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Replacement of North Street Bridge in Greenwich will close the road for up to 81 days
GREENWICH — Construction of a new North Street Bridge is beginning this month, potentially closing the road entirely all summer, according to the Greenwich Department of Public Works. The $4.52 million project to replace the century-old bridge over West Brothers Brook aims to improve long-term safety and reliability for motorists, officials say. Planning for the bridge replacement has been significantly changed in recent years due in large part to public outcry about closing the road entirely for an extended period of time. DPW originally projected that the replacement would take between 18 and 24 months while the bridge was open to alternating one-way traffic. However, local officials presented a plan that lessened the construction time, but called for a complete closure, which was ultimately chosen. In order to complete major phases of construction, North Street will be fully closed between June 8 and Aug. 28, for a maximum of 81 consecutive days.
Officials look for funding for other projects after Groton seawall grant application denied
Groton — Officials are looking for ways to fund the city’s other projects after the state did not approve a partial reimbursement of money the city has spent on cost overruns for the Shore Avenue Seawall replacement project. Jim Watson, spokesperson for the state Department of Economic and Community Development, confirmed Groton’s application for funding was not recommended for a state Community Investment Fund grant. The grants are intended to “foster economic development in historically underserved communities across the state,” according to CIF’s website. City Mayor Jill Rusk said the city requested $3 million for the reconstruction and upgrade of the seawall. The town had applied on behalf of the city. She said the city will continue to seek state and federal funding and grant options for other capital improvement program projects, which in turn will help offset the money spent on the seawall.
Construction set for water main replacements
SOUTHINGTON — Construction is set to begin at the end of this month for water main replacements on Berlin Street and Lacey Road. Superintendent of Water Works Douglas Arndt said the construction project began last fall and is expected to resume March 30, concluding in late May. But there is a chance it could continue longer. Ludlow Construction Co., Inc. is doing the work. Work hours will be between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. “We understand that construction work can be disruptive and that many of you have already experienced noise, traffic changes and temporary inconveniences during earlier phases of this project,” he said. “We truly appreciate your patience and cooperation as this important infrastructure improvement moves forward.” Arndt said the $2.5 million project will include $300,000 from the water department to cover repaving costs. The water department is operated separately from the town. The remaining $2.2 million will come from the state’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.
Judge dismisses lawsuit, allowing DEEP to rule on pipeline project
A Connecticut judge on Thursday allowed the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to continue its review of a controversial gas expansion project in Brookfield, while leaving the door open for opponents to appeal the agency’s final decision. The decision by New Britain Superior Court Judge Matthew Budzik dismissed a lawsuit brought by town officials and the environmental group Save the Sound earlier this year. That lawsuit objected to a decision by DEEP that denied the groups’ efforts to intervene against a proposed expansion of the Iroquois Gas Transmission System. The project involves the addition of two gas-fired compressors to an existing compressor station in Brookfield, which would allow Iroquois to push an additional 125 million cubic feet of gas each day through its regional pipeline to New York City. Pipeline officials say that some of that gas may also be delivered locally in Connecticut. The $272 million project has already received approval from regulators in New York and Washington, D.C. The final step in the approval process is DEEP’s consideration of air quality permits for the two new compressors. Last summer, the agency issued draft permits indicating its tentative support for the project.
https://ctmirror.org/2026/03/12/judge-allows-deep-ruling-iroquois-pipeline-project/
CIF board approves $62.9M for 38 community development projects statewide
Nearly $63 million in state funding has been approved for 38 community development projects across Connecticut, supporting initiatives ranging from affordable housing and workforce training to park upgrades and health care facilities. The funding was approved Tuesday by the board that oversees the state’s Community Investment Fund 2030 program. Approved by state lawmakers in 2021, the Community Investment Fund 2030 Board has a mandate to distribute up to $875 million in grants over a five-year period for community-building and economic development efforts in distressed municipalities. Tuesday’s vote marked the program’s eighth round of funding. Among the largest grants approved was $7 million for Children’s Learning Centers of Fairfield County to build a new Head Start facility in Stamford that will consolidate programs and expand early childhood education services. Two projects will receive $6 million each: demolition of the St. John Towers property in Stamford to prepare the site for affordable housing redevelopment, and the conversion of the 111 Founders Plaza office tower in East Hartford into residential apartments, which is part of the broader Port Eastside redevelopment. Higher education projects also received significant funding. The University of New Haven was awarded $5 million to renovate a former Railroad Salvage property in West Haven into a Center for Innovation and Applied Technology focused on workforce training and industry partnerships. The University of Bridgeport will receive $3.2 million to renovate Cortright Hall.
