After a discussion of unpermitted work at a quarry that lacked proper erosion protection along Three Mile River, the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission ordered the property owner to cease all work and to appear at a show cause hearing on March 7. Ron Swaney, who owns 308-1 Mile Creek Road, told the commission Tuesday […]
Work has begun on a $6.7 million State Street redesign project to transform a nine-block stretch of lower State Street and “knit back together” areas of the city that were chopped up by urban renewal, city and state officials said Tuesday. The project’s first phase will include “bump-outs” to protect pedestrians along State Street, from […]
Now that a traffic study has been approved by the town’s police commission, plans for the long-awaited Veterans and First Responders Center will go out to bid — and construction could break ground by April, officials say. “They are two separate bid packages but they’re going out at the same time,” said Ray Baldwin, chairman […]
Negotiations are moving ahead to purchase a property on deKoven Drive to make way for the proposed Village at Riverside downtown mixed-use development, which will include ample parking for residents and visitors. Among the components are affordable luxury units, condos, and as retail and public spaces. The area is considered prime real estate for its […]
A potential warehouse project on the East Hartford and South Windsor borders could face pushback from residents if the developer moves forward with an application. New Fairfield-based TRAC Consulting submitted a “pre-application review” for a 150,800-square-foot distribution warehouse with 30 loading bays at 71 and 81 Commerce Road, located within an existing industrial park. Tom […]
The bridge project was initially expected to be completed in November 2023. But City Engineer Lou Casolo said last year that plans for water handling, bridge demolition and supporting utilities went through “multiple rounds” of review, resulting in delays. A bridge on Wire Mill Road is also slated for construction work, Casolo said, but the […]
Work is expected to restart March 1 as Aquarion Water Co. and Eversource Energy return to their pipe installation projects in Wilton along New Canaan Road/Route 106, according to a statement from the town. The Aquarion work is part of the southwest regional pipeline transmission water main, and the Eversource project is part of a […]
The city is planning to sell $14 million in bonds Thursday for the new high/middle school and various road improvement projects. The $14 million in general obligation bonds includes $10 million for high school construction and $4 million for roadwork. The city also is issuing $34 million in bond anticipation notes – short-term notes the […]
Bradley International Airport has received $5.4 million in federal funding for the ongoing construction of an 80,000-square-foot checked baggage inspection system behind the Sheraton Hotel. The project will enable baggage to be sent from airline ticket counters on a mile-long conveyor belt to the new facility for screening. The project will free up space for […]
Officials with Florida-based Regency Centers announced the first two tenants of the complex’s retail portion, ending months of speculation. The retail portion of the complex, which will be a 152,000 square foot shopping center located near the intersection of Route 10 and I-691, will be know as Cheshire Crossing. Whole Foods currently has 11 stores […]
Town officials are vehemently opposed to a proposed solar facility at 141 Town Farm Road and will be looking into hiring an expert to intervene on the town’s behalf. Lonestar Energy of Avon has petitioned the Connecticut Siting Council for a ruling on constructing and operating a solar electric-generating facility on a 12.1-acre property that […]
As federal, state and local officials celebrated the opening of the new parking garage for the Stamford train station Monday, at least three used essentially the same phrase to describe the occasion: “a long time coming.” On Monday, Mayor Caroline Simmons laid out the features of the new facility: 914 parking spots, 92 charging stations […]
The Tweed New Haven Airport Authority Board delayed its response to questions regarding the costs and timeline of the approved airport expansion on Tuesday, pointing to an ongoing legal battle with the town. Included in the letter were nine questions about the expected schedule, funding mechanisms and total cost of the federally approved expansion — […]
“This is the big one and a great milestone for this project,” the retired Coast Guard captain and president of the National Coast Guard Museum Association said. “People are going to see steel out of the ground later this fall.” Bids for the 89,000-square-foot, six-story museum building and its associated interior systems were put out […]
