Connecticut State Council on Environmental Quality

Environmental Monitor
January 19, 2016
  1.   NEW! Replacement of Bridge #03993 - West St., Middletown
      

     No Post Scoping Notice has been submitted for publication in this edition.

  1.   NEW! University of Connecticut South Campus Development, Mansfield
 
     No State Land Transfer has been submitted for publication in this edition.
                  
 
The next edition of the Environmental Monitor will be published on February 2, 2016.
 
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Notices in the Environmental Monitor are written by the sponsoring agencies and are published unedited. Questions about the content of any notice should be directed to the sponsoring agency.
 
 
Scoping Notices

"Scoping" is for projects in the earliest stages of planning.  At the scoping stage, detailed information on a project's design, alternatives, and environmental impacts does not yet exist.  Sponsoring agencies are asking for comments from other agencies and from the public as to the scope of alternatives and environmental impacts that should be considered for further study.  Send your comments to the contact person listed for the project by the date indicated.

The following Scoping Notice has been submitted for review and comment.
1. Notice of Scoping for Replacement of Bridge No. 03993 - West Street over Providence & Worcester Railroad
Municipality where proposed project might be located: Middletown, Connecticut

Address of Possible Project Location: West Street (between Middlefield Street and Butternut Street) over Providence & Worcester Railroad 

Project Description: The bridge is structurally deficient due to the poor condition of the superstructure and the bridge is functionally obsolete due to inadequate bridge deck width, vertical under-clearance, horizontal under-clearance, and approach roadway alignment. 

The bridge carries one lane of traffic, and is controlled with an alternating one-way traffic pattern with stop signs at both approaches to the bridge.  The existing curb-to-curb width of the bridge is 17 feet, and the estimated 2014 Average Daily Traffic (ADT) on West Street at this site is 4,260 vehicles per day.

The proposed bridge replacement will result in approximately 800-feet of roadway re-construction.  The existing vertical under-clearance of 18-feet 1-inch over the railroad at the bridge will be maintained in the proposed condition.  The bridge replacement will consist of a new precast concrete deck unit superstructure supported by new concrete abutments, concrete in-line wingwalls, and mechanically stabilized earth walls.  The foundation system of the bridge and walls will be constructed to facilitate undercutting (lowering) of the railroad if the tracks are lowered to provide 20-feet 6-inches of under-clearance at the bridge as part of a separate project in the future. 

The proposed lane configuration of West Street consists of two 14-foot travel lanes with a 5-foot sidewalk along the east side of the road. At the bridge, the roadway will narrow to 11.75 foot travel lanes to accommodate for a 10-foot wide sidewalk/multi-use path on the eastern side of the bridge.  A 5-foot wide sidewalk will be continued north of the bridge and connect to the sidewalk terminus at the intersection of Route 157 and Route 66.  A 5-foot wide sidewalk will also extend from the proposed bridge to the existing sidewalk terminus located south of the bridge.   
During construction, West Street will be closed at the bridge and traffic will be detoured via Route 157 to Wadsworth Street.  Route 157 is a two-lane road and has an estimated 2012 Average Daily Traffic of 1,900 vehicles.  Wadsworth Street is a two-lane road.

Project Map:  Click here to view a map and aerial photograph of the project area.

Written comments from the public are welcomed and will be accepted until the close of business on:  Friday February 19, 2016.

Any person can ask the sponsoring agency to hold a Public Scoping Meeting by sending such a request to the address below.  If a meeting is requested by 25 or more individuals, or by an association that represents 25 or more members, the sponsoring agency shall schedule a Public Scoping Meeting.  Such requests must be made by Friday January 29, 2016.

