Multimodal Planning in the I-84 Danbury Corridor

At the third Project Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting in September, committee members were asked a series of questions about needs for the I-84 corridor in greater Danbury. The exercise provided the Project team with local insights and input towards the Project’s Purpose. Primer Multimodal planning considers many types of transportation including cars, buses, trains, bicycles, […]

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Lamont uses federal dollars and reserves to boost local aid, avert tax hikes in his new budget

Gov. Ned Lamont will propose a $46 billion, two-year budget Wednesday that relies heavily on federal aid and state reserves to close a major deficit without tax hikes and bolsters funds for cities and towns. The package would channel more than $400 million in emergency federal relief to low-performing school districts, according to several sources […]

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History Revisited: Local area no stranger to transportation levies

For the past several years, a great deal of debate has taken place when the state legislature introduced bills proposing electronic tolls on various major highways in Connecticut. The new highway bridge, ultimately named the Gold Star Memorial Bridge, opened to traffic in November 1943 and the established tolls for using this bridge included: 15 […]

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How the PRO Act would change the construction industry

By redefining “employees” and “employers” in revisions to the National Labor Relations Act, the Protecting the Right to Organize Act grants benefits to workers previously classified as independent contractors. Additionally, the way in which unions and employers collectively bargain and agree could be altered in states where unions have little to no say in the […]

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‘A godsend for the neighborhood:’ New development proposed in north Stratford

The owners of Ryders Landing want to put a new coffee shop on Main Street as the first phase of a development that could ultimately include retail and office space, a restaurant and a 105-room riverfront hotel. The Sbriglios own five properties totaling roughly 5.5 acres off Main Street immediately south of the Ryders Landing […]

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New housing development along CTfastrak in West Hartford latest sign of revival along New Park Avenue

The $20 million project will bring another 52 mixed-income apartments to the mile-long stretch between the Elmwood and Flatbush CTfastrak stations. The “workforce” housing is expected to be ready for occupancy in May, 2022. Trout Brook Realty Advisors, the development arm of the West Hartford Housing Authority, planned both projects and sees a dual purpose. […]

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Big changes could be coming for transportation around greater Hartford, from buried highways to bicycles. Here’s what’s under consideration.

The state Department of Transportation has been laying the groundwork for a comprehensive study ever since it made the startling announcement at the end of 2019 that the state would put a hold on replacing the viaduct and include it in a larger regional transportation plan. A broader array of transportation options are seen as […]

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What a Marty Walsh-led Labor Department could mean for construction

Born in Boston, Walsh joined Laborers’ International Union of North America Local 223 in 1988 and worked his way up through the ranks to lead both Local 223 and the Boston Building Trades Unions before being elected mayor in 2013. Walsh also served in the Massachusetts legislature. Labor organizations hailed Walsh’s nomination as a win […]

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Buttigieg DOT confirmation boosts hope for massive infrastructure investment

Industry and elected leaders praised Pete Buttigieg’s confirmation as Transportation Secretary after his nomination passed the U.S. Senate 86-13 on Tuesday. Buttigieg’s confirmation could be a boon for investment in the nation’s infrastructure, which has been called for on a bipartisan basis for many years, according to experts. During his nomination hearing before the U.S. […]

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Eyeing Obstacles, Dykes Offers Optimism for State’s Green Energy Goals

The latest draft of Connecticut’s Integrated Resources Plan — a semi-annual assessment of the state’s electric supply needs and possible sources of energy supply — is being touted by the department as the first to identify sources of supply to meet the state’s goal of zero-carbon electric generation by 2040. Already, 65 percent of the […]

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Construction set to begin on $20M W-Hartford mixed-use project

Construction of a $20 million mixed-use retail/residential project on West Hartford’s New Park Avenue is set to begin this month, with developers projecting a completion date of May, 2022. Trout Brook Realty Advisors, the nonprofit development arm of the West Hartford Housing Authority, is set to break ground on the transit-oriented development project located on […]