A solar energy developer based in West Hartford, Verogy, has received approvals to convert former landfills in Deep River, Middletown and Montville into solar energy projects. The company announced it has received permits from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to create the energy farms. Verogy plans to install solar arrays on the […]
The study, from grid operator ISO New England, concludes that New England may need to invest close to $1 billion in in its electric transmission infrastructure each year, through 2050, in order to handle the increased electrical demands. Under one scenario outlined in the report, the electrical demand on the grid could peak at 57 […]
More than $16 million in state financing has been earmarked to renovate the 55-year-old Northside Terraces apartment complex at 4 Terrace Drive. Northside Terraces LLC will get $4 million in state Department of Housing financing, $12.08 million in Connecticut Housing Finance Authority financing and 4% in low-income housing tax credits that will attract approximately $8.3 […]
A two-pronged plan to reconfigure Governor Winthrop Boulevard and renovate the Garde Arts Center’s loading area took a step forward Thursday as contractors toured the future construction site. The goal of the project is to expand space behind the 325 State St. theater to make it easier for touring productions to load and unload gear, […]
After months of back and forth on a massive development proposed at the former site of The Hartford insurance company, the Zoning Commission voted to reject a project that would have included 432 rental units. The decision on Wednesday comes as a win to the many residents who had passionately voiced their opposition at numerous […]
The Department of Public Works was planning to start the work this year, but bids have come in more than $1 million over budget, officials said, which has caused them to shift the timeline back. “We went out to bid with the intent to start this spring, but the bids came in too high and […]
Ten-percent tax credits for developers who convert commercial properties into residential dwellings is the center piece of proposed housing priorities for the legislative session, majority Democrats in the state Senate announced on Tuesday. At least 50 apartment units per property would have to be in the conversions, with at least 20 percent designated as affordable […]
The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) and the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) jointly filed amicus briefs in support of 22 states challenging the Biden Administration’s new Greenhouse gas performance measure for state transportation departments. The two associations noted the new rule is likely to divert resources from vital new infrastructure projects […]
The city this year will bond $2.47 million to pay for infrastructure, emergency service equipment and other capital improvements, including those related to a recent church steeple collapse. The bonding is split into two portions ― $1.8 million for road, sidewalks and other infrastructure work, and $673,000 for fire, police and municipal computer equipment purchases. […]
The head of the Connecticut Airport Authority said Wednesday that federal funding for safety and lighting improvements and snow removal at the Groton-New London Airport continues to help position the airport to realize its longtime goal of commercial airline service. While the airport faces competition from Tweed New Haven Airport and T.F. Green International Airport […]
United Illuminating Company has gotten the OK to build multi-story steel poles north of the railroad tracks between Fairfield and Bridgeport. The council’s decision would relocate the monopoles that UI applied to build along the southern side of the tracks, where the structures, designed to support electric lines, would have sliced through 19.25 acres of […]
A bill proposed this month by Gov. Ned Lamont would rename the Connecticut Port Authority and essentially absorb the group into the state’s airport authority. The bill calls for identifying the port authority as the “Connecticut Maritime Authority” and making it a subsidiary of the airport group, according to a copy of the act provided […]
Construction of a cutting-edge cancer center in Connecticut is scheduled to begin this spring at 932 Northrop Road in Wallingford, town officials say. Joe Mirra, the town’s Economic Development Commission chairman, said Tuesday that representatives of Hartford Healthcare and Yale New Haven Health System have told him construction of the 25,000 square foot Connecticut Proton […]
The New Fairfield Town Park beach house reconstruction project — for which $700,000 in ARPA money was allocated — has come in over budget, town engineer Antonio Iadarola told the Board of Selectmen during its Feb. 2 meeting. After bringing the “major budget issue” to the attention of First Selectwoman Melissa Lindsey, he said officials […]
