Calling it “critical” and long overdue, Danbury Mayor Roberto Alves and other city officials are urging residents to approve a $49 million bond package to pay for a new firehouse, technology for the police department, and a citywide road reconstruction program. Following a public hearing, the Town Council voted unanimously on Monday to authorize the […]
The new $20 million Fairfield Avenue overpass spanning Interstate 95 is taking shape, with orange safety fencing lining the sides and wood planks paneling the bottom of steel beams. “Now that steel has been installed, we plan to re-open the I-95 south, Route 7 on-ramp lane to its original configuration in early September to ease […]
Project officials behind the four-and-a-half-year, $148 million Interstate 95 reconstruction project are warning travelers to brace for the most significant impacts to Route 161 to date. Resident Engineer Robert Obey of the Glastonbury-based engineering firm GM2 said crews on Sept. 8 are set to begin construction of a new bridge that by the end of […]
More than a week after heavy rain triggered flash flooding in southwestern Connecticut that may have left up to three people dead, parts of multiple state and local roads remain closed, according to state and local officials. The flooding washed out whole sections of tarmac as well as bridges and rail lines on Aug. 18. […]
In fiscal year 2023, the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division secured over $35.5 million in back wages for nearly 18,000 construction employees — more funds than from any other U.S. industry. Wage theft can come in many forms, such as not paying overtime, not paying union or pension dues or misclassifying full-time employees as […]
The city’s Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved a two-year extension for Nuvance Health for its planned construction of a seven-story addition to Norwalk Hospital. The two-year extension would be “more than sufficient,” Suchy said, and that “the hope is that construction will have commenced by first quarter of 2026.” The hospital is planning to […]
The North Street Bridge needs to be replaced, but its neighbors are not happy about the 18 to 24 month timeframe it will take. When the bridge was inspected on March 7, 2022, the town’s Department of Public Works found it to be in “critical condition,” which resulted in emergency repairs. But the bridge still […]
With severe thunderstorms forecast for overnight Monday, state officials continue a cleanup and assessment of last week’s deadly flooding damage, which is expected to take months to and cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Teams of workers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and federal Small Business Administration will start assessing storm damage to determine […]
The town has secured $3.46 million in state grants thus far, has tentative approval for two additional $4 million grants and applied for $3 million more, all for a project to turn the Route 2A area in Poquetanuck from a speedway to nearby casinos or shoreline spots into an inviting village atmosphere. The town is […]
On Thursday, students will return to school in the old high school and in January, they will move to the new building. With most of the big jobs behind them, crews have begun working their way through punch list items, said Building Committee Co-Chair Edward Arum and Superintendent for O&G Industries Brian Pracuta. Ground was […]
Plans to update four schools in Lyme-Old Lyme may cost considerably more than anticipated, given bids discussed on Monday by the Board of Education’s Building Committee. CT Examiner reviewed a number of budget and bid documents prepared by Downes Construction, which is overseeing the project for the district. With bids for Mile Creek Elementary School, […]
There will be no referendum in November to change either the price or the scope of the $385 million school construction project, leaving project planners with a mandate to complete it for the price approved by voters. The City Council on Monday withdrew two competing ordinances, one to raise the price by $50 million and […]
Sunday’s downpours resulted in flooding that killed two women in Oxford, compromised or destroyed 27 state bridges and dozens more local bridges, culverts and road shoulders. “Until we clear all the debris out, we don’t know if those wall structures are able to be saved or not,” Eucalitto said, pointing to a nearby storm water […]
President Joe Biden on Wednesday approved a federal emergency declaration that Gov. Ned Lamont requested for Fairfield, Litchfield and New Haven counties after heavy rainfall Sunday and ensuing flooding caused widespread damage and two deaths. A White House announcement said Biden authorized the Federal Emergency Management Agency to supplement state and local response efforts and […]
The so-called “Tyvek temple” on Wall Street has secured financing and construction will begin again after more than a decade on hold to complete a six-story mixed-income apartment building. “Getting the green light to begin construction after so many years of preparation is always the best time for everyone who works on a project like […]
City leaders voted earlier this week to send a $59 million, two-question bond referendum to voters in November to pay for the construction of a new 911 dispatch center and reconstruction of a 100-year-old North End neighborhood school. Common Council members met Aug. 19 to hear presentations on both proposals: a $48.9 million renovation and […]
Construction on a new 29-residence townhouse community in Bloomfield began last week. The community, called Abby Court, will contain seven triplex and four duplex buildings. The homes are on a 9.5-acre property at 1120 Blue Hills Ave. The developer is Rehoboth Court LLC, an affiliate of T & M Building Co. Inc. of Torrington. The […]