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Wall Street, public construction firms eager for Biden’s infrastructure push

Major Wall Street firms and publicly traded construction companies are eagerly awaiting President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better infrastructure plan, which he said he will detail in his first State of the Union address scheduled for Feb. 23. While the plan is forthcoming, the president pegged it at as much as $2 trillion in the […]

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It has been slow to arrive, but high speed rail could be coming

For the last three years, another high-speed rail concept has been quietly germinating, one that would go inland through Connecticut instead of along the shoreline. Called North Atlantic Rail, the plan originated at University of Pennsylvania planning studios directed by highly regarded planner Robert Yaro, former president of the Regional Plan Association and advised by, […]

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Noise, dust and fumes: Ansonia neighborhood group vies with construction business

A cadre of Westwood Road residents claim the noise, dust and fumes generated by one of the city’s largest taxpayers is making their lives unlivable. And residents of the city’s Westwood Road neighborhoods also say they believe that Burns Construction is violating city zoning laws by crushing rock on the company’s Woodlot site. The association […]

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Brookfield to vote on $3.6 million fourth phase of Four Corners streetscape project

The town plans to present the design for the $3.6 million fourth phase of its downtown revitalization project for approval at an upcoming special town meeting. Brookfield has completed two of five phases of the Four Corners streetscape project, and will start construction on its third phase this summer. Now, at 7 p.m Tuesday in […]

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Work nears completion on missing Stratford exit ramps

Work to complete a $29 million reconstruction of the Interstate 95 Exit 33 interchange near the Milford border is ramping up — literally and figuratively. The new ramps will correct a quirk in the state’s highway history dating back to the days when toll plazas dotted I-95 and the Merritt Parkway. Removing the toll plazas […]

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Biden’s Executive Orders Has Construction Industry Concerned

“The EOs also show how President Biden will incorporate his priorities into future rulemakings by asking agencies to ‘identify ways the regulatory process can promote public health and safety, economic growth, social welfare, racial justice, environmental stewardship, human dignity, equity and the interests of future generations.’” For transportation projects, “this could mean an increased focus […]

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Connecticut’s building trades need the Killingly energy plant project

The 30,000 men and women of the Connecticut State Building Trades unions, were shocked and gravely disappointed by the Gov. Ned Lamont’s quotes, “I don’t want to build Killingly” and that the administration could “play some games there,” referring to slowing the permitting process at DEEP. These quotes are deeply hurtful to the hardworking members […]

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Connecticut has nearly $1B in new federal relief. Legislators and municipalities want to know how Lamont plans to divvy it up.

Not long after Congress enacted a $900 billion relief bill on Dec. 21 — which President Trump signed six days later — Connecticut learned it included nearly $750 million to support education here, and more than $230 million for affordable housing. The linchpin of this new money was $492 million for elementary and secondary schools. […]

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Danbury scrambling to build CT’s first condominium-style school before enrollment surge hits

The city’s plans to be first in Connecticut to open a school in an office park under a condominium-style agreement has put leaders in a race against an Oct. 1 grant deadline to get blueprints to the state. Missing the state deadline would make Danbury ineligible for an 80 percent reimbursement of the school’s estimated […]

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Dominion officials discuss future of Millstone Nuclear Power Station

Gov. Ned Lamont stepped in to help secure the deal — called a power purchase agreement, or PPA — between Dominion, Eversource and United Illuminating. The contract calls on the utilities to buy half the plant’s output over the next decade. Dominion had threatened to shutter the 2,100-megawatt Millstone unless the state let it compete […]

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New apartments, hotel proposed near Norwalk-Wilton border

iPark Norwalk II LLC filed a special permit application earlier this month for a 244,750-square-foot expansion to its property at 761 Main Ave. The expansion calls for two new buildings to be added to the property: A 164,750-square-foot apartment complex featuring three floors of residential housing over one story of parking, and an 80,000-square-foot, 120-bedroom […]

