Charter Oak Bridge Project Set to Bring Congestion Relief for Connecticut’s Capitol Region

The delivery of the Connecticut Department of Transportation’s (CTDOT) I-91 Charter Oak Bridge (COB) Project, a large-scale initiative that combines two projects to reduce congestion and improve safety in the city of Hartford, and towns of East Hartford, and Wethersfield, is less than two years away. The contract, administered by CTDOT, District 1 and the […]

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O&G Industries Leads $54.6M I-84 Safety, Operational Improvement Job

The Connecticut Department of Transportation’s (CTDOT) $54.6 million I-84 Safety and Operational Improvements project in West Hartford, awarded to O&G Industries Inc., is based upon the mitigation of traffic congestion and safety concerns that can arise in heavy traffic situations. Stage 1A of the project, which was just completed, dealt with the first half of […]

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New London community recreation center gains key approvals

A planned $30 million community recreation center received two key endorsements this month. The city’s Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously agreed to issue a positive referral on use of land at Fort Trumbull for the planned facility. The City Council already has approved the bonding for the estimated cost of the facility, which is still […]

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House approves big municipal aid pledge, tax incentive bills

The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a measure Wednesday that effectively promises $110 million to $120 million in new annual aid to cities and towns — but doesn’t officially fund the initiative just yet. Legislatures and governors have struggled to maintain their commitment to PILOT over the past two decades as surging pension and other […]

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Release of Biden’s infrastructure plan details delayed

President Joe Biden’s first address to a joint session of Congress — where he is expected to outline specific goals and priorities for measures like an infrastructure package — will not occur this month as was expected. The coronavirus package is legislators’ top priority, as they eye a March 14 deadline on unemployment benefits. Biden’s […]

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Apartment plan near UConn Health draws Farmington neighbors’ opposition

A developer’s plan for 146 apartments near the UConn Health Center is drawing stiff neighborhood opposition. Farmington-based Metro Realty Group is presenting its plan as a way to bring modern apartments to a stretch of Route 4 that has become a medical and technology jobs corridor. The property is behind the Hartford Health Care Medical […]

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Biden DOL Targeting Government Contractors for Wage Enforcement

As the administration readies those big-ticket legislative proposals, which would increase government investment in projects developed by private companies, the department has begun preparations to expand its investigative capacity under two statutes that require government contractors to pay workers prevailing wages and benefits, as determined by the DOL. The building trades and service unions have […]

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Danbury’s downtown ‘needs to be refreshed’: City to start streetscape project amid COVID

Construction is expected to start in the spring on the first phase of a roughly $12 million project to upgrade the sidewalks and install amenities to make the downtown more pedestrian friendly and appealing to shoppers, diners and developers. The first phase includes redoing the Danbury Green and installing streetscape on Delay Street, National Place, […]

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CT legislature poised to make early budget pledge to help cities and towns

The House of Representatives is expected to approve an omnibus bill Wednesday that commits more than $100 million in new aid to municipalities, shields thousands of residents with out-of-state employers from double taxation, and ends the controversial practice of placing liens on the homes of former welfare recipients. Legislative leaders also were considering a proposal […]

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Developers hope Bridgeport’s newly named Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater on track for packed concerts

Saffan and his partner in the venture, veteran concert promoter Jim Koplik of Live Nation, were on hand at the amphitheater with other officials Tuesday to celebrate another milestone in their joint venture: The announcement that Hartford HealthCare, which in 2019 acquired Bridgeport-based St. Vincent’s Medical Center, had purchased the naming rights to the amphitheater. […]

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Carrier Construction plans for commercial, residential development of large section of Centre Square

The city’s Economic and Community Development Commission reviewed Carrier’s letter of intent earlier in the month, planning to send them on to the council for action. The letter said Carrier intended to buy Parcels 6, 7, and 8 – a total of 3.44 acres – for $172,000. Carrier’s original plan was to build at least […]

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Berlin planning to building new community, senior center, but plenty of questions remain

The town is planning to build a new community and senior center sometime in the near future, but the “when” and “how” are still uncertain. No referendum date has been set and community information sessions are not yet in the works. Public forums initially gaged interest in 2018, with residents expressing excitement about the possibility […]

