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Shortcut or setback? Proposed bridge from CT to Long Island would risk Sound’s fragile ecosystem
For nearly 90 years, backers of a bridge straight to Long Island from Connecticut or mainland New York have promised less traffic, faster commutes, new jobs and increased revenue. But some experts warn that the mega-project could jeopardize the health of Long Island Sound and halt the painstaking progress that has been made in restoring one of the region’s most important ecosystems. While many of the project’s details need to be worked out, Shapiro says the bridge would generate $8 billion to $10 billion in annual revenue and ease traffic on Interstate 95 and the Merritt Parkway, two of the country’s busiest corridors. One of the biggest concerns would be construction noise caused by pile driving and other intense underwater activity, which creates high-frequency sound waves capable of damaging marine life. This noise can impair hearing, induce stress, disrupt communication and force animals to relocate, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service. In severe cases, the loud noises could cause bleeding, tissue damage and even death for some animals, including fish.
Bridgeport’s iconic smokestack is set to fall — but one architect has a different vision
The striped stack is the tallest and most distinctive of three jutting skyward from the shuttered coal-fired power plant along the harbor and, Halstead claims, the tallest structure along the coastline between New York City and Boston. New owner Bridgeport Station Development is preparing to raze the bulk of the facility Sept. 28. The trio of towers are scheduled to come down in the spring. Bridgeport Station Development announced in May that the candy cane would be torn down despite some local interest in preserving it. And that pending loss got Halstead thinking. While the owner has yet to make specific redevelopment plans public, it is expected housing will be the centerpiece. And Halstead incorporated all three smoke stacks into a two-building apartment/condominium and hotel complex, with large letters spelling “Bridgeport” and “BPT” displayed vertically on the candy cane.
https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/bridgeport-ct-candy-cane-smokestack-21061133.php
Plans for new Westhill High School get good marks from city’s Planning Board
“We are currently wrapping up our local approvals and will be shortly submitting to the state for their pre-bid authorization,” said Adam Levitus, senior project manager for the construction work. Financing for the new high school and the demolition of the old one has been through a number of modifications. The most recent estimate for the project to tear down the 1971 building and construct a brand new building is $446 million. The work on the new building at 125 Roxbury Road is expected to start in April of 2026, and the structure would be completed in the summer of 2029, Levitus said. The demolition of the old building would take place in 2029 and 2030, Levitus told the Planning Board. “It’s quite a challenge,” said Kemp Morhardt, the lead architect on the project from the SLAM architectural firm.
https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/ct-stamford-westhill-high-school-21063674.php
A growing and significant CT business sees ‘strong need’ for a new 120-room hotel
A developer is proposing a roughly 120-room hotel as the first stage of a large commercial development on former tobacco farms along Hopmeadow Street in Simsbury. Westhaver’s W Development Co. LLC is seeking a wetlands permit to build on part of the 54-acre lot at 1503 Hopmeadow St., just north of the skating center in the northern end of Simsbury. The first phase of work would be restricted to a 15-acre tract north of Saxton Brook and close to Dorset Crossing Drive, according to Philip Doyle of LADA PC, the landscape architectural firm working for W Development. The Inland Wetlands Commission is scheduled to act on the request Oct. 7. Ian Cole, a Middletown wetland scientist working for W Development, described the property to town officials as “one of the few remaining undeveloped parcels on this side of Hopmeadow Street. The land is currently owned by River Bend Development CT of Bloomfield. Town records list the appraised value at $2.2 million.
Full speed ahead for Mystic River Boathouse Park
After years of delay, construction is in full swing at the future home of the Mystic River Boathouse Park on Route 27. On Monday, John Thornell, director of rowing for Stonington Community Rowing Inc., said the new home of the Stonington High School rowing team and community rowing center should be ready to use by early next spring. In June, the Stonington Board of Finance approved an additional $435,000 to fully fund the $4.9 million project that began in 2016 when residents approved $2.2 million in bonding to purchase the land and create a public, 1.5-acre riverfront park just north of Mystic Seaport Museum. Construction should begin in early October with exterior construction completed in six to eight weeks. Interior construction will take place over the winter. While SCRI has raised $2.4 million in donations and pledges toward the project, enough to build the boathouse and complete the interior, Thornell said the group is beginning one last fundraising push before winter so that interior finishings for both buildings could be completed before spring when the docks will be installed.
