Tariff fears tied to biggest construction cost jump in 2 years

Construction input prices jumped 1.4% in January, marking the largest monthly increase in two years, according to an analysis by Associated Builders and Contractors. However, the price jump also stems from a rush to purchase materials ahead of potential tariffs, said Anirban Basu, ABC chief economist. The cost of inputs to construction now sits 40.5% […]

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Decision on Ledyard quarry plan tabled to next week

The Planning and Zoning Commission tabled a vote Thursday on a proposed 40-acre quarry off Route 12 in Gales Ferry that residents have said would ruin their health, disturb their neighborhoods and reduce the value of their homes. The commission is next scheduled to meet to discuss and possibly vote on the application Thursday, Feb. […]

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Lamont budget calls for CT to ramp up transportation projects

Gov. Ned Lamont’s new budget proposal would keep Connecticut on pace to dramatically accelerate the rebuilding of its aging highways, bridges and rail lines. But that increase also could leave the transportation program needing new revenues in three years, and some legislators already have begun exploring new ways to pay for it — including a […]

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Naugatuck is first to join CT’s new Municipal Redevelopment Authority: ‘We’re way ahead of the game’

The borough is the first town statewide to join the Connecticut Municipal Redevelopment Authority, newly established to help municipalities with transit oriented development. MRDA, a quasi-public state agency created in 2024 by state law, is responsible for helping municipalities with transit-oriented development, mainly focusing on the growth of new housing, as defined under state statutes. […]

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DOD halts PLAs on construction projects

The Department of Defense has ordered its contracting officers to halt the use of project labor agreements on “large-scale construction projects,” according to a memo obtained by Construction Dive. The notice, dated Feb. 7, says contracting officers shall remove PLA requirements created by former President Joe Biden that apply to projects receiving $35 million or […]

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How Trump’s new tariffs on steel and aluminum could impact Connecticut businesses and consumers

Having threatened, implemented and then pulled back on tariffs involving imports from Canada and Mexico earlier this month, President Donald J. Trump has now implemented 25 % tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports. As of Tuesday evening, it was still unclear how much steel Connecticut businesses purchased from international sources in 2024. But according […]

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Plan to turn former West Hartford UConn campus into housing, retail come before Town Council Tuesday

WeHa Development Group LLC is seeking a zoning change for 1800 Asylum Ave. that would allow them to convert the long-vacant property into Heritage Park, a development consisting of six duplex townhomes, 93 rental one- and two-bedroom units, 19 townhomes that will be for sale and a 90-unit assisted living facility combined with a grocery […]

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In photos: Southington’s old library building is demolished now that the new one is open

Crews have been hard at work demolishing the old Southington Public Library at 255 Main St. now that the new, 30,000-sqaure-foot library opened next door in December. Efforts to build a new, state-of-the-art building have been in the works for several years, including residents’ approval of $16.9 million for the project in 2021. A $5 […]

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Millstone explores possibility of smaller-scale nuclear reactors

At Holtec International’s manufacturing facility in Camden, N.J., welders work to seal stainless steel canisters that will be used by an overseas customer to ship spent nuclear fuel. To ensure the canisters don’t leak, they undergo a series of three tests, including digital radiology to essentially X-ray the welding job, a dye check to discover […]

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New Milford approves $449,550 for architect to begin designs for riverfront revitalization project

The town has taken another step toward creating a blueprint for the revitalization of New Milford’s riverfront area by voting to hire an architectural firm for $449,550 to begin designing the project. The Town Council approved a motion at its Jan. 27 meeting to authorize Mayor Pete Bass to enter into a contract with WXY […]

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High-profile apartment buildings are going up from Fairfield to Shelton in 2025

Apartment buildings are popping up from Fairfield to Shelton. Some are mixed-use and feature commercial aspects like Trumbull Center with its planned retail on the ground floor. Others are purely residential, such as a new 100-unit building on Lordship Boulevard in Stratford. The Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved plans to build a 50-unit, five-story […]

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Could widening I-84 reduce traffic between Waterbury and Danbury?