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Connecticut Port Authority working to bring State Pier project on budget

Kosta Diamantis, deputy secretary for the Office of Policy and Management, addressed the Connecticut Port Authority this week and fielded questions about the possibility of costs escalating for the $157 million project, which is being funded through a partnership by the state and joint venture partners Eversource and Ørsted. OPM was tasked by Lamont with […]

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146-unit apartment development proposed in Farmington’s medical district

The project, which is garnering opposition from nearby residents, is expected to be discussed during a planning and zoning meeting Jan. 25, and would convert vacant land on Farmington Avenue — across the street from Jackson Lab and behind a UConn Health building — into a 146-unit apartment development with 224 parking spaces, including garages. […]

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Lamont to business: We need ideas for transportation funding

As he plans his two-year budget proposal, the state’s rapidly-depleting fund for transportation infrastructure is a major headache, Gov. Ned Lamont told a business audience on Friday. The state’s Special Transportation Fund is slowly but steadily going broke and could be exhausted by 2024. And updated transit infrastructure remains a key to the state’s future […]

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A big infrastructure spending bill might finally be in the cards

“With the slim majority the Democrats have in the Senate, infrastructure spending is probably going to be one of the less controversial measures and could be implemented,” said Gautam Khanna, senior portfolio manager with Insight Investment. “A $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion package — somewhere in that zone — could get through.” But economists and […]

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Building trades council exec joins Biden administration

Looman is now the deputy administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, trades council President Harry Melander said in a press release. She started her new job Wednesday. “Jessica has dedicated her life to the labor movement and has been a pivotal voice in fighting for working families in Minnesota,” Melander […]

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How much federal funding will each state DOT receive?

State departments of transportation are set to receive funds totaling $9.8 billion as a result of emergency aid from the $900 billion COVID-19 relief measure passed late last year. That number is a part of nearly $10 billion total earmarked for transportation spending, and experts say the funds are much needed. State DOTs can use […]

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CT Democrats looking to Biden’s help to fight virus, build economy

Gov. Ned Lamont, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, state Attorney General William Tong and Secretary of the State Denise Merrill told reporters that Biden’s inauguration puts on-track the next $1.9-trillion aid plan, including up to $400 billion for state and local governments. Connecticut is well positioned to fare well under the Biden […]

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Cuomo announces $306B infrastructure plan for New York

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced a $306 billion spending plan as part of his 2021 infrastructure agenda. In what Cuomo called “the largest, most ambitious plan put forward by any state in the nation,” the initiative will focus on a $51 billion transit-oriented redevelopment of Manhattan’s Midtown West area and the continued modernization […]

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OSHA raises penalty maximums, establishes new debt collection procedures

The maximum federal penalty for serious and other-than-serious violations is now $13,653 per violation, up from $13,494. The maximum penalty for willful or repeated violations is now $136,532 per violation, up from $134,937. Since 2017, OSHA has adjusted the fines according to the Cost of Living Index every year. If an establishment fails to make […]

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Eversource to start Forestville gas line installation Tuesday

Eversource Gas is scheduled to start installation of a gas line on Tuesday, Jan. 19, in the Forestville neighborhood that includes Fair Street, Grove Avenue, Buckley Avenue, Garden Street, Vernon Street and Pleasant Avenue. “The purpose of the work is to upgrade the existing gas line,” said Mayor Ellen Zoppo-Sassu. The hours of construction will […]

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With its newest building, BLT bets on a growing Stamford

BLT plans to formally open its 435-unit building on Feb. 1, but it has been leasing units for much of January. Escape is the latest puzzle piece in the ever-expanding Harbor Point development, which has steadily grown over BLT’s tenure in Stamford. The pandemic strengthened the market for single-family homes in Stamford, something that is […]

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Brookfield construction temporarily shut down following alleged misclassification

