Senate committee hears $1.3 million request to finish State House entryway design amid cost and safety questions

The Senate Committee on Institutions on April 14 heard a briefing on a Buildings and General Services-led plan to create a single screened public entry for the State House and a corridor linking that entry to the Lincoln hallway, with designers asking for $1.3 million to complete construction documents.

The design team said the focused project estimate is $18.6 million but cautioned it could grow depending on scope. "We have estimates as far as the 18.6 but all the way up to 22 and then all the way up to 30," a committee member noted during the meeting. Committee members asked the team to present the full range so lawmakers understand potential costs.

Why it matters: committee members said the entryway would address recurring safety and access problems — particularly for visiting school groups and public events — and allow screening before people enter the State House. Sergeant-at-Arms and Capitol Police representatives told the committee that multiple security assessments recommend screening as the primary way to protect occupants and visitors.

Design and scope: Joe Ager, director of design and construction at…