Community members will get an opportunity later this month to learn about and provide feedback on a roughly $4 million track and slope stabilization project proposed for Bethel and Wilton sections on the Danbury branch of the Metro-North Railroad. The state Department of Transportation will hold a virtual public information meeting at 6 p.m. Aug. […]
David Kooris, chairman of the Connecticut Port Authority’s Board of Directors and the public face of the often-controversial State Pier reconstruction project, resigned his leadership post on Tuesday but will remain a board member. Paul Whitescarver, a retired U.S. Navy submarine captain and executive director of the Southeastern Connecticut Enterprise Region, was selected by the […]
A plan to close a portion of Lawler Lane to allow for future development in the new Occum Industrial Center cleared its first hurdle Tuesday with support by the city planning commission. The land on both sides of the road is owned by the Norwich Community Development Corp. and is part of the Occum Industrial […]
The devastating storm that flooded parts of Connecticut and swept away roads was far more than infrastructure could handle. Twelve-plus inches of rain fell in a short period, or three months worth of rain for the state. But what exactly is a 1,000-year flood? No, it’s not a flood that happens once only every 1,000 […]
Town officials in both Oxford and Southbury say the damage in their towns from Sunday’s massive flooding likely will exceed a combined $100 million. Those estimated repair bills do not include damage sustained by private homeowners and businesses, whose structures in some cases were literally torn from their foundations or incurred internal flooding damage that […]
Builders haven’t broken ground yet on the long-vacant site, but developers are already listing luxury two-bedroom condominiums for $1.25 million at The Marketplace of Madison, near the Hammonasset Connector. The planned 24-unit condo development includes retail space and a 100-seat restaurant on the first floor in two three-story buildings, completing The Marketplace, which was approved […]
West Rocks Road is slated for a $2 million makeover to add sidewalks and crosswalks along a 2-mile stretch of the road that encompasses three schools. Norwalk’s Transportation, Mobility and Parking Department is hosting a community meeting Monday night to discuss the project. Residents attending will be sorted by their addresses to discuss the section […]
CDOT is in the process of obtaining its final approvals for the latest alternative of the interchange, which would change the superhighway into a boulevard with traffic signals. The project requires a lot of coordination between state and federal agencies, Patel said. Now the team is close to finalizing a design. “We were looking at […]
The state’s first surge of electricity produced by an offshore wind farm will not reach Connecticut in 2025 after all. Revolution Wind, the 65-turbine wind farm under construction and slated to be the first to deliver power to Connecticut, will not start delivering electricity to the state until 2026 because of delays in construction of […]
Work on the Wallingford community pool is likely to resume soon after it stalled in 2020 at the start of the pandemic. He said he decided to get an estimate first so the town could reassess the original pool design — which was estimated at $7.4 million — and gauge what could be changed since […]
Calling for a 0.9-mile addition from where the trail currently ends at Skunk Lane, the project to extend the multi-use trail up through northern Wilton was originally presented in 2020 to the Western Connecticut Council of Governments, which approved sending the plans to the state for approval. The trail extension project would bring the east […]
Train commuters from East Norwalk should prepare to use another station for the next three weeks as Connecticut’s Department of Transportation begins a platform replacement project associated with the Walk Bridge project. From Saturday, Aug. 17 to Friday, Sept. 6, no trains will stop in East Norwalk while crews demolish the northern platform and build […]
State Department of Transportation officials say the city’s notorious traffic congestion at Route 162 and Old Gate Lane, caused by three years of repairs, may finally be finished this fall. DOT spokesperson Joe Cooper reported that the $3.9 million project — originally budgeted at $3.65 million — has completed its main tasks, including the installation […]
Spending on infrastructure for power, water, wastewater and telecom will continue to grow through the balance of 2024, driven by the public investment in water and wastewater as well as the energy transition. Nationwide, the forecast for electricity demand increased from 2.6 percent to 4.7 percent growth over the next five years, as reflected in […]
Members of the State Contracting Standards Board (SCSB) discussed possible enforcement actions against the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) after the department has ignored multiple requests for information related to a statutorily required audit, including removing DEEP’s ability to enter contracts. Since October of 2023, the SCSB staff and chief procurement officer have […]
Officials will shift some $2.5 million in expiring American Rescue Plan Act funds to projects like the new library and park expansions to avoid having to refund the federal government. Town Manager Steve Stephanou said at a meeting Tuesday night that while Manchester must encumber all of the $25 million from ARPA by the end […]