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As the Electrical Grid Collapses in Texas, New England Takes Note

Dan Dolan, president of the New England Power Generators Association, the trade group representing the region’s power producers, said the widespread power outages in Texas are a product of the state’s grid not being prepared for the extreme and prolonged temperatures that the state is experiencing. In New England, power producers invest in winterization, Dolan […]

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‘Looking to develop’: Demand for homes could lead to construction spike in Connecticut

As home hunters pounce on listings nearly as fast as sellers are putting them onto the market in Connecticut, construction of single-family homes is shaping up as the state’s next boom following a decade of apartment construction. The last burst of new construction in Connecticut in 2008 ended up with many homes built “on spec” […]

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Referendum on $137 million Farmington High School plan slated for June

Municipal officials are tentatively looking for a townwide vote June 3 on whether to tear down the high school and build a three-story replacement for $137 million. If voters approve the idea, architects would start work this summer, construction could begin in early 2022 and wrap up in mid-2025, Finance Director Joseph Swetcky told the […]

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Offshore wind a good bet for CT

Currently, the United States has more than 28 gigawatts of offshore wind in development. According to the Department of Energy, offshore wind has the potential to generate more than 2,000 gigawatts of clean, renewable power per year, nearly double the nation’s current electricity use. In Connecticut, a redeveloped State Pier will be one of these […]

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Spring groundbreaking set for 111-unit upscale Bloomfield apartment development

Krohn, of New Britain’s Jasko Development, and Zelman, of West Hartford’s Zelman Real Estate, said in a recent interview that they’ve named the project The Residences at Wash Brook, after one of several nearby brooks at the 20-acre site located midway between Routes 178 and 218. Fresh project renderings show a two-story atrium with a […]

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Carrier Construction plans for commercial, residential development of large section of Centre Square

The city’s Economic and Community Development Commission reviewed Carrier’s letter of intent earlier in the month, planning to send them on to the council for action. The letter said Carrier intended to buy Parcels 6, 7, and 8 – a total of 3.44 acres – for $172,000. That means Carrier would acquire the entire remaining […]

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Biden calls union reps ‘real friends,’ seeks their infrastructure input

Among those present were several heads of construction-related unions including Richard Trumka, the president of the AFL-CIO; Sean McGarvey, president of North America’s Building Trades Unions; and Lonnie R. Stephenson, the international president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, who served on Biden’s transition advisory board. “I said from the beginning of my campaign, […]

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Finance panel eyes cap on property tax hikes, gears up for another battle over CT’s credit card

Rep. Sean Scanlon, D-Guilford, the new House chair of finance, is spearheading the property tax cap, which he says was inspired in part by Massachusetts’ Proposition 2 1/2, a statute that has drawn national attention since Bay State voters enacted it by ballot in 1980. The poorest people in Connecticut in terms of adjusted gross […]

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Courtney: State could get more than $4 billion if Congress passes COVID-19 relief package

Connecticut could receive more than $4 billion in federal coronavirus aid if Congress passes President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan. An estimated $2.7 billion would be allotted to the state and $1.6 billion to cities and towns, Courtney said. Courtney said Democrats see mid-March as the deadline for Congress to pass the legislation given that’s […]

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State and local leaders support private development of Seaside property

State Sen. Paul Formica, R-East Lyme, has introduced a bill that requires the state Department of Economic and Community Development “to develop and issue a request for proposals to develop or dispose of the former Seaside Sanatorium facility in the town of Waterford and to preserve the adjacent area for a park with public access.” […]

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Bristol City Council approves contracts to begin design process for renovating City Hall

The City Council has approved contracts to begin the design process for renovating City Hall, something council members said was long overdue. The contracts are for $175,770 to D’Amato + Downs Joint Venture to be the construction manager and for $760,750 to Quisenberry Arcari Malik for architectural engineering services. It’s important to improve the appearance […]

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‘People don’t want to be poor:’ Bill touts apprenticeships as a key pathway to good-paying jobs

