The Middletown-Norwalk Project and Fairfield
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» Ash Creek Drilling Project
» Project Background
» Local Impact
» Splice Vault Locations
Latest Updates
Unless otherwise specified, work on state roads (ie, the Post Road) will be done overnight, typically between 6 pm and 6 am. Locations, dates and times subject to change.
Week of May 12
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Ash Creek Drilling Project
The Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) project beneath Ash Creek has been completed.
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Project Background
The Middletown/Norwalk Transmission Line Project will bury two 345kV transmission lines under Fairfield's streets over a three-year period. With one brief detour down the Old Post Road and Pequot Avenue in Southport, the line will run beneath the Post Road from Westport to Bridgeport for a total distance of 3.6 miles. Northeast Utilities has a map of the complete route through Fairfield (pdf).
The project is a five-step process. It begins with the installation of 12 pairs of "splice vaults" -- underground access points -- and connecting duct banks laid down in 4' wide trenches. Steps three to five cover cable pulling, cable splicing and repaving (temporary and final).
The Chamber will be in close communication with project management firm Burns & McDonnell to bring you the latest news about the M/N project -- what's happening now, what's happening in the near future, and how it will affect businesses and the people who live and work in Fairfield.
The project is desparately needed to upgrade Fairfield County's electrical grid. The widespread Northeast blackout in 2003 and the economic impact of hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 underscored the growing demand for power in Connecticut, a demand which can't be met with the existing overhead lines. The blackout in Stamford this August was another reminder of how precarious our power supply is.
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Local Impact
Construction on state roads (Route 1, Route 130) will generally be done overnight, from approximately 6 pm to 6 am. On town roads (Old Post Road, Pequot Avenue), work will occur during the day, with alternating lane closures or short detours if necessary.
Splice vault installation will close two or three lanes on the Post Road, with construction lasting 7-14 days for each pair of vaults, or 2-4 days working around the clock. If the excavation has to remain open while work is not in progress, a protective barrier will be erected as needed. The concrete vaults are 9' wide and 32' long -- requiring sizable holes in the ground -- and the cranes will need two lanes for themselves.
Duct Bank excavation will generally close two lanes. The trench will be backfilled and temporary pavement installed, or steel plates will cover the trench if it can't be backfilled at the end of the workday. It is expected that the crew will install about 50-100' of duct bank per workday.
Traffic at splice vault locations will also be affected during the cable pulling and cable splicing phases. Cable pulling will take 6 days per set of vaults, with two to three lanes closed, while splicing will involve 24 days of work per set and one or two lanes.
Work in each location will be done in sequence, but there may be periods of inactivity between phases.
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Splice Vault Locations
The following sites are subject to change due to unforeseen conditions. Map locations are approximate.
North side of Route 1 (Post Rd) at the Kings Highway West intersection, in front of Southport Automotive. Map South side of Old Post Rd, 180 ft east of Rennell Dr and 300 ft from the I-95 overpass, in front of the parking lot for Southport Green condos. Map Pequot Ave, near the center of the road, about 250 ft east of Prospect Lane, close to the intersection with Larbert Rd, and in front of 200 Pequot Ave. Map South shoulder of Route 1 (Post Rd), just east of River St, in corner of parking area. Map South side of Route 1 (Post Rd), between Sasco Hill Rd and Fairfield Place, in front of Devan Infiniti. Map South side of Route 1 (Post Rd), between Beaumont St and Granville St, in front of Westfair TV. Map Middle of Route 1 (Post Rd), directly opposite Ruane St, in front of Heritage Square. Map The Bank of America parking lot between Unquowa Rd and Unquowa Place. Map Middle of the westbound travel lanes of Route 1 (Post Rd), east of Beach Rd/Round Hill Rd. Map Partially within private property on the north side of Route 1 (Post Rd) just west of Eliot Place. Map The Fairfield Inn parking lot on the south side of Route 130 (Post Rd), east of Old Post Rd and behind the sidewalk. Map Private property on the north side of Route 130 (Post Rd), opposite Shoreham Terrace. Map
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