Sherman Street bridge replacement on horizon in Norwich

Two months behind the anticipated April 1 start of the Sherman Street bridge reconstruction, the city has awarded the $10.3 million contract for the work to Plainville-based Manafort Bros. Inc. The long-planned project now is expected to begin in June, but the bridge will not completely be closed to traffic until after the school year […]

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Norwalk to replace aging West Cedar Street bridge with wider two-lane overpass

Engineers plan to replace the 112-year-old bridge on West Cedar Street that crosses the Five Mile River with a wider overpass that can accommodate two full lanes of traffic and a sidewalk. The larger concrete bridge will be designed to match the historic but slowly deteriorating stone structure that stands near Norwalk Community College’s main […]

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Stamford’s housing authority plan for Oak Park: Raze 27 buildings, fix flooding problems, rebuild

On behalf of the Charter Oak Communities, Stamford’s housing authority, Redniss has put before the Board a new plan for the property. Across three phases, the housing authority will tear down Oak Park and replace it with updated and larger units. The buildings will include 16 one-bedroom, 114 two-bedroom and 36 three-bedroom apartments. For the […]

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Developer proposes distribution center, offices in Bloomfield

Douglas Street Ventures LLC, a Farmington-based development company, is proposing to build a 74,520-square-foot warehouse and distribution center in Bloomfield, including 5,000-square-feet of office space. The building would be one story and a maximum of 44-feet tall, and the parking lot would have 72 spaces. The company has applied for a special permit and a […]

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Torrington High seniors learn about apprenticeship program

The Greater Hartford-New Britain Building Trades Council, a union that represents about 30,000 construction workers statewide, is offering pre-apprenticeships and apprenticeships through a 10-year project labor agreement the City Council approved last year. Project officials want 25% of hired construction workers to be city residents and another 30% from Litchfield County. More than 300 city […]

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Stamford and New Haven are ‘economic powerhouses’ but there’s room for growth elsewhere in CT, official says

David Lehman, Connecticut’s Department of Economic and Community Development commissioner, called the Stamford and New Haven areas “economic powerhouses” Tuesday, but said for the rest of the state to follow suit, more communities need to offer a broader array of housing opportunities. He said there are 100,000 job openings in the state right now and […]

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New $875M state fund to pay for infrastructure, brownfields and more in ‘historically underserved’ communities

Hartford, Waterbury, New Haven, New Britain and 41 additional “historically underserved” communities in Connecticut can now apply to an $875 million state grant pool for community investments. The taxpayer-funded “Community Investment Fund 2030” could help eligible municipalities and their economic development agencies pay for infrastructure upgrades, brownfield remediation, public facilities, new affordable housing and small […]

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Officials: Norwalk Hospital plans $250M expansion, but hasn’t yet submitted zoning application

Norwalk Hospital has announced the facility’s largest expansion ever — worth more than $200 million — but has not yet submitted its plans to the city’s zoning department, officials said. Last summer, Nuvance Health, which owns and operates Norwalk Hospital, announced plans for a $220 million expansion of the hospital, with an emphasis on the […]

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Torrington school project partnership ready to start building

The S/L/A/M Collaborative, architect, working in partnership with city and Torrington Public Schools officials, Construction Solutions Group of East Hartford, and construction manager Torrington-based O&G Industries, said they expect to begin construction in October. But there’s a lot to do before the first shovel hits dirt. SLAM designers have worked with the public school district, […]

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East Hartford eyes Silver Lane acquisitions to redevelop dingy commercial corridor

East Hartford is gearing up for a multimillion-dollar effort to revitalize its dingy Silver Lane corridor by acquiring multiple large, dated and underperforming buildings for redevelopment. City officials are moving to adopt a strategic plan, developed under a $50,000 contract by East Hartford-based real estate advisors Gorman + York. The plan – which will be […]

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State expected to approve funding to fix dams in Ledyard

The state Bonding Commission is expected on Thursday to approve $3 million in state funding for projects here including money to repair three Colonial-era dams on Long Pond and Bush Pond. The conservation group Lantern Hill Valley Association and the McKee Farm Trust have been working to get funding for the estimated $1 million needed […]

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Stamford to consider rezoning Mill River Park, train station area. Here’s what you need to know.