The largest of them, the New Haven police department, received about $2,500 after reporting a local business that was found to be improperly classifying employees as independent contractors, a tactic often used by employers that want to cut costs illegally. The other $2,500 went to the Labor Department. Bruckhart noted that allegations of unpaid wages […]
The majority of the funding, $69.1 million, is allocated to infrastructure projects, including $14.8 million to improve the Route 7 and Merritt Parkway interchange and $13.5 million for the Strawberry Hill Bridge construction. Several Norwalk schools, including Marvin Elementary, are finally getting HVAC systems, which Duff said will provide relief for students, staff and parents […]
Gales Ferry Intermodal’s third submission of its quarry proposal, which addresses some of the concerns residents expressed in a series of public hearings last winter that brought out as many as 200 people each time will be heard Sept 12 at 6 p.m. at Ledyard Middle School. The new proposal offers some financial incentives to […]
For nearly four decades, Connecticut has designated a portion of its annual budget specifically to finance upgrades to its aging transportation infrastructure. And while fuel taxes were the principal source of revenue for the STF throughout most of its history, sales tax receipts recently have supplanted them — albeit just barely. The Special Transportation Fund, […]
“The potential Fed rate cut in September is becoming increasingly more likely, alongside slower inflation and weaker labor market conditions,” said Sarah Martin, associate director of forecasting at Dodge Construction Network, in the release. “This is likely driving owners and developers to remain optimistic about 2025 market conditions and pushing more projects into the planning […]
Construction is underway on a $2.5 million project to install hundreds of feet of new sidewalks, three new bus shelters and other safety improvements in New Milford along Route 7 to keep pedestrians off the road. On the roadway also known as Danbury Road, the Hartford-based contractor BETA Group Inc. is installing 2,300 feet of […]
After the budget for the project ballooned by 71 percent in recent months due to booming escalation costs, officials worked to find roughly $55 million in savings to bring the total budget down to $461 million. That’s still a 53 percent increase over the original budget set in 2022 of $301 million. When looking at […]
Work has begun on a series of upgrades that will make the region’s electric grid more resilient to extreme weather caused by climate change and improve reliability for customers, Eversource has announced. The work to replace aging transmission infrastructure within the utility right of way with stronger steel structures began Monday, Aug. 5. While the […]
Construction work continues on the stretch of Interstate 95 between Westport and Norwalk, including the addition of a new sidewalk off Exit 16. “The community can expect the installation of new pedestrian signals as well as new pavement markings throughout the city within the coming weeks,” Norwalk said on Facebook. “We appreciate CTDOT’s partnership in […]
Meadow Ridge has started construction to install much-anticipated solar panels at the senior living community, with a goal of lowering energy costs and creating a greener future. The Meadow Ridge Solar Committee has been working to bring the planned $2.7 million solar power project to the senior living community for several years. The project was […]
The federal government is giving the region $389 million to improve the electrical grid. Part of that money will go towards erecting massive wind turbines off the coast of New London. Connecticut officials say that will mean cheaper, cleaner electricity in the long run. State officials say the project should be in service within eight […]
Much-needed renovations to the 49-year-old XL Center in downtown Hartford are closer to reality as the state Bond Commission approved $118 million for the project Thursday. The total renovation for the 16,300-seat arena, which opened in 1975 as the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in the Hartford Civic Center, will cost $145 million, down from a $250 […]
In May 2022, New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart helped celebrate the launch of an $11 million redevelopment of the former Stanley Black & Decker headquarters on Myrtle Street into 106 market rate apartments. At the time, the project was expected to wrap-up in a little more than a year. Developer Amit Lakhotia blames the delay […]
Connecticut will share a portion of $389 million in federal funds for electrical infrastructure projects in New England — including one in Montville — aimed at accommodating an influx of offshore wind power. The U.S. Department of Energy on Tuesday announced it had awarded the competitive grant to Power Up New England, a joint proposal […]
City officials are waiting for one document before the state approves the demolition of 116 Cook Ave. and it can finalize hiring a contractor. The city received $2 million to demolish the building, and the City Council approved bonding $25 million to build the new center. The city has not set aside money for the […]
The Route 74 Bridge over the Skungamaug River, near Skungamaug Road reopened for travel on Tuesday — ahead of schedule. “This project was completed ahead of schedule thanks to strong partnerships between (the Connecticut Department of Transportation), the town, and ROTHA Contracting,” Joe Cooper of the DOT said. The project was awarded to the ROTHA […]
