I-84, Park River Conduit and other CT Project Questions

I am looking for the original contractors on the following projects in Connecticut:

-Park River Conduit in Hartford
-I-84 through the entire state (I know L.G. Defelice/E.J. Killian & Son (Earthmovers, Inc.) did the connection to NY State)
-I-384 through Manchester and Bolton
-Putnam, Charter Oak, Founders, Bissell, and Coffin Bridges in the Hartford area and north to the MA border
-Merritt Parkway from NY border to New Haven including West Rock Tunnel
-I-95 and I-395 (Defelice also built the Gold Star Memorial Bridge in New London/Groton)
-Route 9's 1992 extension from New Britain to Farmington/West Hartford

Any help would be truly appreciated, my grandfather worked on a few projects listed here and the rest are just ones I am wondering about. Thanks in advance if anyone can help. :drinkup

I know that Balf Savin did a large part of I84 from Hartford to Mass, they had a D10 there and special severe service 657 scrapers that they would push right through the rock cuts, I believed they subbed out a lot of the utilities to John A Olender Corp. out of Tolland. Not sure about the other projects but i am sure O&G did some of them.

2004F550 said:

I know that Balf Savin did a large part of I84 from Hartford to Mass, they had a D10 there and special severe service 657 scrapers that they would push right through the rock cuts, I believed they subbed out a lot of the utilities to John A Olender Corp. out of Tolland. Not sure about the other projects but i am sure O&G did some of them.

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:usa Dang...I can picture those now (probably in California now!)...would you or anyone else have pics or would any libraries, state offices, or Tilcon (Balf)/Olender records possibly have pics of construction going on?

I would imagine that O&G had a lot going on, probably a bit of I-84 and Route 8 out west. I didn't ask about the Thomaston Dam because I know they built that. I think Lane Construction and D'Addario Construction worked on I-95 through Fairfield and New Haven counites and Blakeslee (Blakslee-Arapia-Chapman) did the bit through New Haven and probably through Branford.

Any idea if Mastrobattisto did any highways?

If anyone can confirm that and give me more info and/or pics, this would be greatly appreciated. Not only am I interested, but my grandpa worked on test drilling and engineering for a lot of roads, dams, and various other projects through that time, including the first part of the CT Turnpike (I-95/I-395) near the NY border. I'm sure he would enjoy the memories as one of (if not) CT's longest-registered engineers. He is 86 tomorrow. :drinkup

Happy B-day to your Grandpa. A little lat i know, but its the thought that counts. Why do you want to know all of this? not that i can help... but ja.

Thanks for bumping the thread...I was just interested in some of the history of our highway system for myself and just in case I ever have to do some project for school.

Balf Savin also did the Rt 9 expansion.

I've gathered quite a bit of info since then...mostly thanks to Edgar Browning from the HCEA and his Facebook/HCEA associates and Google News archives. Savin also built 291 from the Bissell Bridge to 84 and built the interchange in a JV with Brunalli whose yard is still down the street from me.

Austin,I'll ask my father about some of projects as he might know.He was a superintendent for Defelice.He remembers all of those companies.One not mentioned is Arute Brothers, they could be a possibility.

BPMfore said:

Austin,I'll ask my father about some of projects as he might know.He was a superintendent for Defelice.He remembers all of those companies.One not mentioned is Arute Brothers, they could be a possibility.

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They were mentioned in another post somewhere around here. Turns out, a family friend/coworker knows a few of the Arutes from his younger days hanging around Stafford Motor Speedway. Their garage and offices still stand across the street from where the Rock Cats play in New Britain.

Hey Stretch, i don't think Mastrobatisto has ever done any highway work. They did the Old Turnpike road utility upgrade and bridge replacement back in like 1991 or 1992. Project went from 322 up to about buckland street if i remember correctly. I might have pics, i'll have to dig around for them.

My grandpa has been friends with Mike Mastrobattisto and his family for the better part of the last 50 years. I'm awaiting a reply from him on some of the projects they've worked on, along with a dozen and some DOT people and other construction bigwigs around the state.