A developer looking to build an extended-stay hotel in Stamford’s downtown argues that 25 off-site parking spaces would be more than enough to accommodate guests, but the city’s zoning regulations need to be changed before it’s allowed. Tullamore LLC, which is affiliated with Greenwich-based Wellbuilt Company, has requested the text change as part of a […]
The sidewalks are under construction as part of the Lower Summer Street Promenade project, which includes widened sidewalks on both sides of Lower Summer Street (the section between Broad and Main streets), an improved streetscape with new lights and trees, a raised intersection to increase pedestrian safety and other improvements. Meyer said the project costs […]
Also called a roundabout or rotary, the traffic circle will replace the more than 30-year-old traffic signal at the intersection, saving the city in future maintenance costs and limiting emissions from vehicles idling at red lights, said Jim Travers, director of the city’s Transportation, Mobility and Parking Department. It will be located near the campus […]
Officials are scrambling to come up with savings now that bids have come in more than a million dollars higher than original estimates for the $5.3 million senior center renovation project. The bids came from construction subcontractors vying to work under the Hartford-based Newfield Construction management firm, which was selected in October to manage the […]
The City Council will be asked Tuesday to support a $15.6 million federal grant request for improvements to the Interstate 395 Exit 18 ramp and to create dedicated lanes for traffic entering and leaving the planned Occum Industrial Center. The Norwich Community Development Corp. is seeking authorization to apply for the grant through the U.S. […]
he Association of Union Constructors (TAUC) Spring 2018 edition of TAUC’s Construction User magazine was devoted to the opioid issue with the theme “Confronting the Opioid Crisis: What Contractors Can Do Today.” Today, Zimmer serves as an appointed member of the Connecticut Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee. In 2023 Zimmer was invited to represent the construction […]
As a showdown on the future of Hartford-Brainard Airport looms in the legislature, Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam isn’t showing his cards just yet, and last year’s consultant’s report didn’t go far enough in helping him take a position on the issue. A consultant’s $1.5 million study late last year concluded that the 200-acre airfield in […]
As part of a broader lawsuit filed in March 2023, Old Colony, owned by Michelle Neri, requested a temporary injunction to stop the town from moving forward on a project to repair the South Anguilla Road bridge, but the request became moot when the project was completed before the case could be litigated. New London […]
School officials have submitted detailed plans for the proposed athletic field improvements at South Windsor High School ahead of a public hearing scheduled in March. Though the Town Council decided in January not to set a date for a $7.5 million referendum to fund the plan, the school district is moving forward with an application […]
Zoning commissioners signed off on plans to build a five-story building with 245 apartments, including 30 affordable units, ground-floor retail space and co-working offices for residents at 81 Black Rock Turnpike, tucked between Fairfield Metro Center and the newly opened Elicit Brewing Company location. The zoning approval is a major step forward for the large-scale […]
Less than a year after the offshore wind industry landed in New London with the delivery of components for the nation’s first utility-scale offshore wind farm, the final pieces of New York’s South Fork Wind slowly made their way by barge up the Thames River on Friday night. The parts, which include 330-foot-long turbine blades, […]
Despite being particularly adept at overcoming daily challenges, contractors often find attracting skilled craft professionals to be a daunting task. Craft training and credentials are a source of pride for their recipients. Every company, regardless of sector, can benefit from increased efficiency and quality of work. The immediate results of craft training have been thoroughly […]
Rodney Butler, the Mashantucket tribal chairman, also spoke at Thursday’s celebration, noting that Foxwoods’ evolution actually began 37 years ago with the opening of a high-stakes bingo hall that became Foxwoods Resort Casino in 1992. Butler said nearly 200 tribal members are employed at Foxwoods, which he said continues to serve as an economic engine […]
The former town landfill is slated for a 5 megawatt solar array which could help generate both energy and income for Groton. If approved, the $4 million project by West Hartford-based solar developer Verogy that was presented to the Town Council on Tuesday would provide Groton with about $200,000 in lease payments or payments in […]