Written comments and/or requests for a Public Scoping Meeting should be sent to:

Name: Mr. Mark W. Alexander, Transportation Assistant Planning Director
Agency:
Connecticut Department of Transportation
 
Address:
Bureau of Policy and Planning
2800 Berlin Turnpike, Newington, CT 06131
Fax: 860-594-3028
E-Mail:

If you have questions about the scoping for this project, contact:

Name: Mr. Louis D. Bacho, Transportation Supervising Engineer
Agency:
Connecticut Department of Transportation
Bureau of Engineering and Construction
Address:
2800 Berlin Turnpike, Newington, CT 06131
Phone: 860-594-3212
E-Mail: Louis.bacho@ct.gov
 
Post-Scoping Notices: Environmental Impact Evaluation Not Required


This category is required by the October 2010 revision of the Generic Environmental Classification Document for State Agencies. A notice is published here if the sponsoring agency, after publication of a scoping notice and consideration of comments received, has determined that an  Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE) does not need to be prepared for the proposed project.

No Post-Scoping Notice has been submitted for publication in this edition.
 
EIE Notices

After Scoping, an agency that wishes to undertake an action that could significantly affect the environment must produce, for public review and comment, a detailed written evaluation of the expected environmental impacts. This is called an Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE).

The following EIE has been submitted for review and comment.
1. Notice of EIE for the University of Connecticut - South Campus Development

Municipality where project is proposed: Mansfield

Address of Possible Project Location: The area approximately bounded by Bolton Rd., Coventry Rd., Mansfield Rd., and Whitney Rd. on the University of Connecticut Storrs Campus, Mansfield, Connecticut.

Project Description: The University of Connecticut (UConn) has prepared an Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE) pursuant to a Memorandum of Understanding, executed in August 2015, with Connecticut’s Office of Policy & Management and Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. UConn proposes to undertake the following projects in the area of the Storrs Campus known as the South Campus:

  • Construction of an approximately 30,000 gsf addition to the Fine Arts building to add production space including paint, scene, costume, and prop shops. The addition will extend north from the Nafe Katter Theatre and west from the Drama-Music Building and will results in the removal of approximately 81 spaces from Lot 1.
  • Removal of nine houses along Gilbert Road and Whitney Road that are contributing structures to the University of Connecticut National Register Historic District.

The proposed Fine Arts addition will tie into campus-wide central utilities (electricity, water, sanitary sewer, natural gas, stormwater, and telecommunications) and building construction will incorporate best practices of sustainability with a minimum goal of Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Silver. UConn has coordinated with the Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office to finalize a formal agreement identifying mitigation measures for the removal of the cottages within the National Register Historic District.

UConn has prepared the EIE to further evaluate the potential environmental impacts of the Proposed Action, as well as other alternatives, including the No Action alternative. In addition to addressing potential impacts associated with the South Campus Development, secondary and cumulative impacts resulting from projects constructed in 2013-2015, as well as projects that will foreseeably be constructed during 2016-2018 are addressed in the SCD CEPA EIE.

Project Map:Click here to view a map of the area of the South Campus Development.

Comments on this EIE will be accepted until the close of business on: March 4, 2016

The public can view a copy of this EIE at:

1. Mansfield Town Clerk’s Office, Audrey P Beck Municipal Building, 4 South Eagleville Road, Mansfield, CT

2. Mansfield Public Library, 54 Warrenville Road, Mansfield, CT

There is a public hearing scheduled for this EIE on:

DATE:  February 9, 2016

TIME:  7 p.m. (Doors will be open at 6:30 p.m. to allow review of informational materials.)

PLACE: Room 146, UConn Bishop Center; One Bishop Circle; Storrs, CT

NOTES:

Additional information about this project can be found online at:

http://www.envpolicy.uconn.edu/eie.html

Send your comments about this EIE to:

Name: Paul Ferri
Agency: University of Connecticut – Office of Environmental Policy
Address:
31 LeDoyt Road, U-3055, Storrs, Connecticut 06269
Phone: 860-486-9295
Fax: 860-486-5477
E-Mail:

If you have questions about the public hearing, or other questions about the EIE, contact Mr. Ferri as directed above.

 
 
State Land Transfer Notices

Connecticut General Statutes Section 4b-47 requires public notice of most proposed sales and transfers of state-owned lands. The public has an opportunity to comment on any such proposed transfer. Each notice includes an address where comments should be sent. Read more about the process.

No State Land Transfer Notice has been submitted for publication in this edition.

 
 
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