Elsesser highlights Coventry town projects

Connor Linskey, The Chronicle, Willimantic, Conn.
·2 min read

Jul. 11—COVENTRY — A wide variety of town projects are taking place in Coventry and Town Manager John Elsesser provided an update on them at the town council meeting Tuesday night.

The South Street road reconstruction and sidewalk project near the Nathan Hale Homestead is underway. Trees have been removed and some have been trimmed to make room for the drainage and sidewalk. Stone wall repair is included in the bid for the project.

" The existing stone wall is falling down, as stone walls do," Elsesser said.

The project entails constructing a sidewalk that will connect the Nathan Hale Homestead to the roundabout at the intersection of South Street and Daly Road.

Elsesser said that the sidewalk will allow pedestrians to walk safely around the area. The project is expected to be finished by the fall.

The state designed Hop River Road Bridge replacement is nearing a fall bid. The project will start with utility work in the fall. The town plans on ordering construction materials in time for spring construction of the project.

GM2 Associates, Inc. of Glastonbury will be the construction inspectors for the project.

Elsesser said that the Hop River Road Bridge construction project will not come at any cost to the town.

" We just received word that the state will be using federal funds to pay 100 percent of the project costs including inspection," he said in his project update. " Since the construction budget estimate now far exceeds the funds we allocated from the last road bond, this is fantastic news."

The total cost of the project is in the $300,000 range.

Elsesser hopes that the construction will only cause the bridge to close for one season.

" We have agreed to allow longer work days to assist in reaching that goal," Elsesser said.

The Town of Coventry had B & L Construction, Inc. of Old Saybrook design the new transfer station next to the Coventry Department of Public Works building.

Bids for construction of the new Coventry Transfer Station came over budget. The town worked the number down as best as they could. Sunset Valley Construction,

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