City officials Monday will weigh a comprehensive rezoning plan that could mean more housing in the South End and change Mill River Park’s zoning to keep it a park forever. The vast majority of rezoned land belongs to Mill River Park and has been parkland for years, but the area also includes some properties along […]

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Citing $1.2T infrastructure act, EEOC probes racism, sexism in construction

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission spotlighted construction’s culture of racism and sexual harassment Tuesday in a hearing where a Black forklift driver said he was encouraged to wear a noose around his neck for Halloween, and a female ironworker testified women developed urinary tract infections after being pressured not “to go to the bathroom too […]

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Windsor officials adopt tighter controls for new warehouses/logistics centers

Windsor officials last week adopted stronger controls over construction of new warehouses and distribution centers, responding to rising resident concerns. The change also means that large warehouse proposals will be subject to public hearings, and the commission can use resident feedback to require changes to plans to address the concerns of residents and board members. […]

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Avelo growth at Tweed New Haven airport spurs off-site parking plan

Tweed New Haven Regional Airport is “in the last stages” of negotiating a short-term, off-site solution to parking capacity issues expected to arise when Avelo Airlines goes from eight to 12 flights a day and adds flights to Chicago, Baltimore-Washington and Raleigh-Durham, N.C. later this month, an official said. Additional parking will be part of […]

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DeLauro Earmarks Almost $13 Million For Projects In Seymour & Ansonia

Seymour and Beacon Falls could benefit from $10 million in federal funds to build a road and the accompanying infrastructure that will provide access into 223 acres behind Stop & Shop on Franklin Street. The Haynes Group wants to build a 300,000-square foot mixed-use project that would include retail, restaurants, medical space, and some 200-market […]

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Wethersfield plan to modernize, enlarge elementary schools estimated at $271 million

Wethersfield’s school system wants a fall referendum on its proposed $271 million modernization of the town’s elementary schools. Construction would be done in stages over a decade, and in the end about 30% of Wethersfield’s elementary grade students would be transferred to different schools than the ones they attend now, educators said. The plan would […]

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Connecticut Supreme Court orders new trial over termination of original Dunkin’ Donuts Park developers

The original developers — Centerplan Construction Co. and DoNo Hartford LLC — in July 2016 filed a $90 million lawsuit challenging the termination. In 2019, a jury in Superior Court in Hartford sided with the city, placing blame on Centerplan and DoNo for not meeting deadline. The jury also awarded the city $335,000 in damages. […]

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Hartford Healthcare planning to add a dozen new medical facilities in Fairfield County

Hartford Healthcare is making a major push into southwestern Connecticut, adding a dozen new medical facilities in Fairfield County over the next 18 months, according to an executive with the company that will be handling the construction work. Rich Lee, managing director for Branford-based for O,R & L Commercial said most of the new medical […]

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New Torrington High School to open in 2025

Construction is slated to begin in October with a scheduled occupancy date of February 2025. The old building will then be demolished, and construction of a new gymnasium and athletic fields will start in March 2025 with a planned completion date in January 2026. The state is paying for 85% of the $179.5 million project, […]

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As Ned Lamont promotes clean energy, Bob Stefanowski wary on cost

On Tuesday, Lamont conducted a ceremonial signing of two bipartisan clean-energy bills near a solar array in Bloomfield, a predominantly Black suburb chosen to underscore the racial justice component of curbing greenhouse emissions. One sets a goal of 2040 for all electricity supplied to Connecticut ratepayers to be carbon free, codifying in law an executive […]

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East Hartford launches $42M fiber optic infrastructure project

Construction on a $42 million, privately funded infrastructure project meant to bring fiber optic internet access to all homes and businesses in East Hartford is underway, public officials announced Tuesday morning. The East Hartford FiberCity project will provide the town’s 19,046 households, 4,649 businesses and institutions with high-speed, affordable internet service, they said. SiFi Networks, […]

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UPDATED: Stonington PZC approves Pawcatuck affordable housing development

The Planning and Zoning Commission on Tuesday night approved the permits needed to construct a 100-unit housing development, that would mix affordable and market-rate units, on the 2.4-acre vacant lawn in front of the Brookside Village complex on Route 1 in Pawcatuck. Before the commission’s vote to approve the project, it held a public hearing […]

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With settlement, plans to build 20-megawatt solar farm on Candlewood Mountain in New Milford dropped

After more than three years, litigation against controversial solar plant plans for Candlewood Mountain has concluded with settlement agreements that prevent a 20-megawatt solar farm from being constructed on the land. The agreement not only ensures environmental preservation, but secure acres of open space for the town. Casagrande said the project would have destroyed not […]

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6 months in, Biden’s infrastructure plan has 4,300 projects

Six months after the signing of President Joe Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure package, the government said Monday there are 4,300 projects underway with more than $110 billion in funding announced — milestones the administration is publicly heralding as midterm politics intensify. The administration made a strategic calculation that delivering results would help Democrats retain control […]

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Renovation of Chamberlain Elementary School is nearing halfway point

The $55 million renovation of Chamberlain Elementary School is nearing the halfway point and on schedule to be completed by December of this year. New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart toured the property with the construction team Monday, including architect Kaestle Boos, construction manager Newfield Construction and members of the School Building Committee. This project broke […]

