Candidates for office and, yes, editorial writers have been using ‘the sky is falling’ rhetoric to describe Connecticut’s multi-billion-dollar budget problem.
Perhaps the state’s bridges offer a better — and certainly more concrete — example of what may be falling and of the hard decisions that lie ahead.
A report being prepared by the state’s Transportation Strategy Board is expected to say that nearly 300 structures — that’s 6 percent of highway bridges and 27 percent of railway bridges — are structurally deficient. That doesn’t necessarily mean they are unsafe today but it does signal they need work — expensive work — within the next couple of years.
Reporter Greg Bordonaro wrote earlier this year about the billions of dollars of important infrastructure work that’s already being shelved because there’s no money. This new report is more bad news and demands action.
Then into the mix we have to fold Governor Rell’s announcement that she’s pushing ahead on plans for the much debated high-speed passenger rail link between New Haven and Springfield. That’s a $260 million pledge of transportation funds, the state’s required ante to get a shot at a similar amount of federal money for the project.
Certainly a passenger line through the middle of the state could benefit a few thousand commuters. A rail link that leads through Vermont to Montreal could be nice for vacationers and skiers. And improved access to Boston, even if it’s via Springfield, is a positive.
But all of that doesn’t add up to a strong enough argument for putting the rail project ahead of assuring the safety of bridges that see more traffic in a week than the train will in a year.
The state needs to be strategic about where it uses its limited dollars.
There’s certainly a good argument for making an investment that promises future returns over maintaining the status quo. And we recognize the argument that getting more people to ride a train will ease the long-term need to spend more on roads and parking and the environmental baggage they carry.
The choices aren’t easy but until we can grow the economy enough to afford all the worthy projects, we need to look to fulfilling the primary missions of government first — like public safety.
Only Direction Is Up
Wow.
There have been a lot of numbers and reports that paint a grim picture of the commercial real estate market in downtown Hartford. But the recent sale of the Connecticut River Plaza is a real shocker.
The two towers overlooking the Connecticut River in what should be a prime downtown location sold for $6,667,000. Considering the building has 555,000 square feet of space, that works out to just $12 a square foot. Even in downtown Hartford, that is below the price to rent space. And the buyers, New York City investors FBE Limited and Cammeby’s International, also get a parking garage for 800 vehicles.
There are fire sales and distress sales. This is more like a please-take-this-off-our-hands giveaway by the owners — a trust that involves heavy-hitters Shell Oil, GE Capital and Chrysler Realvest.
The building is virtually empty, with UnitedHealthcare gone to CityPlace and Travelers exiting soon for State House Square.
For months, rumors had one group angling to buy the building and tear it down, an indication the site was more valuable than the office space.
The new owners say they’re ready to invest millions to upgrade the Plaza and lure top-flight tenants. That would be the best possible result for downtown Hartford.
From here, the only direction for Connecticut River Plaza — and Hartford office space — is up.
