completion date of October 2013.

Contract E, located in the City of New Haven, consists of the reconstruction of the I-95/I-91/Route 34 Interchange. This reconfiguration will eliminate left lane exit and entrance ramps and provide two-lane interstate-to-interstate connections to the extent possible. The project includes approximately 1 mile of I-95 from Interchange 46 (Sargent/Long Wharf Drive) to East Street. Approximately 3500 feet of I-91 will be reconstructed. Contract E construction will start in 2009 with a completion date of May 2013. Contract E1 is a soil preloading contract. This contract is currently under construction. This contract is a preparatory effort to enhance the performance and improve on the design efficiencies through changing the existing site conditions consolidating the in-situ materials

For a more information on the Q-Bridge Project, go to the following website:

http://www.i95newhaven.com

Connecticut Construction Career Day

Connecticut held it's 4th annual Construction Career Day event October 4th and 5th at Mountainside Resort in Wallingford. The event was sponsored by:

Connecticut Construction Industries Association (CCIA)
CT Department of Transportation
Connecticut Transportation Institute
Federal Highway Administration
CT Asphalt and Aggregate Producers Association
and various skilled trade unions

Both days were amazing with Fifty-four (54) schools represented and nine hundred and eighteen students (918) in attendance. At the start of the event each student received a bag filled with safety equipment (hard hat, safety glasses, and gloves) for interactive participation.

All remaining bags at the conclusion of the event will be donated to the general contractors in Mississippi and Louisiana to aide in the clean up and rebuilding of hurricane Katrina.

The 2005 Connecticut Construction Career Day program included interactive exhibits, trade industry displays, and demonstration Projects. Student's eagerly participated in hands-on activities, including operating heavy equipment such as backhoes, excavators and jackhammers. Students also learned about bricklaying, concrete finishing, welding, plumbing, electrical installation, materials testing and pipe fusion.

Over 2,400 students from Connecticut have attended this event in the past two years. A few of the student comments were "Awesome !!!!", "Construction Day is the coolest" and "I learned how to tie rebar with the Iron workers".

The 5th Construction Career Day event is scheduled for October 3rd and 4th 2006. For more information you can contact Jennifer Balzarini at (860) 659-6703 ext. 3003 or visit the Construction Career Day website at:

http://ctconstructioncareerday.com/

SUPERPAVE

The Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) was established by Congress in 1987 as a five year, one hundred and fifty million dollar research program to improve the performance and durability of United States roads and to make those roads safer for both motorists and highway workers. Fifty million dollars of the SHRP research funds were used for the development of performance based asphalt specifications to directly relate laboratory analysis with field performance.

Superpave (Superior Performing Asphalt Pavement) is a product of the SHRP asphalt research. The Superpave system incorporates performance based asphalt materials characterization with the design environmental conditions to improve performance by controlling rutting, low temperature cracking and fatigue cracking.

SUPERPAVE UPDATE:

Connecticut's first large-scale SUPERPAVE project was placed on State Route 2 in the towns of Colchester, Bozrah and Lebanon, between May and September 1997. Since that time, the Connecticut Department of Transportation has been actively implementing SUPERPAVE. Based on the Department's most recent implementation schedule (dated May 30, 2002) all projects awarded after January 1, 2004 will be SUPERPAVE.