https://theday.com/news/791768/full-speed-ahead-for-mystic-river-boathouse-park/
Court allows Revolution Wind project to restart
Work on the stalled $4 billion Revolution Wind project being staged at State Pier can resume — for now — after a preliminary injunction was granted Monday by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The injunction motion was filed earlier this month by project developers Ørsted and Global Infrastructure Partners’ Skyborn Renewables, the same day the Connecticut and Rhode Island attorneys general announced they would sue the Trump administration over the stop-work order. Monday’s ruling came after U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth said the government had provided no new information that could justify its stop-work order, which he called “the height of arbitrary and capacious action” and was costing developers $2.3 million a day, according to media reports. Installation work — 47 of the project’s 65 turbines are already in place — will resume “as soon as possible, with safety as the top priority,” Ørsted said in a press announcement.
https://theday.com/news/791752/court-allows-revolution-wind-project-to-restart/
PeoplesBank Arena set to reopen Oct. 17 after $145M overhaul; upgrades already draw more shows
Nearly five months after closing for a $145 million renovation, Hartford’s PeoplesBank Arena will reopen Oct. 17, when the Hartford Wolf Pack takes the ice. At first glance, longtime fans may not see sweeping changes. The overhaul is largely focused on behind-the-scenes upgrades — premium spaces for VIPs and performers, new escalators and loading areas, and infrastructure designed to make the 50-year-old venue more attractive to touring acts. “The real magic is making this building work for the industry,” said Michael Freimuth, executive director of the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA), which oversees the arena. “That doesn’t always translate to the guy sitting in the seat. He might say, ‘How’s it any different?’ There’s a lot of back-of-house stuff.” “Looking at ticket sales, it’s very clear the public wants to go back to that venue,” said Jim Koplik, Live Nation’s president for Connecticut and upstate New York. “The interest is definitely much greater for people coming to the PeoplesBank Arena. We are seeing it.”
In Setback for Diamantis, Judge to Allow Admissions of Fraud by Co-Conspirators in State Contracting Case
A federal judge has refused to prevent a jury from hearing that co-conspirators of former state deputy budget director Konstantinos Diamantis, who is accused of using his position overseeing the state’s school building office to solicit bribes from construction contractors, admitted to defrauding the government. U.S. District Judge Stefan Underhill entered the ruling earlier this week setting up jury selection in the case to begin Oct. 3. Diamantis was fired from his post as a deputy budget director by Gov. Ned Lamont after the state received a subpoena from federal prosecutors in 2021 seeking information about Diamantis and a host of projects and companies he was involved with. Diamantis also stepped down from his job overseeing the state’s school construction office. He is accused, according to court documents, of misusing his former position as a state official to demand and receive payments and benefits from different construction contractors. Specifically, it is alleged that Diamantis, as the head of the state’s Office of School Construction Grants and Review, used his position to solicit and receive bribes from Acranom Masonry, Inc., of Middlefield, through its principals Salvatore Monarca and John Duffy, and Construction Advocacy Professionals LLC, of Moosup, through its principal Antonietta Roy.
A bridge to Long Island? Prolific Bridgeport-area housing developer has ideas he wants to share
Shapiro is not the first to envision this bridge — with a lower level for train service connecting Metro-North to the LIRR — traversing the Sound. New York officials have commissioned studies in the past on this, but Shapiro hopes to spur interest in Connecticut for this project. Shapiro said such a bridge, with its connection in Bridgeport, would help to revitalize the Park City and bring financial benefit to the Valley and state while alleviating traffic in lower Fairfield County. Next step, he says, is making the public aware this is a possibility. Then it would be bringing in the federal government, which could provide a source of millions in grant money to offset costs. Shapiro said the greatest benefit would be cutting traffic bottlenecks in New York City and Connecticut, specifically I-95 and the Merritt Parkway in Fairfield County, two of the worst, most congested stretches in the country. He said a $39 bridge toll — less than the cost of the ferry and 1/5 the travel time — would pay for construction in 48 years, and this does not consider any other economic benefits.
CT’s stake in Revolution Wind dates to 2018: The State Pier, turbines and an unexpected stop order
Back in 2018, when state officials selected a to-be-built offshore wind farm called Revolution Wind to provide hundreds of megawatts of power to Connecticut, it marked the first time the state had ever procured such power. Revolution Wind was expected to begin commercial operations next year, providing energy to both Connecticut and Rhode Island. But in August, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued an order for the project to pause. Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration has said the cancellation of Revolution Wind would lead to higher electric bills, a less reliable grid and unemployed workers. The project has also been tied to a controversial overhaul of the State Pier in New London that cost more than $300 million — about $200 million of which was funded by the state.
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