Plans are underway on a long-term project to construct a medical campus behind BJ’s on Reidville Drive and the residential development off of Saddle Rock Road, which city officials said will spur economic growth. In January of this year, the city’s Zoning Commission approved changing the designation of the 40-acre site from single-family residential to […]
Originally scheduled to reopen in November, construction on the Brewer Street Bridge near the Pratt & Whitney campus has been suspended until the spring due to unanticipated delays and temperature restrictions. The bridge, which spans Pewterpot Brook, closed on May 1. It is now expected to reopen in May 2024. “A gas main, a water […]
West Hartford Fellowship Housing, a nonprofit that for over 50 years has provided low-income housing for an older population and to people with disabilities, broke ground on a sweeping and transformative $100 million project that will modernize and expand upon its Starkel Road campus, ultimately providing 300 total units of in-demand housing. The plans will […]
On Tuesday, city and state leaders announced millions in grants and investments will go toward two major revitalization projects aimed at improving Grand Avenue. More than $7.5 million will improve a 1.5-mile stretch of Grand Avenue in the Fair Haven, Mill River and Wooster Square neighborhoods. The first phase of the revitalization project will focus […]
The razing of the third and final building of the former Anaconda American Brass Co. factory complex is nearing completion just over a month after demolition crews first converged on the site at 170 Freight St. Six excavators were in operation Tuesday, taking down the last skeletal remains of what was the first large brass […]
The Northeast Corridor Commission — a coalition of Amtrak, commuter transit agencies, states and the U.S. Department of Transportation — announced Nov. 16 an ambitious 15-year plan to rebuild the Boston-New York City-Washington, D.C., rail line. The plan is an update to one set out in 2021 that outlined repair needs, service goals and the […]
In a crowded room in the state Capitol, administration officials and members of the Democratic majorities in the House and Senate offered a defense of the 2035 mandate— something that never came in October and November, when Republicans campaigned against it as bureaucratic overreach. The display came a day after the Lamont administrations confirmed it […]
Plans to upgrade the HVAC system at Polson Middle School sparked a short debate about spending limits and the town’s goals for environmental sustainability at Monday night’s Board of Selectmen meeting. The work at Polson Middle School and the new elementary school are part of a larger $89.2 million project approved by referendum in Feb. […]
Bridgeport has joined Fairfield, preservationists, residents and business owners in questioning the “unreasonable” impacts of a proposed $225 million project by United Illuminating. The utility company applied with the Connecticut Siting Council in March to replace its aging electric transmission lines with 100- to 135-foot monopoles along the Metro-North Railroad line in downtown Bridgeport, Fairfield […]
Our 30,000 men and women members in the Connecticut State Building Trades Council are the best-trained construction workers in the nation. They stand ready to partner with our great state to construct, install, and maintain our Class 1 Renewable energy projects, including solar farms, offshore wind projects, fuel cells, anaerobic digesters, and electric vehicle charging […]
Connecticut’s truck tax continues to underwhelm, falling $25 million short of estimated revenue from 2021 when the tax – called the Highway Use Tax (HUT) – was passed by the General Assembly along a party-line vote and over the protestations of Connecticut truckers. The HUT was passed following the defeat of Gov. Lamont’s numerous tolling […]
The pier on the Connecticut coast is filled with so many massive oddities that it could be mistaken for the set of a sci-fi movie. Sword-shaped blades as long as a football field lie stacked along one edge, while towering yellow and green cranes hoist giant steel cylinders to stand like rockets on a launchpad. […]
A majority of the legislature’s Regulation Review Committee was poised to vote Tuesday to kill regulations prohibiting new gasoline-powered vehicle sales by 2035, forcing advocates and the administration of Gov. Ned Lamont to open talks on a new plan for passage by the full General Assembly in 2024. Jonathan Dach, the governor’s chief of staff, […]
International sports and entertainment company Oak View Group is preparing to wager at least $20 million that Hartford’s XL Center arena can transform from an aging venue running a $2 million annual deficit to a bustling moneymaker. The Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) and OVG have a tentative deal that would require the Los Angeles-headquartered […]
As construction wraps up on a new town green space and library, the outpouring of donations during the fund-raising campaign have put the New Canaan Library on track to complete its work on budget. The library was granted the $10 million credit line in August 2021 for construction of the new library and a town […]