Across Connecticut, Vasaturo’s story is retold thousands of times in automotive garages, machine tool factories and scores of other trades where the path to good-paying jobs is not college but the “earn as you learn” apprenticeship track that was launched in 1937, when the nation was in the grips of the Great Recession. A $3.5 […]

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After waiting for decades, Hartford’s Park and Main apartment development raises hope it will bring lasting change to a city neighborhood

The first phase of the $26 million Park and Main mixed-use development — 39 mixed-income studio, one- and two-bedroom rentals — is expected to begin leasing in April. A second phase of 87 apartments on the northern side of the intersection is scheduled to break ground next month. Park and Main is far more modest […]

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Massachusetts demo firm hired for Waterbury project

City officials on Friday awarded a Massachusetts company a $1 million contract to demolish eight buildings of the former Anaconda-American Brass site on Freight Street. Costello Dismantiling Co. has six months to clear eight buildings on 10.5 acres at 130 Freight St., according to its contract with the Waterbury Development Corp. Eight companies bid on […]

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Biden hopes infrastructure can bridge partisan divide

Biden met with lawmakers from both parties at the White House to discuss infrastructure on Thursday, even as the Senate is holding impeachment proceedings against former President Donald Trump where partisan divisions are on full display. “I’ve been around long enough,” Biden said, “that infrastructure wasn’t a Republican or a Democratic issue.” “The American people […]

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Worker-hungry contractors say rules limiting apprentice hires stymies business

The state Department of Consumer Protection imposes a so-called “hiring ratio” on contracting companies in electrical, plumbing and metal-working trades. The rule is a bit technical but it essentially requires contractors to have a certain number of licensed journeymen on staff for each apprentice they hire. State Sen. Julie Kushner (D-Danbury) chairs the General Assembly’s […]

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Lamont’s budget keeps transportation program afloat through 2026 with new truck fee

The two-year state budget Lamont proposed Wednesday includes a new highway mileage fee on trucks and includes Connecticut in a regional initiative to control greenhouse gases by changing transportation policy — a program that also would boost gasoline taxes. For years Connecticut has relied chiefly on fuel tax receipts to support the Special Transportation Fund, […]

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Tolls and gas tax hike off the table so Gov. Ned Lamont will look for other ways to fund transportation improvements in his new budget

The state’s special transportation fund is facing a deficit of more than $60 million in the current fiscal year, and could face larger deficits in the future if moves are not made to shore up the fund. Connecticut has joined a regional climate initiative with nearby states, but Lamont’s chief spokesman says that does not […]

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Multimodal Planning in the I-84 Danbury Corridor

At the third Project Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting in September, committee members were asked a series of questions about needs for the I-84 corridor in greater Danbury. The exercise provided the Project team with local insights and input towards the Project’s Purpose. Primer Multimodal planning considers many types of transportation including cars, buses, trains, bicycles, […]

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Lamont uses federal dollars and reserves to boost local aid, avert tax hikes in his new budget

Gov. Ned Lamont will propose a $46 billion, two-year budget Wednesday that relies heavily on federal aid and state reserves to close a major deficit without tax hikes and bolsters funds for cities and towns. The package would channel more than $400 million in emergency federal relief to low-performing school districts, according to several sources […]

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History Revisited: Local area no stranger to transportation levies

For the past several years, a great deal of debate has taken place when the state legislature introduced bills proposing electronic tolls on various major highways in Connecticut. The new highway bridge, ultimately named the Gold Star Memorial Bridge, opened to traffic in November 1943 and the established tolls for using this bridge included: 15 […]

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How the PRO Act would change the construction industry

By redefining “employees” and “employers” in revisions to the National Labor Relations Act, the Protecting the Right to Organize Act grants benefits to workers previously classified as independent contractors. Additionally, the way in which unions and employers collectively bargain and agree could be altered in states where unions have little to no say in the […]

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‘A godsend for the neighborhood:’ New development proposed in north Stratford

The owners of Ryders Landing want to put a new coffee shop on Main Street as the first phase of a development that could ultimately include retail and office space, a restaurant and a 105-room riverfront hotel. The Sbriglios own five properties totaling roughly 5.5 acres off Main Street immediately south of the Ryders Landing […]