A West Haven company is making a plea to be considered for hazardous waste-cleanup work after it claims being wrongfully terminated a few years ago during a state investigation into contract steering that has not implicated the firm. AAIS Corp. charges that it is now barred from other state and local work and has become […]
State officials significantly modified a $225 million United Illuminating transmission line project in Bridgeport and Fairfield on Thursday, upsetting local opponents and considerably delaying the company’s plan. While UI’s proposal called for the removal of aged transmission lines along the Northeast Corridor and to construct new monopoles primarily south of the Metro-North railroad line, the […]
The Federal Aviation Administration has awarded Tweed New Haven Regional Airport a $2.5 million grant toward the cost of building a new 75,000-square-foot terminal on the East Haven side of the airport, airport officials announced Thursday. The project, currently estimated at $165 million, also includes lengthening the airport’s runway, adding additional parking and building a […]
The town and the nonprofit Save the Sound have appealed the approval of the Tweed New Haven Airport expansion in federal court on Wednesday, maintaining that an environmental study failed to address “crucial” looming impacts. After reviewing an environmental assessment of the $165 million plan, which includes the extension of a runway and new terminal […]
A multimillion-dollar project to reduce flooding along the Rooster River is in the middle of a town government tussle over how to allocate federal COVID-19 relief funds before they expire. Town officials said Fairfield has about four more months to commit more than $2.8 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding for the Rooster River […]
Eversource Energy surged the most in almost four years after announcing plans to exit the offshore-wind and water businesses, moves aimed at refocusing on its core business of delivering electricity and natural gas to customers in the US Northeast. The Springfield, Massachusetts-based company announced Tuesday a deal to sell its 50% stakes in two US […]
Chief Financial Officer John Moreira blamed the Public Utilities Regulatory (PURA) for the company’s cash flow issues, saying the regulatory agency’s new methodology has prevented it from recovering $800 million related to supply costs and arrearages. PURA no longer allows utilities to forecast costs for supply in rate adjustments. However, Eversource expects to recover that […]
Residents are opposing a solar project as trees are being removed and open fields are transformed into an access road and clearings for more than 51,000 panels. The project, which is owned by Silicon Ranch and sits on 212 acres in Litchfield and Torrington, was approved in September 2021 by the Connecticut Siting Council. Tree-clearing […]
Post Road Residential is angry that, by accepting a brownfield remediation grant from DECD, they are required to ensure the construction workers hired to perform work on their development project would earn not less than our state’s prevailing wage. They’re apparently also upset by having to ensure a certain number of housing units are set […]
Wage theft is a pervasive problem facing workers throughout the US. According to a 2014 report by the Economic Policy Institute, workers lose over $50bn a year to wage theft from employers. Wage theft includes tactics from stiffing workers on pay, failing to properly pay workers for overtime, minimum wage violations, misclassification of employees as […]
Construction of the Constitution Boulevard West extension will continue in earnest come spring, with the first phase of development expected to be completed by the fall, according to city officials. Mike Kanios, the city’s public works director, said work on the site, which began about a year ago, has slowed of late mainly due to […]
Members of the Stamford Zoning Board were set to vote on a special permit for a proposed 471-unit downtown apartment complex on Clinton Avenue Tuesday night — until the request was withdrawn at the last minute. The withdrawal happened during a discussion about affordable housing units for the project. New York developer Carmel Partners preferred […]
Mountaintop Trucking is looking to renew its earth excavation permit – likely for the last time. The Planning and Zoning Commission will be reviewing the application for the renewal at its meeting Wednesday, City Planner Jeremy Leifert said. It is the ninth time the renewal has come before the commission since about 2005. Danny Stoughton, […]
So when a ceremonial ground-breaking was held on the site Jan. 16 it came as a surprise that 160 of the 420 units planned for the first phase of construction would be lower-priced workforce housing. Not low income, but aimed instead at teachers, police officers, nurses and others, and exceeding an affordable requirement in an […]