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Why the Northeast is quietly running out of diesel

The East Coast typically stores around 62 million barrels of diesel during the month of May, according to Department of Energy data. But as of last Friday, that region of the U.S. is reporting under 52 million barrels. The sharp increase of diesel prices has been a major stressor in America’s $800 billion trucking industry […]

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Stamford schools ditch pre-K facility at Lockwood, which could be site of new K-8 school

The 100,000-square-foot building at 83 Lockwood Ave., which at one point housed the Rogers Magnet Elementary School and later charter school Trailblazers Academy, is one of the places officials are examining as the home of a new public school, said Matt Quinones, the city’s director of operations. A school building master plan presented in February […]

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Waterbury and Naugatuck leaders approve $2.5M sale of land for Amazon development

Municipal leaders in Waterbury and Naugatuck signed off on a $2.5 million sale of a 157-acre property with portions in both communities for redevelopment into a massive Amazon distribution center. The approval sets off a due diligence period of up to 18 months for Bluewater Property Group, the Pennsylvania-based developer behind the Amazon proposal. Bluewater […]

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Torrington P&Z approves schools building project site plan, with conditions

Members of the Planning & Zoning Commission and City Planner Jeremy Liefert have approved the city’s $180 million school building project, though concerns remain about traffic and sustainable practices such as solar panels. The School Building Committee requested special exception permits and site plan approval for the middle and high school buildings and new administrative […]

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Hartford, Farmington receive added funds from state budget after miscalculations in school construction reimbursement rates by Kosta Diamantis

Farmington will also receive an additional $14.4 million, due to an overall increase in its state reimbursement rate, for the construction of a new $135.6 million high school. According to Connecticut law, the state reimburses school districts between 10% and 80% of the eligible costs of local school construction projects. Reimbursement rates are determined by […]

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Legislation would allow Millstone to expand

A bill passed in this spring’s legislative session would exempt Millstone Power Station from a state nuclear power facility construction moratorium. Nuara said there are no immediate plans by Dominion to add a small modular reactors to the Millstone site, as the commercial viability of the technology is “many years away.” But Dominion supports the […]

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Stamford, Norwalk gain big in ‘earth-shattering’ change to how CT refunds new school buildings

Through their advocacy, they were able to convince Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney, D-New Haven, to include three provisions into a budgetary bill that was passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. Ned Lamont this week, the officials said. Two of the provisions target specific projects in both Norwalk and […]

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Norwalk Hospital plans $220M expansion amid anticipated ‘surge’ in births

Norwalk Hospital is scheduled to begin a $220 million expansion within the next year, with particular focus on services to mothers and newborns. Construction will begin with the demolition of two existing pavilions on the hospital’s grounds, which will take place in the next 12 months, Norwalk Hospital President Peter Cordeau said. The project, which […]

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New Canaan couple donates $20 million for Norwalk Hospital expansion

Carol Bauer described Norwalk Hospital as “the health care monument on the hill,” and with a $20 million donation from her and her husband George, the facility is about to see a monumental expansion. The New Canaan couple’s contribution will help Norwalk Hospital construct and renovate the new 188,000-square-foot Patient Pavilion, the largest expansion project […]

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White House Rolls Out ‘Action Plan’ to Speed Project Permitting

Construction industry officials and many federal lawmakers have long complained that the federal permit-review and approval process takes much too long, running up project costs. Administration officials on May 10 unveiled a “permitting action plan ” that outlines steps agencies can take to expedite environmental and other reviews for a project’s road to a federal […]

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Stamford schools to get more state aid, including $200M for new Westhill High: ‘A game changer’

Among the long list of provisions in a recently passed state budget bill is another item that sets the reimbursement rate from the state for new school construction in Stamford at 60 percent, much higher than the 20 percent rate currently in place. The new framework will provide much more funding for the city’s ambitious […]

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CT will support national historic status for Newtown’s Fairfield Hills apartment project on 1 condition

The good news is Connecticut is willing to support a proposal to redevelop two empty hospital buildings into apartments and commerce by helping Newtown gain national historic status for its Fairfield Hills campus. The bad news is the state’s historic preservation office wants a commitment from Newtown to keep all the other vacant former hospital […]

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The controversial study will cost $1.5 million. It could shape future of Hartford-Brainard Airport

A controversial, $1.5 million study examining whether Hartford-Brainard Airport should remain open or be closed for redevelopment has been approved by the General Assembly, a study some hope will finally shape the future of the century-old airfield. The study must be completed by October 2023, pushed back from the initially proposed Jan. 1. The study […]

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Connecticut’s infrastructure conundrum persists amid renewed focus

Boughton, a former Danbury mayor, explained that his role was both to provide a single point of contact in the government for concerned business leaders and to serve as the governor’s senior adviser on infrastructure matters. Boughton then asked his interlocutors: “What does government need to get right to ensure that this bipartisan infrastructure law […]

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What comes next in Bridgeport’s plan to sell Sikorsky Airport?

