Three Bridges Over I-84 To Be Replaced Starting In 2028

Posters from the presentation on the I-84 bridges. PHILIP THIBODEAU PHOTOS

A team of representatives from the engineering consultancy HNTB attended last Wednesday’s meeting of the Public Works Committee in order to preview the State DOT’s plans for replacing three bridges that cross Interstate 84 on the west side of town – the Jude Lane bridge, the West Street bridge, and the Curtiss Street bridge.

Projects Manager Stephen Heizman and his team briefly described the inadequacies of the old bridges, which were all constructed in 1963 and are now 63 years old. They also sketched out the improved features of the new ones, and the project’s schedule.

The Jude Lane bridge, which is officially known as the State Trooper First Class Aaron M. Pelletier Memorial Bridge, was last rehabilitated in 1994. Its deck or driving surface is rated ‘good’, its superstructure ‘fair’, and its substructure, ‘satisfactory’. The new bridge will resemble the old one but feature an improved sight line that will make it safer for drivers exiting the nearby parking lot of Chris Cote’s Golf Shop.

During construction the bridge will remain open but with one-lane alternating traffic, as the structure gets replaced one lane at a time. The signs which designate it as the Pelletier Memorial Bridge will be preserved and attached to the new structure. A 6” Eversource gas main running under the bridge will also be replaced.

Sign from the September 4 dedication of the Jude Lane bridge.

The Curtiss Street bridge is in the worst condition of the three, with its three components receiving grades of ‘poor’, ‘fair,’ and ‘satisfactory’. The new bridge is expected to have a minimal lifetime of 75 years and feature improved drainage. A 12” water main connected to the bridge will also be replaced.

The large West Street bridge, which was last rehabbed in 1990, is currently rated ‘fair’, ‘fair,’ and ‘fair’ in the three categories. It poses the greatest engineering challenge, given the length of the span, its width – four lanes – and the number of cars and trucks that traverse it every day.

The new bridge for West Street will resemble the old one but with the addition of sidewalks and a widening of the intersection with Hart Street. According to the presentation, four lanes of travel will be kept open throughout the period of construction, but the exact plan for doing so has yet to be decided.

Project Schedule and Budget

An RFP or Request for Proposal will be issued by the state in February of 2027. Three proposals for implementing the project will be evaluated by a DOT committee that will score them based on three criteria: quality, price, and technical approach. This approach, which is called Design-Build, is designed to reward the proposal that provides the best value rather than the lowest cost. The winner will then be awarded a contract in November of that year.

In the winter and spring of 2027/28, the design will be finalized and the site readied for construction. Actual construction is expected to start in the summer of 2028. No timeline was given for completion of the individual bridges, but the target date for completion of the entire project is spring of 2031, which means a construction period of nearly three years.

The cost of construction is expected to range anywhere from $60 to $90 million. Federal funds will cover 80% of the cost, while state funds will cover the remaining 20%.

State Shows Off Redo Of Rt. 10 & 322 Crossing – With No Bridge

Future layout of the Route 10/Route 322 intersection. SCREENSHOT FROM CT DOT VIDEO

Anyone who travels through the south end of Southington will be familiar with the unusual way that Route 10 intersects Meriden-Waterbury Turnpike. Briefly acting more like an interstate highway than a state road, Route 10 southbound makes a bend to the left, crosses Meriden-Waterbury on a bridge, then traverses the Ten Mile River on a second bridge before turning into a straight and level thoroughfare headed towards Cheshire. To get from Route 10 south onto Route 322, drivers must take a steep off-ramp that hits 322 very close to its intersection with Old Turnpike Road. As a result of the way these three roads meet, taking a left turn anywhere in this area can be confusing, slow, and stressful.

If these were the only problems with the Route 10/Route 322 intersection, it is possible that the State of Connecticut Department of Transportation would not have attempted to redo these roads that it is responsible for. However, the bridge over 322 is approaching the end of its serviceable lifetime, with a low clearance that prevents some oversized vehicles from using it. In addition, the two bridges over the Ten Mile River are aging and do not let enough water pass through during heavy storms – this stretch of 322 lies within the river’s 100-year floodplain. These are the specific issues that have put the intersection on the state’s radar, and that it intends to address once work starts on the project in the summer of 2028.

Plans to replace the bridges and reconnect the intersection have been in development for over a decade, with the last public forum being held in 2022. At last week’s meeting of Southington’s Public Works Committee, Town Engineer David Nourse played a short video the town recently received from the DOT which clearly lays out two alternative fixes and explains why the second one has been chosen for implementation.

The first, rejected alternative is labeled ‘Bridge Replacement’. In this scenario, the two Eight Mile River bridges and the bridge over 322 would all be demolished and rebuilt. In order to raise 322 out of the flood plain and elevate the Route 10 bridge's clearance, the new bridge would have to be some 7.5’ higher than the current one. That in turn would require earth to be piled up throughout the Norton Street area, as well as the construction of a 400’-long retaining wall. It would also leave the current traffic pattern largely unchanged.