After a Common Council committee set the maximum contractor costs for the upcoming construction of the South Norwalk School and the new Norwalk High School, the city is looking at a maximum combined cost for the projects of as much as $271.4 million. Newfield Construction, the South Norwalk School’s contractor, can charge the city at […]
n recent weeks, the Westbrook Outlets, an open-air shopping center off Exit 65 of Interstate 95, some 20 miles west of Waterford’s Crystal Mall, has emerged as the potential site of a $425 million development that would involve leveling what’s there now and replacing it with a mix of residential and commercial space. The plan […]
A proposal to build 107 townhouses on Pickett District Road has a few nearby residents concerned about the project’s potential impact on traffic and on their properties. Flagstaff Investments of New Milford submitted a special permit and site plan application to construct the 12-building townhouse residential complex to the Zoning Commission in November. The commission […]
A solar farm developer petitioned the state late last month to build a facility in Manchester’s “rural residential” zone. California-based TRITEC Americas hopes to install a solar array on 7.8 acres of vacant land at 250 Carter St., bordering the cul-de-sac on Amanda Drive and a handful of single-family homes on Blue Ridge Drive and […]
Attorney General William Tong on Tuesday announced his office had closed a whistleblower investigation into the Connecticut Port Authority and determined there was nothing illegal about the $523,000 “success fee” paid to a contractor, Seabury Capital, whose co-founder was a former port authority board member. “Our investigation did not substantiate the whistleblower’s allegations of impropriety […]
Kevin Dillon, executive director of the Connecticut Airport Authority (CAA), said 2023 was a year of continued recovery for air travel in general, and at the state’s largest hub, Bradley International Airport. “We captured back a lot of our pre-pandemic traffic,” he said. “But if you look at where we’re at right now, on any […]
The reconstruction of the bustling West Hartford Center is looming. Sidewalks are narrow and hazardous, trees need to be replaced, and the existing pedestrian infrastructure is outdated and at times unsafe. The West Hartford Center Infrastructure Master Plan was first revealed a year ago, with plans to elevate the popular dining and shopping destination to […]
Under the city’s Below Market Rate program, developers must offer at least 10 percent of units in a project at reduced rents. In lieu of that, they may seek approval to contribute the value of those units to the affordable housing fund instead. Carmel Partners was asking the board to approve the cash offset which […]
Gales Ferry Intermodal LLC has withdrawn its application to create a quarry operation at Mount Decatur, and a Thursday public hearing on the proposal that drew a phalanx of criticism over the past few months has been canceled. An attorney for Cashman Dredging & Marine Contracting Co. of Quincy, Mass., the parent company of Gales […]
Gov. Ned Lamont stayed well within Connecticut’s fiscal guardrails Wednesday, recommending a $26.1 billion budget that erases $500 million in bonded debt and invests in child care and education while largely holding the line in most other places. The spending plan for the fiscal year starting July 1 increases base aid for public colleges and […]
Aquarion Water Company and its proxies will begin a major water main replacement project on Greenwich Avenue next week, which is expected to last months. Xenelis said they hope to begin the work on Monday night, assuming the weather is favorable. The work will happen from 10 p.m. to 10 a.m., on the Sunday through […]
Gov. Ned Lamont will unveil a $26.1 billion budget Wednesday for the next fiscal year that features few new initiatives and a plan to dramatically reduce Connecticut’s bonded debt using rapidly accumulating reserves from its transportation program, according to sources familiar with the plan. Connecticut budgets in biennial cycles, and the plan Lamont will present […]
Current designs for the new Norton school show a two-story building with an open central courtyard, a media center and rooms for music, art and teacher planning. The lower level includes a section with a gym, cafeteria, nurse’s office and administrative offices. The school was given a “Woods and Trails” theme through discussions with stakeholder […]
The town’s environmental review board has taken the extra step of ordering a local builder to pay for an independent review of his wetland engineering plans to cluster 117 homes near Taunton Pond after a crowd of residents railed against the project. D’Amico and a majority of the residents who raised concerns about the development […]
