Those DOT Quality Is Job Last Guys Are At It Again

What is with storm drains and ConnDOT? Was it oh-not-so-long ago that they provided us the glaring example of what happens when you outsource with reckless abandon? Yes, the I-84 storm drains that went nowhere debacle should be fresh on our minds. Apparently not so in DOT land, because it was only a few weeks ago that they revealed that they kept on the  “pre-qualified” list of approved contractors and then awarded them a $2 million contract, the same company responsible for hooking up the I-84 drains.

But never under estimate the sheer ineptitude of ConnDot, because right here in good old Norwalk, we have some fine examples of how shoddy workmanship gets implemented. First, a photo of a brand new storm drain along the newly created Reed Street.

Good Storm Drain Lines Up

Then some photos of how some of the other storm drains look.

storm drain is lined up poorly too far to the right
storm drain is lined up poorly too far to the left
storm drain is lined up poorly too far to the right

How hard is it to quality check the size of the granite culvert opening against the specifications? Then how hard is ti to reject the culvert on installation when they don’t line up with the standard grating? And do these storm drains tie into anything? With all of the problems ConnDot has, do we really trust any of their crack inspection teams?

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  • NorwalkSpectator

    While you are talking storm drains and interstates…how about the lovely job that we have in Norwalk? Yes, let’s talk about the Yankee Doodle Bridge and how all the water from that drains into the Norwalk River. And then everyone gets excited when the water analysis comes back with lots of stuff in it. Can we all say “Duh!” Yes, ConnDOT is keeping up their fine tradition that they started when 95 was built. Do those drains have filters in them? If not, why not?

  • OLD TIMER

    When they built 95, all the bridges were set up that same way, by design. DOT engineers were only concerned with getting the water off the pavement as fast as possible. There was no DEP trying to regulate what drained into water bodies. DEP only started years later.

  • NorwalkSpectator

    I can’t argue with you about your statement, OldTimer, because you are 100 on the mark. The Connecticut State DEP was established in 1971, long after 95 was built. However, knowing how persnickety the DEP is, I’m surprised that they haven’t done something like installing some kind of filters in the drains to reduce some of the waste in the runoff. Don’t know about you, but I’ve sat through four or five presentations on storm water retention basins and “rain gardens”, and as far as I’m concerned, that about three too many, but I digress. Of course having the filters in the drains would mean that 1) the DEP and DOT would have to cooperate and 2) it would probably cost money, which no one has right now. So, I’m not holding my breath. But at the same time, the DEP has had 39 years to do something about the drainage directly from 95 into the various rivers. I guess it’s a fine example of do as I say, not as I do.

  • OLD TIMER

    Persnickety ? When you apply for a DEP permit they want you to believe they are, indeed, persnickety to a fault. The fact is, they use the excuse of being too undermanned and overworked all the time, and take years to act on violations reported to them. In emergencies, when dangerous conditions are reported, they are sometimes a little more responsive. Mostly, they are paper pushers who get substantial fees for their permits, but almost never send anyone to look at a site where a permit is requested, and never refuse to issue a permit, although they do negotiate project design with applicants. They never initiate anything on their own, so they would never tell anybody an existing storm drain system needs to be changed. Everything on 95 from about Cedar St to about Strawberry Hill drains direct into the river. Most storm drains go direct into the river and only the very newest are required to have any means to trap anything that should not go into the river or the harbor. They are just now making a real effort to regulate the waste that gets washed off boat bottoms from going into the harbor. The filters were never required, but looked like a marvelous idea, if they were properly maintained. They aren’t, because that cost money. Maintenance is proposed in local DPWs budget, from time to time, but none happens.

  • The Harbor Commission

    was concerned about these drains way back in 2005 and 2006. If you go back and read the minutes, you’ll see where they often brought it up for discussion, considering that the water runoff from I95 is filtered directly into the Sound via the Norwalk River and harbor areas.

  • parklover

    Spectator and Old Timer,
    I agree with both of you on this issue of how damaging the drainage is from 95 into the river , and with TG on the sloppiness issue. There is a bit of good news here I think, in that the 95 expansion plans which were to start this year (who knows now with the bad news from DC and Hartford) for adding extra lanes between exits 14 and 15 include adding a new large retention basin inside an existing cloverleaf near exit 15 that will filter the runoff from the drains on 95 and Route 1 in that area, about a mile of both highways. It would be great if they could add the bridge drains to this basin as well. These kind of grass-lined basins filter most of the sediment and pollutants coming off the roads as the water seeps into the ground, and only allow unfiltered water to flow into the river in extreme rain events that fill the basin to overflowing when the overflow pipe takes the excess down to the river.

    The plans include fixing the drainage problems on Rt. 1 near the Volk Fire Station, where it floods a lot in heavy downpours, adding sidewalks to both sides of Route 1 for a mile from Scribner to Fairfield, installing new traffic lights and timing systems along that same stretch of Route 1 to improve flow, adding an extra travel lane between exits 14 and 15 like they did in Stamford and Darien to fix the miles-long bottlenecks in both directions on 95 and 7 southbound that occurs here, adding an extra right turn lane to exit 14 southbound by swanky franks to fix that bottleneck, and re-aligning Cedar at Utopia to fix that dangerous intersection.

    I hope they do it right, and on time. Uh, I said hope.

  • OLD TIMER

    Sounds like a plan. Only new storm drain systems are ever required to do anything to clean up the storm water going through them and carrying anything washed off the streets or out of the system. Any change in an existing system reguires a new permit, and that is when DEP requires improvement. Racoons live in storm drains, people dump all kinds of stuff into storm drains, and all of it that water can carry goes into the harbor. Storm drains that were in place before DEP started to take an interest are apparently grandfathered. There are laws against dumping bad stuff where it can get into storm drains, but enforcement is minimal, practically non-existent, as far as DEP is concerned. Every so often a local police officer will arrest somebody for a wilfull violation, but DEP hardly ever presses criminal charges. On rare occasions, they will pursue civil penalties through the courts. That involves getting the AG to pursue a lawsuit and is very unusual.

  • NorwalkSpectator

    Don’t want to burst anyone’s bubble, but the State DOT has put the Exit 14 project on hold “indefinitely”. That’s the project that would put the sidewalks in between North Taylor and West Cedar, reconfigure the intersection at West Cedar and I think would have included the drainage at Volk. I’m not sure if it also included the widening of 95 from 14 to 15 or the reconfiguration of the drainage system with the holding reservior at Exit 15.

    One interesting question though….if they actually did reconfigure the drainage system and installed a retention pond at Exit 15, wouldn’t that just collect all the gunk that normally would have gone into the river and become just as polluted? Or was there a portion of the plan where they would routinely dredge the retention basin, pond, whatever and dispose of the residuals? And like unto it, where would those residuals go after being dredged? That’s why I like the idea of the filters in the drains, which I seem to remember were taken to a burn plant after they were removed and used as fuel to produce electricity.

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