When the City Council first approved funding to rebuild Washington Elementary School in May 2020, the total appropriation was just under $19.4 million — equaling roughly $3 million in additional costs on top of $16.4 million the city would pay less an expected state reimbursement rate of 67.14 percent on the estimated $38 million project. […]
The notice that the state Department of Transportation has posted at the entrance to the Stamford train station parking garage is good news. It says the DOT will start to demolish the long-deteriorating garage on Feb. 1. Stamford residents who know the fraught history of the garage would say it then will do what it […]
The circle is at the end of the Whitehead Highway connector to I-91 and brings cars from the interstate to the Capitol area. There is room for two lanes, but they aren’t marked, creating something of a free-for-all at busy times. According to a traffic analysis conducted as a part of the Greater Hartford Mobility […]
As Republicans cast doubt on the state’s 2035 electric vehicle mandate, Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration says it’s confident there will be enough charging stations to meet demand when the requirement for all new car sales to be electric takes effect. Automakers are preparing for the switch, rolling out electric versions of models ranging from SUVs […]
After years of delays and political fights, construction finally began Nov. 3 on the Hudson River Tunnel portion of the Gateway Program, a $16.1 billion group of projects that will double capacity for the Northeast Corridor rail segment connecting New Jersey and New York City. President Joe Biden in January called Gateway “one of the […]
A new wildlife refuge could be coming to southern Shelton at Two Mile Island and some adjacent coastal land along the Housatonic River, long home to the Island Sand and Gravel Co. Joseph Bienkowski, chair of the Shelton Citizens Advisory Board, sent a letter to Mayor Mark Lauretti asking the area be designated a riverfront […]
The plans by Savings Bank of Danbury being reviewed by city department heads for the $17 million office building at Main and White streets show in new renderings an open plaza with plantings opening onto Post Office Road in place of the defunct Tuxedo Junction. The bank said it needed to raze the old Tuxedo […]
The Board of Selectmen has unanimously approved a nearly $2.6 million bid for the reconstruction of Nut Plains Road. The contract was awarded to DeRita and Sons Construction Company, based out of Middletown, Town Engineer Janice Plaziak said Monday. The town ultimately had to ask for additional money from the state’s Local Transportation Capital Improvement […]
Construction crews on Monday were putting the finishing touches on a Jefferson Avenue repair project that became necessary after new catch basins on the busy street were installed incorrectly. The drainage basins were originally added months ago as part of a $3.9 million state- funded project paid with Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program, or LOTCIP, […]
Bridgeport Public Schools plans to tap nearly $2 million in federal COVID-related aid to replace the aging air conditioning and heating system at James J. Curiale School. The new HVAC system will be installed over the summer and is expected to serve the K-8 school in the city’s West End for at least for the […]
Those involved with Torrington’s middle-high school building project, now under construction on Besse Drive, would like to enhance fitness opportunities there for the rest of the city, and are seeking a grant from the state. A grant from the state’s Community Investment Fund, a highly competitive program, was first discussed in June with the City […]
The City of New London is working on becoming the first municipality in the state to have lead-free water service lines that lead to homes. City leaders said as much as 75% of the three-year project could be funded through state and federal funding, possibly through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, which aims to help distressed […]
The movable bridge — which a succession of speakers noted dates to the administration of President Theodore Roosevelt — is a notorious bottleneck along the nation’s Northeast Corridor, forcing trains to slow down to 30 mph as they cross over the Housatonic River, slow enough that they’re easily passed by cars traveling along the parallel […]
Revolution Wind, an offshore wind project to provide electricity to Connecticut and Rhode island and one of the relatively few in the northeast to emerge intact from a flurry of economic setbacks, has received final, government approval to begin construction. It will be the first utility scale offshore wind farm serving the two states and […]
A six-month delay in breaking ground for the city’s new community center has so far increased the cost of the project by nearly $230,000. City officials are not ruling out heading to court to determine who’ll ultimately foot that bill. Construction of the planned 58,000-square-foot facility on the Fort Trumbull peninsula began in July, six […]