While the Sikorsky Memorial Airport Commission has recommended the Connecticut Airport Authority as the next owner of the Bridgeport-owned, Stratford based airport, there are still some steps to go before the CAA takes over. Namely, the Bridgeport City Council and the Federal Aviation Administration still have to approve the transfer and $10 million sale price. […]

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Waterbury Amazon deal vote likely

Officials from the city and Bluewater said this hearing and vote is not for the Amazon plant application, nor does it grant or supersede any of the numerous steps, permits and approvals required to eventually build the facility. Rather, Monday’s vote, if favorable, will allow both parties to execute the purchase and sale agreement, officially […]

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Danbury earns grant to cover 80 percent of $164M career academy: ‘remarkable opportunity’

The city has officially earned a state grant that will cover 80 percent of the expected $164 million cost for its proposed career academy. It’s an achievement for the proposed landmark school that would serve about 1,400 middle and high school students and be constructed at the former Cartus Corp. property. Approval of the grant […]

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Contracting Standards Board bill killed in House after passage in state Senate

The Connecticut House of Representatives did not raise a bill concerning the state Contracting Standards Board on Wednesday, the last day of the legislative session, leaving it stranded after the Senate passed the bill last week. By a bipartisan, unanimous, the state Senate approved the bill to shore up Contracting Standards Board staff Friday night. […]

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With trash plant closing, CT rethinks waste policy

First, the trash-to-energy plant in Hartford’s South Meadows will close. However, 20 miles down I-91, a solution may be in the works. Hundreds of Meriden residents are separating their food scraps from other trash so the organic waste can be turned into biogas and fertilizer. It’s a state-funded, four-month pilot program that, if successful, could […]

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CT lawmakers set to pass reforms to troubled school construction program

State lawmakers are poised to enact a number of reforms to Connecticut’s school construction office as a federal investigation continues into the multibillion-dollar grant program. The reforms tighten the bidding procedures for school construction contracts and set stricter deadlines for completing audits of school building projects. One of the biggest changes requested by the state […]

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Legislators Move to Approve Limited, but Durable Oversight by the State Contracting Standards Board

Connecticut lawmakers are moving toward fully funding and staffing the State Contracting Standards Board, but won’t give the board the authority to review the contracts of every quasi-public state agency this year. The bill requires the board to hire five, full-time staff by September, and lawmakers will vote on a budget adjustment that includes $467,055 […]

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House adopts one of the largest tax cuts in CT history

The House of Representatives approved a $24.2 billion state budget early Tuesday morning that provides more than $600 million in income tax cuts, a car tax freeze, an extended gasoline tax holiday and other relief. The Democrat-controlled chamber voted 95-52 along party lines shortly after 12:20 a.m. to approve the budget for the fiscal year […]

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CT lawmakers approve $3M plan to replace Whiting Hospital

House lawmakers on Monday gave final approval to a multi-million dollar plan to begin replacing the beleaguered Whiting Forensic Hospital in Middletown with a more modern facility. The bi-partisan effort, which passed by a vote of 147-0, follows years of alleged abuses and inadequate supervision at the maximum-security psychiatric hospital. The agency was also tasked […]

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Ridgefield starts second phase of Route 7 sewer project, despite delays to treatment plant upgrades

Construction is poised to start on the second phase of the town’s $55 million upgrades to its sewer infrastructure, even as the first half of the project is behind schedule. Crews have marked spots along the roads and begun drilling so they can install an underground force main pipe that will extend from the South […]

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Torrington side roads to see major improvements in project starting this summer, officials said

A road improvement project designed to improve access to Torrington’s share of the Naugatuck River Greenway Trail is set to begin this summer. The project is financed with city-bonded funds and is expected to be completed in about five months. The engineers plan to present the project to the City Council on Monday. According to […]

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System operators at FuelCell Energy vote to join union

A dozen workers at one of Connecticut’s high profile tech companies, FuelCell Energy, voted Friday to become members of a union. The FuelCell Energy employees work are joining Local 478 of the International Union of Operating Engineers, according to organizers of the unionization drive. The workers voted 8-4 to join Local 478 after having launched […]

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Connecticut Senate approves bill to shield contracting watchdog from budget cuts

The Senate voted 35-0 Friday evening to approve a bill that prohibits the governor from imposing cuts — after the state’s fiscal year is underway — on the standards board. The legislature already extends this protection to other watchdog agencies, including the Freedom of Information Commission and the Office of State Ethics. Advocates for the […]

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