KBE Building Corporation, the general contractor in charge of the construction project at 291 Federal Road was given a stop work order on Dec. 23 when issues arose over one of its subcontractors, according to Department of Labor spokesperson Juliet Manalan. According to Manalan, subcontractor Wall to Wall Drywall — a drywall company based in […]

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Funding to fix CT’s roads and bridges is drying up, and officials don’t have a solution

Now Connecticut is left with a $2.8 billion bill, a cash-starved Special Transportation Fund headed toward insolvency, and a construction industry poised to shrink even as the state struggles with unprecedented unemployment. “Once we get out to the next several years, nothing is [fully] funded,” said Nate Brown, vice president of the Connecticut State Building […]

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Lamont talks State Pier deal, emergency powers

Gov. Ned Lamont said Tuesday — a day when the state’s COVID-19 test positivity rate hit 10.72%, the highest in a while — that he thinks he will ask the legislature to extend his emergency authority, currently set to expire Feb. 9. “If I just get another two-plus months, I think sometime in April we’ll […]

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Newington finalizing tax agreement with developer looking to build $11 million hotel in town

The town is now finalizing a tax agreement with a developer looking to build an $11.1 million hotel at 712 Cedar St. Town Councilors voted unanimously Tuesday night to offer Gold Coast Premier Properties a 40% tax abatement for 10 years, contingent on the developer’s plan to build a 122-room extended-stay hotel on the site, […]

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Report: Collective bargaining agreements create ‘robust’ middle-class jobs for union construction workers

A new report says collective bargaining agreements help create “robust” middle-class careers and make significant contributions to local economies. The report, released this week, was produced by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute and the Project for Middle Class Renewal at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The study also found that apprenticeship programs paid by […]

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Infrastructure gap reaches $5.6 trillion: Trade group

America’s infrastructure gap has reached to $5.6 trillion, according to the trade group American Society of Civil Engineers. The group said that the gap is a problem that, unaddressed, could lead to the loss of 3 million jobs over two decades. The group in its annual report card outlined how much infrastructure investment is falling […]

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Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont to offer ‘revenue-raising ideas’ for transportation in February budget

Gov. Ned Lamont said Monday that he will propose “revenue-raising ideas’’ for transportation in February to help the state’s long-troubled special transportation fund. After the high-profile failure last year of controversial highway tolls, Lamont says the state still needs to provide money to balance the Special Transportation Fund. The projected deficit for the transportation fund […]

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New $18k cost study floated to assess possible Killingly community center move

That previous cost break-down led to for bonding $16.1 million to address roof, window and other long-standing issues at the former school, while also paying for modifications to allow a portion of the building to be used for recreation programming. Calorio said to accommodate the public at the school, new security doors would need to […]

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Lawmakers considering boosting CT’s credit card limit to assist those hurt by the pandemic

The pandemic-induced recession has left Connecticut legislators with one of their tightest credit card limits in recent history — less than one-seventh their 2020 level. “I supported the ‘debt diet’ during the beginning of the Lamont administration,” said Rep. Sean Scanlon, D-Guilford, new House chairman of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee. “I thought that […]

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The 13 construction sectors contractors expect to shrink in 2021

On a webinar covering the results of the survey last week, which canvassed 1,300 construction firms in November and December, contractors lamented the difficulty of finding new projects and the challenges of keeping the ones they already have on track due to COVID-19 mitigation and productivity losses. “2021 looks to be a difficult year for […]

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Torrington school building committee looks at traffic

With seventh- and eighth-graders a part of the new Torrington Middle/High School, more traffic will be coming and going on Major Besse Drive once the $159.8 million building opens for the 2024-25 school year. The project’s building committee is looking to eradicate that problem by opening Daley Drive as a permanent access road to the […]

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Hartford’s Verogy aims to soothe growing friction between solar developers, farmland advocates

Connecticut’s solar energy sector is entering its next phase, marked by ever-larger projects and greater scrutiny by regulators and farming advocates on the long-term impact ground-mounted panel arrays have on the state’s limited stock of agricultural land. One upstart solar developer working to become a player in that evolving landscape is Hartford-based Verogy, and the […]