A plan to create 12 development lots in the 384-acre, newly named Occum Industrial Center will be reviewed by the city planning commission, starting with a public hearing Tuesday. The Commission on the City Plan will open the public hearing at 7 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall on the proposed 12-lot commercial subdivision on the […]
Property owners would lose the right to develop parts of their own land if a United Illuminating project moves forward in Fairfield. UI has so far resisted demands from local elected officials, neighbors and business to alter its plan to minimize the potential impacts of a proposed project that would hang transmission lines from monopoles […]
Vicki Mancini, assistant library media specialist at the high school, joined a group that included Mario Longobucco and Ed Arum, co-chairmen of the building committee, for a tour of the $179 million project. “It’s much more than I expected,” Mancini said as she stood, amazed, in front of what will be a panoramic view of […]
The iQuilt Partnership, a nonprofit promoting a more walkable city, envisions a complete makeover of the bridge, which dates to the late 1970s, with a ramp winding its way from the intersection of Market and Pleasant streets to the bridge. There would be a similar ramp in Riverside Park. The proposal, known as RiverLink, is […]
Gov. Ned Lamont, U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy and local officials from across Connecticut gathered in Hartford on Friday to highlight the array of new infrastructure projects that are currently underway in the state and to discuss what other changes residents are likely to see in the next decade and beyond. But amid the calls to […]
The prominent hill that Route 12 traverses, towering over and looking down the sweep of the Thames River, is such a crucial geographic feature that one of the great heroes of the U.S. Navy, Stephen Decatur, built a fort at the top of it during the War of 1812, when his ships were trapped by […]
Flush with billions of dollars in Congressionally-approved infrastructure funds, state and federal officials on Thursday released their 15-year vision for Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor that includes promises of increased service, quicker trains and new rail connections. The 457-mile link between Washington, D.C. and Boston — representing the nation’s busiest rail corridor — runs straight through Connecticut, […]
This week’s public hearing on a developer’s plan to build multi-family housing in a largely vacant office park got testy all around. Residents said the developer’s representatives “browbeat” them with false information about the effects of the 508-apartment complex proposed for 900 Long Ridge Road, and fudged a study to make it look like the […]
Staff from the Health and Building departments will be visiting construction sites to educate workers on substance abuse, the dangers of fentanyl, proper use of naloxone for overdose prevention and overall work site safety. At least 269 construction workers died of an overdose in 2020, by far the most of any occupation included in the […]
Republican lawmakers in the General Assembly on Wednesday ramped up their opposition to regulations that would commit Connecticut to phasing out sales of most new gas-powered vehicles by 2035, a goal intended to reinforce market trends toward zero-emission vehicles. Adoption of the regulations is uncertain, at best. The 14-member Regulation Review Committee is unusual in […]
Danbury-based FuelCell Energy has completed the second-largest fuel cell park in North America, a 14-megawatt facility situated along the Housatonic River in Derby. The fuel cell park on Roosevelt Drive consists of 10 fuel cells, which convert natural gas into electricity through an electrochemical process that is virtually free of emissions. The facility will supply […]
Danbury Proton LLC has filed a new certificate of need application with the state Office of Health Strategy to establish a proton therapy center for cancer treatment. The estimated $90 million center, if approved, would be at 85 Wooster Heights Road, in Danbury. Danbury Proton re-applied for the certificate of need, or CON, in documents […]
Norwich Public Utilities General Manager Chris LaRose called the plant the largest capital project in city history while Federal Environmental Protection Agency New England regional administrator David Cash said it is the largest sewer infrastructure project in the state. And Jason Nickerson, chairman of Torrington-based general contractor CH Nickerson & Co. said it is the […]
The sun appears to be setting on developers’ hopes to expand the Daybreak Ridge condominium development off River Road. The Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously voiced its opposition to approving a Planned Development District for the site in order to allow construction of an additional 28 units. Daybreak Ridge, LLC, is presently constructing 36 condominiums […]