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New housing development along CTfastrak in West Hartford latest sign of revival along New Park Avenue

The $20 million project will bring another 52 mixed-income apartments to the mile-long stretch between the Elmwood and Flatbush CTfastrak stations. The “workforce” housing is expected to be ready for occupancy in May, 2022. Trout Brook Realty Advisors, the development arm of the West Hartford Housing Authority, planned both projects and sees a dual purpose. […]

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Big changes could be coming for transportation around greater Hartford, from buried highways to bicycles. Here’s what’s under consideration.

The state Department of Transportation has been laying the groundwork for a comprehensive study ever since it made the startling announcement at the end of 2019 that the state would put a hold on replacing the viaduct and include it in a larger regional transportation plan. A broader array of transportation options are seen as […]

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What a Marty Walsh-led Labor Department could mean for construction

Born in Boston, Walsh joined Laborers’ International Union of North America Local 223 in 1988 and worked his way up through the ranks to lead both Local 223 and the Boston Building Trades Unions before being elected mayor in 2013. Walsh also served in the Massachusetts legislature. Labor organizations hailed Walsh’s nomination as a win […]

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Buttigieg DOT confirmation boosts hope for massive infrastructure investment

Industry and elected leaders praised Pete Buttigieg’s confirmation as Transportation Secretary after his nomination passed the U.S. Senate 86-13 on Tuesday. Buttigieg’s confirmation could be a boon for investment in the nation’s infrastructure, which has been called for on a bipartisan basis for many years, according to experts. During his nomination hearing before the U.S. […]

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Eyeing Obstacles, Dykes Offers Optimism for State’s Green Energy Goals

The latest draft of Connecticut’s Integrated Resources Plan — a semi-annual assessment of the state’s electric supply needs and possible sources of energy supply — is being touted by the department as the first to identify sources of supply to meet the state’s goal of zero-carbon electric generation by 2040. Already, 65 percent of the […]

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Construction set to begin on $20M W-Hartford mixed-use project

Construction of a $20 million mixed-use retail/residential project on West Hartford’s New Park Avenue is set to begin this month, with developers projecting a completion date of May, 2022. Trout Brook Realty Advisors, the nonprofit development arm of the West Hartford Housing Authority, is set to break ground on the transit-oriented development project located on […]

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Wall Street, public construction firms eager for Biden’s infrastructure push

Major Wall Street firms and publicly traded construction companies are eagerly awaiting President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better infrastructure plan, which he said he will detail in his first State of the Union address scheduled for Feb. 23. While the plan is forthcoming, the president pegged it at as much as $2 trillion in the […]

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It has been slow to arrive, but high speed rail could be coming

For the last three years, another high-speed rail concept has been quietly germinating, one that would go inland through Connecticut instead of along the shoreline. Called North Atlantic Rail, the plan originated at University of Pennsylvania planning studios directed by highly regarded planner Robert Yaro, former president of the Regional Plan Association and advised by, […]

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Noise, dust and fumes: Ansonia neighborhood group vies with construction business

A cadre of Westwood Road residents claim the noise, dust and fumes generated by one of the city’s largest taxpayers is making their lives unlivable. And residents of the city’s Westwood Road neighborhoods also say they believe that Burns Construction is violating city zoning laws by crushing rock on the company’s Woodlot site. The association […]

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Brookfield to vote on $3.6 million fourth phase of Four Corners streetscape project

The town plans to present the design for the $3.6 million fourth phase of its downtown revitalization project for approval at an upcoming special town meeting. Brookfield has completed two of five phases of the Four Corners streetscape project, and will start construction on its third phase this summer. Now, at 7 p.m Tuesday in […]

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Work nears completion on missing Stratford exit ramps

Work to complete a $29 million reconstruction of the Interstate 95 Exit 33 interchange near the Milford border is ramping up — literally and figuratively. The new ramps will correct a quirk in the state’s highway history dating back to the days when toll plazas dotted I-95 and the Merritt Parkway. Removing the toll plazas […]

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