The second alternative is called ‘At-Grade Intersection’. This plan would do away with the bridge over 322 and instead have Route 10 meet Meriden-Waterbury Turnpike by coming down to it, thus allowing the ‘offramp’ to be eliminated. The two bridges over the river would be also rebuilt, and new turn lanes, sidewalks, and signals installed throughout.

The DOT video explains why the second alternative is the one the state plans to implement. Work on it will be completed in seven phases, each one to three weeks long, to ensure that traffic can continue to pass through the area, though with the occasional detour. The total cost for the project is currently estimated at $9.2 million, which will be covered by the state.

The video can be viewed below. Note that the computer-generated narrator pronounces ‘Route’ as ‘rowt’ rather than the traditional New England 'root.'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPYxAl0IO5s

Budget Growth Makes Tax Hike Likely

PHILIP THIBODEAU PHOTO

Facing his 16th budget cycle as a member of the Southington Board of Finance, Chairman John Leary seemed surprised when nobody in the crowd gathered at DePaolo Middle School on March 2 came forward to speak on the proposed budget. That evening, the Board continued its series of public hearings with brief presentations from the Board of Education, the Superintendent of Schools, and a longer presentation by the Town Manager. All agreed that preparing for the upcoming fiscal year has been a challenge.

In his introductory remarks, Leary pointed out two factors that will impact taxpayers as the Town seeks to pay its employees, educate its students, and provide other municipal services.

The first of these factors is the townwide revaluation. Leary explained that this was the “hard” revaluation that takes place every five years. In the process, which is mandated by the state, a third-party contractor uses visual inspections to get a more accurate assessment of the value of real estate and other taxable properties.

The value of all taxable properties, the town’s grand list, went from $4.7 billion to $6.9 billion, Leary said. That $2.2 billion increase is a significant jump. According to the CT Data website, back in 2011 Southington’s grand list total was about half that, at just over $3.7 billion. In 2024, neighboring Cheshire’s grand list total was $4 billion, while Wolcott’s was just under $1.5 billion.

Leary also described an unusual feature of this revaluation. While the overall grand list for real estate increased 53.7%, the values of many homes — especially those of more modest size — increased approximately 100%. To get the same property tax revenue as last year, $154 million, Leary said, “we would be collecting a lot more from the modest homes, and a lot less from commercial, industrial and the bigger homes.”

That shift, Leary pointed out, is mainly a result of the market forces of supply and demand and is not due to anything that the Town of Southington did or does.

The rise in property values does not necessarily mean a corresponding rise in tax payments. “If the properties in town double in value, we don’t get double the taxes,” Leary explained. Rather, the mill rate is adjusted downward to a level that allows tax revenues, along with other income, such as grants, to cover town expenses.

The Board of Finance presenting Monday evening at DePaolo Middle School auditorium. TOWN OF SOUTHINGTON VIDEO SCREENSHOT

The second important budgetary factor is, of course, government spending, which is on track to increase this coming fiscal year. The Board of Education’s proposed budget calls for an $8.2 million increase, 6.7% more than the current year. The Town Manager’s request for all town departments other than the school system is up $5.6 million compared to this year, a hike of 10.5%.

Leary added that, overall, spending is up $13.2 million while revenue is down $1.5 million. The proposed budget thus implies a 9.5% tax increase.

“This Board is well aware that the vast majority of families don’t see a 9.5% increase in the earnings they take in,” Leary noted.

In his presentation, Southington Town Manager Alex Ricciardone pointed to health insurance costs that have contributed a full percentage point to budget growth as a significant driver of spending. Another is Connecticut’s new minimum wage law. He noted that the minimum wage increase applies to staff employed by parks and recreation, youth, family and senior services, among others. Connecticut’s minimum wage jumped 3.6% as of January 1, 2026, to $16.94 per hour.

Ricciardone also said that a primary goal of his proposed budget was to avoid workforce reductions, such as those made last year. His budget, following the recommendation of Town Commissions, even calls for adding three full-time firefighters and two police officers. Another staffing request is for a case worker who works specifically with the elderly. The job, he said, is state-mandated, but has been carried out recently on an “ad hoc” basis by Director of Senior Services Dawn Sargis, whose full-time job is running Calendar House.

Another staffing request asks for either one full-time or two part-time librarians. Ricciardone said that the Library would defer to the Board of Finance as to which direction to go. He reported that staffing requests from several other departments did not make the cut this budget season.

Ricciardone noted that his proposed budget contain funding for capital investment projects that would pay for themselves over time and have the effect of lowering costs in future budgets.

One positive piece of fiscal news was a 4.13% decrease in debt service, which Ricciardone attributed to regular refinancing that locks in lower interest rates but keeps the same maturity on town-issued debt. He also mentioned meeting on a regular basis with Superintendent Steve Madancy about ways in which the Town and schools can share services and seek efficiencies to lower costs.

The Town Manager’s Budget Book, which can be viewed here, is nearly 200 pages long. It contains a wealth of information for taxpayers regarding finances, operations and requested expenditures.

Budget workshops will continue. The Board of Finance is expected to make its final recommendation at its meeting of March 25, with a public hearing before the Town Council scheduled for April, and a possible adoption by the Council in May.