Manchester and South Windsor are two of the 17 towns that will receive transportation grants from the state of Connecticut. Gov. Ned Lamont announced last week $11.7 million in state grants to 17 towns and cities across Connecticut for projects designed to improve transportation safety and accessibility, under the Community Connectivity Grant Program. Manchester officials […]
The borough hopes to secure a construction manager deal to pave the way for the development of a road network for a new industrial park. The Board of Mayor and Burgesses gave the goahead for Mayor N. Warren “Pete” Hess to enter into an American Institute of Architects document standard form agreement with O&G Industries, […]
Taking a lesson from a year-long delay in the recently completed sports-betting lounge at Hartford’s XL Center, the Capital Region Development Authority plans to sign an agreement with local unions to ensure a ready supply of trained labor for the venue’s broader $100 million renovation. Now, as the CRDA prepares to launch a grander $100 […]
The Board of Mayor and Burgesses unanimously agreed at its regular meeting Wednesday to adopt a resolution in support of fiscal year 2024 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Brownfield Community Wide Assessment Grant and apply for the grant with an amount no greater than $500,000. Borough officials hope to obtain grant funds for three locations: Parcels […]
Concerns over the loss of parking to redevelopment south of Hartford’s Bushnell Park could trigger a rare conflict between the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts and Capital Region Development Authority. CRDA Executive Director Michael Freimuth, on Thursday, told the agency’s Regional & Economic Development Committee that Norwalk-based Spinnaker Real Estate Partners is seeking a […]
Construction crews have broken ground on the next phase of a new affordable housing development in town, called Wellington at Madison. The buildings at 135-137 Cottage Road will consist of 27 units, 24 of which are designated for people who qualify for affordable housing. The 2.6-acre site already has four market-rate units on the property, […]
The Planning and Zoning Commission approved another 72 apartments for the massive Springside Middletown complex on Wednesday, bringing the Newfield Street development up to 486 units. Attorney Meghan Hope, representing Newfield Development Partners, said the developer bought the 7.5-acre parcel along the Coginchaug River after the commission approved the other 16 buildings that made up […]
READCO of Old Lyme is proposing to turn the former Hoyt’s/Regal Cinema on Route 2 into a recreational center for pickleball as well as constructing four buildings with 124 apartments and 10,000 feet of commercial space on the remainder of the site. The Old Lyme-based firm is slated to present its design plan to the […]
At nearly $1 billion apiece, the cost of replacing a pair of century-old rail bridges in Connecticut makes them among the most expensive transportation projects in the federal government’s pipeline. Both projects — Norwalk’s Walk Bridge Replacement and the construction of a new bridge to carry trains across the Connecticut River — were included in […]
As he promised in late October, Stephen Bellis, the attorney for the developer, has filed a lawsuit seeking to ultimately uphold the initial approval for the project and reverse decisions by Zoning Director Paul Boucher and the zoning appeals board to rescind that previously issued approval for the proposed housing complex at Madison and Westfield […]
The Greater Hartford Mobility Study, which has been in the works since 2020, follows decades of planning about what to do with I-84. Leaders have proposed tunnels, closing exit ramps and other fixes as part of the Hartford 400 plan. The mobility study proposes four major projects, Burnham explained. CityLink West includes the proposal to […]
A multi-million dollar project to remove toxic soil and rebuild the foundation at Penfield Pavilion has started, though it’s later than expected. Chief Administrative Officer Tom Bremer confirmed the first phase of the project began with “hot spot removal” targeting contaminated soil tied to the town’s illegal dumping scandal, though he did not say when […]
After delayed supply deliveries pushed the project back, crews have been piecing together a temporary bridge next to the crumbling, 135-year-old one. Officials are working to have the new bridge open to pedestrians “by year’s end,” city engineer Lou Casolo said. The prefabricated bridge, which costs $1.6 million, is the city’s attempt to maintain pedestrian […]
The state Department of Transportation, which already is making improvements to the northbound side of Interstate 95 in Groton, Stonington and North Stonington, plans to begin work this spring to improve the highway’s southbound lanes in that area. Josh Morgan, DOT spokesman, said the improvements include paving the road, upgrading lighting and guardrails, and adding […]