Beginning Tuesday, Aug. 6, Danbury’s Public Works Department is conducting road construction on Wooster Heights Road, the city of Danbury announced on its website. This construction will not result in any road closures, however, there is the possibility of travel restrictions during the work period, the city said. The construction work is expected to last […]
A Common Council presentation later this month will outline two bond questions proposed for the November ballot totaling $54.6 million. The circa 1924 Macdonough Elementary School on Spring Street is in “significant” need of upgrades, Mayor Ben Florsheim said at Monday’s Council meeting. Officials are considering a $45 million renovation and expansion at the facility […]
The Planning & Zoning Commission approved major renovations at Old Greenwich School at its meeting Tuesday, voting unanimously to approve plans to construct an 8,000 square-foot addition with four new classrooms, a new main entrance, improved handicap access and additional recreation space. The construction work is estimated to be in the $43 million range, and […]
A $2.2 million tax credit for Bowers Elementary School is expected to reduce the burden on Manchester taxpayers for “net-zero energy” renovations that were completed last year. Manchester officials said in a statement that the tax credit will help to reduce the debt issuance needed for the project, reducing the burden on taxpayers as a […]
An on-ramp for Interstate 95 in Norwalk will be closed through Thursday morning, according to local police. The state Department of Transportation closed the Exit 15 on-ramp to I-95 North on Sunday evening to allow construction crews to work in the area. West Avenue traffic north of the on-ramp will be detoured to the Route […]
It started at $300 million. It went to more than $500 million then was scaled back to perhaps $425 million. Now the cost to rebuild Westhill High School has landed at about $460 million. The main reason for the eye-popping escalation is “industry trends” in school construction, according to information from city and school officials […]
In his new job as the city’s economic development director, William Wallach will help decide the future of the recently demolished Torrington Company Standard Plant. Demolition of the Standard Plant on North Street, a project that began in October 2023, was completed at the end of July. To help finance the estimated $4 million demolition, […]
The City Council on Monday started a process to discontinue a portion of Lawler Lane in a move that could help attract the first development project to the new Occum Industrial Center. The council considered a resolution to discontinue 1,500 feet of Lawler Lane where land for the Occum Industrial Center lies on both sides […]
The fourth floor of Danbury High School’s C Wing was an active construction zone late Thursday morning. They are more than a month into a multimillion-dollar project that represents the first effort to overhaul some of the school’s science laboratories in more than 60 years. The project calls for the overhaul of 18 science labs, […]
Kimberly Glassman, director of the Foundation for Fair Contracting of Connecticut, which monitors public works projects to ensure compliance with state laws, said that worker misclassification — for example, classifying a worker as an independent contractor instead of as a salaried employee who would earn benefits — along with lack of workers’ compensation and not […]
One of the last dominos needed to kick off a $145 million renovation of downtown Hartford’s XL Center is expected to fall Aug. 8, as the state Bond Commission takes up a request to borrow $118 million to fund the project. With this added to $27 million previously approved by the bond commission, the Capital […]
The latest investment in West Hartford’s New Park Avenue corridor will create nearly 200 new homes between two housing developments. Both the Elmwood Lofts — a 117 unit mixed-use development at the former Puritan Furniture site — and The Jayden — a 70 unit mixed-use development at 579 New Park Ave. — have been given […]
Dominion Energy is exploring the possibility of connecting a data center directly to a nuclear plant in Connecticut, as the tech sector hunts for carbon-free electricity to power artificial intelligence applications. The Millstone Power Station in Waterford, Connecticut, provides more than 90% of the Nutmeg State’s carbon-free power and generates enough electricity for nearly two […]
Spinnaker Real Estate Partners of South Norwalk plans to develop parking lots that surround the former state offices in downtown Hartford into two apartment buildings, adding another 239 apartments and storefront retail space just south of Bushnell Park. The conversion of 55 Elm St. and an annex — now in its final stages — is […]
The Zoning Board unanimously approved the construction of 26 townhomes in the Glenbrook area on Hope Street on land currently the site of a single-family home and the former Haitian American Community Center. To make way for the new units, the home, detached garage, large driveway and a former church used as the community center […]
The $100 million redevelopment to turn the vacant former Red Lion Hotel at 100 Berlin Road into a multi-use complex called the Lord Cromwell featuring commercial businesses, living spaces, a high-end restaurant and more continues despite no apparent activity at the site. The goal is to replace the dilapidated building with at least 274 housing […]
More than 60% of likely Connecticut voters would modify the state’s savings programs to spend more on human services, health care and education while still paying down state pension debt faster than the required pace, according to a new poll released Wednesday from private, nonprofit social service agencies. The survey, conducted by San Francisco-based Change […]