Plans to nearly double a condominium development off River Road have been shot down by the Shelton Planning and Zoning Commission. Daybreak Ridge, LLC, is presently constructing 36 condominiums — dubbed Daybreak Ridge — at the site. The developers’ application for the zone change of the 12.39-acre parcel to a Planned Development District would have […]
The looming steel poles at the center of a controversial United Illuminating proposal could move north of the railroad tracks, away from a location some say threatened nearly 20 acres of private property between Fairfield and Bridgeport. In a non-binding “straw poll,” the Connecticut Siting Council, which oversees power line projects, voted in favor of […]
What type of relationship should exist between a regulator and the regulated? It’s an age-old question that local, state and federal governments often struggle with. Most reasonable people would agree some tension ought to exist between an industry regulator and the companies it oversees. But the PURA-Eversource/UI squabbles go well beyond that, and could hinder […]
Under the $225 million proposal, UI would have swapped aged transmission lines with new 100- to 135- foot monopoles south of the Metro-North railroad line, requiring 19.25 acres of easements and 6.5 acres tree clearing. Officials, including U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, State Sen. Tony Hwang, R-Fairfield, State Rep. Jennifer Leeper and […]
Once a skeptic of nuclear energy, Energy and Technology Co-Chair State Rep. Jonathan Steinberg, D-Westport, is now one of its staunchest supporters. Steinberg told CT Examiner this week that, like many of his contemporaries, he questioned the benefits of using nuclear energy. But those concerns have been alleviated through research, talking to field experts and […]
Martin, speaking at town hall meeting Thursday, said he envisions a revitalized Main Street area, with streetscape and traffic-calming improvements, as well as the possibility of traffic circles in high accident areas. Martin said residents could soon begin to see Bissell Street closed down to motor vehicle traffic one or two days a week and […]
The former Bridgewater Associates property is prepping to become new office spaces and housing, including affordable housing for people with disabilities, while paying homage to the outdoors in its aesthetic. The development would be called The Glendinning Village, named after its 1 Glendinning Place address and the man who built it in the 1960s, Ralph […]
The massive redevelopment of a former factory building in New Britain will add more than 150 new apartments to the city early next year, city officials and developers said. Officials from WinnCompanies and WinnDevelopment, a Massachusetts-based developer and housing management firm, visited New Britain this week for a progress tour of 321 Ellis St., which […]
First Selectman Fred Camillo said the town is working diligently to replace the rink, but they need to follow the proper process. Municipal Improvement status, commonly referred to as “MI,” is granted by the Planning and Zoning Commission. The Department of Public Works started presenting its rink replacement plan to the commission last year, but […]
A former factory site in the Hill section will soon be home to 150 affordable apartments. The city plans to use nearly $1 million in state grant funds to help a developer demolish four old buildings to clear the way. The $995,600 grant, which Gov. Ned Lamont announced in December, will pay a portion of […]
The Connecticut Airport Authority has confirmed that a sinkhole formed at the perimeter of Bradley International Airport in December. In a statement provided to CT Insider, CAA spokesperson Brian Spyros said that the sinkhole had been “temporarily filled and stabilized.” According to agency officials, the sinkhole formed around Dec. 4. The 20-by-20 foot sinkhole grew […]
Workers, family members and elected officials honor the six workers who died in an explosion in 2010, according to Connecticut AFL-CIO Health & Safety Committee. The Connecticut AFL-CIO Health & Safety Committee will celebrate the lives of the six workers who died in the Kleen Energy explosion 14 years ago at 11 a.m. Sunday Feb. […]
For years, Connecticut has struggled with a number of clean energy initiatives as the legislature has been reluctant to authorize policy or money for them. Nevermind just keeping pace with the neighbors, there are lessons for Connecticut in the region and elsewhere for innovative ways to tackle climate change from energy and emissions standpoints. Connecticut […]
The collaborative, first announced last October, will be a nonprofit tasked with working with the government, industry, labor and academia, along with neighboring states, to help drive offshore wind toward becoming a major economic driver in the state. It will be housed in offices at the Southeastern Connecticut Enterprise Region in Groton, an agency that […]