Waterford approves Electric Boat plan for Crystal Mall
Waterford — The Planning and Zoning Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved General Dynamics Electric Boat’s plans for its remake of the Crystal Mall property, which the company purchased last year. Devin Xenelis, director of facilities and real estate at Electric Boat, said Tuesday night the company purchased the mall property after an “immense amount of pressure from our customer” the U.S. Navy to deliver submarines. Xenelis alluded to the global events that are putting pressure on the Navy, making the military branch a more demanding customer. “The volumes requested don’t fit in our current shipyard,” Xenelis told the Planning and Zoning Commission as it held a public hearing on a special permit requested by Electric Boat to transform the aging mall into more space for the submarine manufacturer. Xenelis said moving certain workers to Waterford would free up space in the Groton shipyard, which Xenelis said can’t expand because it has the Thames River on one side and neighborhoods on the other. The Groton shipyard could then focus more on building submarines, its “core function,” Xenelis said. Xenelis said Electric Boat explored other sites before deciding the mall was best for its needs. Planning Director Mark Wujtewicz in his report on the project said EB is looking to convert the building from a shopping center to a “business/professional office with a private educational use” and “ancillary uses” like medical, food and financial services. Project plans also include removing about an acre of parking lot pavement.
https://theday.com/news/856812/waterford-approves-electric-boat-plan-for-crystal-mall/
CT must act now if it wants new nuclear power by 2035, state official says
HARTFORD — Connecticut’s goal of having new nuclear power generation by 2035 will be hampered by the costs of construction, the speed of emerging technology and the willingness of residents to support new facilities of any size in their hometowns. Whether it’s small modular reactors or new large-scale generators such as the Millstone nuclear power station in Waterford, the state must start looking at its energy future now, if more generation is to be available by the middle of the next decade, Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes told state lawmakers last week. There’s $5 million in state grants for towns and cities to consider hosting small nuclear reactors that could generate up to 300 megawatts, keeping the lights on in up to 300,000 homes. Larger Millstone-size facilities that can generate 2 gigawatts of electricity, which can power 2 million houses, would require a major multistate regional commitment, Dykes said. “There is so much that has evolved and changed in the nuclear industry since the last time that Connecticut was in dialogue with communities about siting and hosting nuclear, which was decades ago,” Dykes told the legislative Energy and Technology Committee. DEEP has already held two of six planned informational workshops for the public to learn about new nuclear capacity in Connecticut. She stressed the need for municipal buy-in when considering the benefits of hosting a small modular reactor, including future tax benefits.
Wastewater project in Norwich gets major federal investment
Norwich Public Utilities is set to receive $960,000 in federal funding to continue upgrading its wastewater infrastructure in the Greeneville section of the city, according to a community announcement. The funding is part of the recently passed fiscal year 2026 federal spending bill that was signed into law. It will be used to clean existing wastewater mains and install a cured-in-place pipe, re-lining approximately 2,000 feet of old infrastructure to make it more durable and reliable. The project will also include manhole lining for the 27- to 36-inch brick main along Central Avenue and North Main Street, which is the main artery that takes all flows from the Greeneville section of Norwich, according to the announcement. Norwich Public Utilities has identified more than 27,000 linear feet of piping that needs to be replaced, with nearly 8,000 feet completed in the past four years. Most of these pipes were installed between 1885 and 1950, according to NPU records. “These investments will make an enormous impact on water quality in Norwich and our region for generations to come,” Jeff Brining, general manager of NPU, said. Blumenthal said the funding is a critical investment not only in essential infrastructure, but in the long-term health of the Shetucket River by preventing millions of gallons of untreated sewage from being dumped into its waters.
CT overhauls environmental cleanup rules to spur redevelopment
Situated just minutes from Waterbury’s downtown is an old, abandoned former factory complex. It dates back to the city’s manufacturing heyday. Companies churned out metal hoses there and other goods. The site has languished for decades. What remains is concrete, a brick warehouse, a smaller structure beside it and environmental contamination. In 2017, a redevelopment entity created by the city and the Waterbury Development Corporation (WDC) bought the property. It has invested nearly $3 million so far on cleanup. “They’re expensive to do, and things often move at a glacial pace,” Jim Nardozzi, the executive director of WDC, said of remediating sites like these, which are known as brownfields. Many investors don’t want to deal with environmental cleanup. But Nardozzi believes the site is well worth the cost. “It really is in the heart of the city, like in the heart of downtown,” Nardozzi said, peering out at the site behind a chain-link fence. “So to clean this up will really go far. We would love to get the site back on the tax rolls and not have it be such an eyesore.”
https://ctmirror.org/2026/03/09/ct-overhauls-environmental-cleanup-rules/
PURA lifts fines against United Illuminating to remediate old English Station plant
Cleanup of the long-abandoned English Station power plant in New Haven may take longer after the state’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority removed financial penalties previously imposed on United Illuminating. The decision comes as the city is gathering community input on plans that could eventually transform the waterfront property into a public park and recreational space. English Station, a massive former power plant along the Mill River in the Fair Haven neighborhood, has sat vacant for decades and requires environmental remediation before redevelopment can move forward. New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said PURA’s decision removes a key pressure point that had pushed United Illuminating to address contamination at the site. “The reality is, PURA by removing this fine, takes a lot of pressure off of UI because it’s a significant fine that UI was going to receive for many years,” Elicker said. A judge in 2023 ordered United Illuminating to pay a $2 million annual penalty for every year the company failed to clean up English Station. PURA has now withdrawn that penalty, saying it will instead reassess the company’s compliance during its next rate case. In its written decision, the authority said it wanted to ensure the costs associated with the penalties were not ultimately passed on to utility customers. The move drew criticism from Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, who said the decision undermines accountability. “PURA is now turning its back entirely on accountability for UI’s repeated failures to remediate dangerous contamination at English Station in New Haven,” Tong said in a statement.
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