State Rep. Mitch Bolinsky, a Newtown Republican, is no stranger to traffic on Interstate-84. And so Bolinsky has proposed a possible solution, submitting a proposed bill calling for Connecticut’s Department of Transportation to study adding an additional traffic lane along more than 30 miles of I-84, from Exit 7 in Danbury through Exit 20 in […]

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$175M project in Norwalk to transform Route 7-Merritt Parkway interchange may start in 2027

Neil Patel, principal engineer in the DOT’s Major Highways Unit, anticipated last summer that construction on the $175 million project could begin in 2026. Now, a 2027 start for construction is more likely as Patel said he expects the project to move from its current preliminary design phase to the final design phase this summer. […]

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Bill to tackle CTDOL complaint backlog met with bipartisan support

Today, the legislature’s Labor and Public Employees Committee expressed support for a bill that intends to double the number of Wage and Workplace Management Division’s (WWMD) wage investigators at the Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL). Inadequate staffing has posed a significant issue for CTDOL, which has come under fire in recent years for its ever […]

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Losing construction sectors under Trump

Trump’s ire has long been directed at wind power in particular, even though the biggest producers are red states, per the EIA. To that end he signed a standalone executive order temporarily suspending new or renewed leases for offshore and onshore wind projects, and halted the leasing of wind power projects on the outer continental […]

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Winning construction sectors under Trump

With changes in infrastructure priorities, regulatory rollbacks and economic shifts, contractors and developers are bracing for both new opportunities and potential setbacks. Some sectors, such as data centers and infrastructure, are set for rapid growth, while clean energy projects and high-speed rail could see federal support dwindle. Other types of projects have a mixed or […]

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CT Gov. Lamont unveils 2-year budget with tax cuts, funding for homeless, child care, regionalization

Gov. Ned Lamont unveiled his new two-year budget Wednesday with new and increased funding for several programs thanks to a ‘tweak’ to the state’s fiscal guardrails, and tax cuts for middle-class families, workers across a multitude of industries and corporations to boost job creation. After a debate that has lasted for a year, Lamont is […]

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Land clearing begins in Danbury for 24-unit apartment building at site of the former ‘barracks’

A heavy excavator was clearing land on Monday to make space for a 24-unit apartment building just outside the city’s downtown limits, where a row of three apartment houses known as “the barracks” were once a blighting influence. “We have a good city with some new housing coming in, and there’s going to be more […]

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Dan Haar: Eversource spending billions on Massachusetts upgrades as it cuts Connecticut investment sharply

On Monday, Jan. 27, the regional utility holding company agreed to sell Aquarion Water Co. for $1.6 billion plus debt to the New Haven-area’s Regional Water Authority, nearly a year after putting the business up for sale. Regulators had nixed an Aquarion rate hike request in 2023. Then on Tuesday, Eversource CEO Joe Nolan Jr. […]

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New Haven officials prepare for new commercial use, parking at former Bigelow Boiler site

City officials are looking to press forward with plans to develop commercial space at the former Bigelow Boiler site on River Street. Michael Piscitelli, New Haven’s economic development administrator, said the work is related to remediation of the site prior to “turning it over” to a developer for a commercial space that could potentially house […]

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Prospect sidewalk job gets $3.5M boost

The town has been awarded a $3.5 million federal grant to construct a sidewalk on the east side of Route 69 from Prospect Elementary School to the center of town. The busy route also is known as Waterbury Road. Prospect was awarded a federal Transportation Alternatives grant that includes a 20% match from the town. […]

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5-acre site on Norwalk’s Main Avenue tagged for development is listed for sale for $15M

The site of an approved residential and retail project at 280 Main Ave. in Norwalk, once planned to be a BJ’s Wholesale Club, has been listed for sale for $15 million. Despite the listing, Planning and Zoning Director Steve Kleppin said the site still has the Planning and Zoning Commission’s approval for development. That approval […]

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Proposed rail link to Bradley International Airport gains traction with new bill

A Hartford-based rail advocate who travels frequently, Casey Moran, has pitched an idea to build a rail line that would connect Bradley International Airport to the region’s rail network. The Bradley Airport Rail Link would provide a one-seat train ride to Bradley from throughout much of Connecticut. It would have stops in Hartford, Bloomfield and […]

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DOT says it will tie funding to birth, marriage rates

A new, undated memo from the DOT directs the department to give grant preferences to “communities with marriage and birth rates higher than the national average.” The action comes after the DOT announced that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy — who was confirmed to the position on Wednesday — had authorized a series of actions to […]

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