The development team is composed of industry veterans including Framingham, Massachusetts-based Grossman Development Group, Charter Realty Principal Daniel M. Zelson and Jason C. Hess, a veteran real estate attorney with New York-based mixed-use developer Leyland Alliance. Collectively, the partners have helped complete millions of square feet of ground-up development and redevelopment worth more than $1.5 […]
Although the official proposal has not yet been submitted to the Connecticut Siting Council, Verogy, a solar developer, has informed the Town of Windsor of its intention to build a large solar panel “farm” on existing farmland at 445 River St. The project, called Windsor Solar One, would generate 5,513 mega-watt hours per year, enough […]
On Tuesday, Associated Builders and Contractors and its Southeast Texas chapter filed suit against the federal government in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas and Associated General Contractors of America filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. The rule change aimed to raise the hourly […]
More than two-thirds of contractors now offer anti-harassment training, a finding that suggests a majority of construction companies recognize the importance of creating an inclusive worksite, according to a recent report from Dodge Construction Network. Contractors that hire union workers are more than twice as likely (85%) to have anti-harassment training than those that hire […]
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has entered into an agreement with a Middlefield-based construction contractor requiring the company to restore wetlands that it filled, and to pay a civil penalty for alleged violations of the Clean Water Act. The EPA said the settlement resolves allegations that Silenex Associates LLC violated federal law when it discharged, […]
Tuesday’s 165-vote defeat of a proposed $44.75 million police station left city leaders to dissect the public opposition and to plan another path to replace the cramped, obsolete 44-year-old police headquarters. Was the price tag too high on the heels of last year’s approval of a massive $385 million school reconstruction project? Were voters objecting […]
City officials cut the ribbon Monday on Phase III of the Harbor Brook Trail, which extends the city’s linear trail from Coe to Columbus avenues. The city’s completed linear trail system currently runs from Cheshire to Red Bridge in South Meriden, to Oregon Road near Hanover Pond behind two city schools, and onto Coe Avenue. […]
The town is celebrating the completion of the $1.7 million first phase of its streetscape project — a project that has been over a decade in the making. In recognition of the project, which was made possible through a $500,000 award from the Connecticut Department of Housing’s Main Street Investment Fund Grant, the town will […]
Capacity on the Hartford Line rail will increase from 35 to 44 trains per day thanks to $105 million in new federal funding, according to the state Department of Transportation. The funding will also allow for improved signals and grade crossings in three segments totaling 6.2 miles of the Hartford Line. Work will focus in […]
The American School for the Deaf broke ground Monday on a first-of-its-kind development to support deaf and hard-of-hearing students with emotional and behavioral challenges. Two soon-to-be constructed dormitories will expand access to ASD’s PACES Program — one of just two programs in the U.S. that provide residential treatment to children with behavioral and emotional needs […]
When residents arrive at the polls on Election Day, they will be asked consider a $13.5 million bond expenditure to build a new boathouse at Harbor Park. Whether to authorize the measure — which would include the planning, design, construction, renovation, furnishing, and equipping of a new public facility and renovations to the existing John […]
The two-weekend-long bridge slide project at Exit 17 between Westport and Norwalk is complete, and Gov. Ned Lamont says the bridge replacement it is just the beginning of the state’s efforts to decrease travel time on Interstate 95. “We’re just getting started,” Lamont said Monday near the newly completed project. “We’re putting about $1.4 billion […]
The U.S.-flagged vessel, bearing the name and logo of the Crowley maritime shipping line company, steered back into the city’s deep-water port on Sunday with the same three football field-long wind turbine blades it left with on Oct. 31. Ørsted-Eversource partnership spokesman Justin May on Monday said while sections of a turbine tower and a […]
The federal Department of Transportation on Monday awarded Amtrak the final funding it needed to replace the 116-year-old railroad bridge that carries trains over the Connecticut River between Old Lyme and Old Saybrook. Construction is expected to begin in 2024 and take five years to complete. The project is estimated to cost $957 million and […]
Connecticut is set to receive nearly $2 billion in federal funding to repair bridges and update aging infrastructure that serve major rail lines along Amtrak’s busy Northeast Corridor and other regional train services. Amtrak sought greater annual funding from Congress, warning of potential disruptions to services and raising concerns about the need for updating crumbling […]
The southbound side of the Interstate 95 bridge over Saugatuck Avenue fully reopened to traffic Sunday after crews completed the second stage of repairs to the overpass, according to state officials. All lanes of the interstate were reopened by around 5 p.m., capping a weekend of construction that led to significant congestion along one of […]
As we rebuild our crumbling interstate highways, the CDOT deserves credit for learning its ABCs… “accelerated bridge construction.” Over two recent weekends they demolished and replaced two three-lane bridges at exit 17 in Westport with, considering the enormity of the tasks, minimal impact on traffic. The speed of the work on the $104 million project […]
A recent $10 million settlement clears the way for the next phase of the North Crossing, a massive, $250 million development of 1,000 apartments, parking garages and storefront space that is expected to unfold over the next five years. Developer Randy Salvatore plans to start on a second phase in just a matter of weeks. […]
Closing Hartford-Brainard Airport for either industrial or mixed-use redevelopment is possible, but it could cost tens of millions of dollars to rid the 200-acre airfield of contamination and it could take years to fully reap property tax and economic development potential, a new study concludes. Instead, as expected, the Brainard Airport Property Study recommends keeping […]
No plans have been formally submitted, but conceptual drawings first unveiled to the public last week show the developers of a block on Eugene O’Neill Drive that includes The Day building and the former Citizens Bank are envisioning the site for a new 120-room hotel and restaurant along with apartments and retail. Mayor Michael Passero […]
The long-awaited residential and commercial development of the former Ideal Forging site in downtown Southington may break ground on the first building in the next month or two. Property owners of the industrial site have approval to build the foundation of a 55-unit residential building and are working to get a multifamily construction permit. The […]
Explosives engineer Mike Rodriguez was in a bright orange sweatshirt and a hard hat as he led a group of 14 aspiring engineers through the blasting site on the northbound side of Interstate 95 that has eroded 800 feet of ledge over the past three months. The site is part of a four-and-a-half year highway […]
Drivers should once again avoid Interstate 95 in the Norwalk and Westport area this weekend due to the second phase of the Saugatuck bridge replacement project. After a successful northbound bridge replacement nearly two weeks ago, Connecticut’s Department of Transportation will replace the southbound bridge, also by using a lateral slide method, this weekend. Southbound […]
The city received two grants totaling more than $11.6 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency aimed at addressing flood control in the downtown area, Congressional lawmakers said Tuesday. The funding from FEMA will support $11,165,250 million of the city’s $14.7 million total project cost. The project includes channel realignment and profile adjustment, removing two […]
Windsor Locks has been awarded a $4.8 million state grant, helping secure a developer’s commitment to build a $42 million mixed-use apartment project near the town’s new planned train station. The welcome center will be located a stone’s throw away from the town’s new $65 million train station, which broke ground last year and is […]
The Biden administration on Monday pledged financial support for a two-way transmission line capable of carrying hydroelectricity from Quebec into New England and eventually offshore wind and solar power from New England to Quebec. The transmission line, being developed by National Grid and Citizens Energy, was one of three transmission projects receiving a total of […]
The U.S. offshore wind industry has developed much more slowly than in Europe because it took years for the states and federal government to provide subsidies and draw up rules and regulations, slowing leasing and permitting. However, as government policies started to line up in the industry’s favor in recent years, offshore wind developers unveiled […]
Danish energy developer Orsted said Tuesday night it is scrapping two large offshore wind power projects off the coast of New Jersey, adding uncertainty to a nascent industry the Biden administration and many state governments are counting on to help transition away from the burning of planet-warming fossil fuels. The company said it is canceling […]
Eversource President and Chief Executive Officer Joe Nolan said Ørsted, the Danish wind company his firm is partnering with on the South Fork Wind project, said a final investment decision was reached earlier in the day to move ahead with another joint venture, the 704-megawatt Revolution Wind project, which is expected to deliver power to […]