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Bradley fights to stay in the top flight during COVID-19 crisis

As it contends with slashed levels of airline service, Bradley International Airport has cut costs in a number of areas in response to its declining revenues. The financial strain will not dissipate in 2021, but airport officials are hopeful that the adjustments will safeguard the Windsor Locks hub’s finances and persuade airlines to make long-term […]

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Torrington mayor sets ‘goals with intention’ for 2021

Businesses including restaurants were shut down in March and still are coping with Gov. Ned Lamont’s executive orders intended to prevent the spread of COVID-19. When the shutdown began, Carbone and Economic Development Director Rista Malanca developed forums for residents and businesses to ask questions, and when the orders were eased somewhat, allowing most businesses […]

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Biden chooses Boston Mayor Walsh as Labor secretary

President-elect Joe Biden has picked Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, a former top union leader, to serve as his Labor secretary, according to four sources, ending a selection process that split the labor movement and stoked diversity concerns among Democrats. Biden was widely expected to choose a Labor Department head who enjoyed the support of unions, […]

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Construction on North Harwinton Avenue a priority

Mayor David V. Merchant plans to begin the new year by kicking off a long-awaited road reconstruction project on North Harwinton Avenue. Merchant said the town was able to secure $3 million in Local Capital Improvement grant funding from the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governors for the total reconstruction of North Harwinton Avenue. Another road […]

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New Britain, Berlin, Plainville directors of economic development to talk current projects, those expected to begin

The Greater New Britain Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a webinar Friday featuring the New Britain, Berlin and Plainville directors of economic development. They will discuss current projects that are underway and expected to begin this year. The directors will also review activity that occurred in 2020. New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart will also […]

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Dems edge closer to Senate control, raising stakes for construction

With many important pieces of legislation facing lawmakers this year, the fate of the Senate will have a major impact on construction-related issues, industry advocates say. Another crucial legislative issue for contractors this year is a potential federal infrastructure package. While passing a comprehensive infrastructure spending bill has been cast as a bipartisan measure that […]

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‘Let this be the year of Connecticut’s Comeback.’ Gov. Ned Lamont delivers upbeat address as 2021 legislative session kicks off; asks lawmakers to move on legalizing marijuana, sports betting

“I don’t want our state to be defined by a COVID crisis — instead I want this year to be the year we changed the narrative of Connecticut; let this be the year of Connecticut’s Comeback,” Lamont said in a prerecorded speech that began airing just after 12:50 p.m. The traditional in-person speech in the […]

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DeLauro promises Biden will focus on infrastructure

Veteran U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the new, powerful House Appropriations Committee chairwoman, promised Monday that once President-elect Joe Biden takes office, he will support major investments that should help Connecticut and the region. “I think in addition to transportation, you’re looking at broadband, airports, water projects, et cetera,” she said. “It is roads and bridges […]

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From ‘black eye’ to ‘economic boost,’ Danbury’s Summit shows promise with Nuvance move

Nuvance Health’s move to the burgeoning Summit building is a sign the west side development could flourish and drive growth throughout the city, despite the struggling economy. “It’s really great for the city because it takes this black eye that’s been sitting here for so long,” he said. “To be able to bring it back […]

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Hearing on $100M XL Center renovation pushed back after Northland Investment asks for briefing

A hearing intended to outline a $100 million makeover of downtown Hartford’s aging XL Center has been pushed back, after the owner of the atrium and storefront space outside the arena asked for a meeting with the Capital Region Development Authority, which is overseeing the project. The virtual hearing had been scheduled for Tuesday, but […]

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California developer acquires Wallingford flex property for $1.1M

A California-based commercial and multifamily developer has jumped coasts with a recent $1.1 million real estate deal in Wallingford. Michael Tevis, president of Menlo Park’s Intrinsic Ventures, purchased 135 N. Plains Industrial Road — a 21,000-square-foot office and light manufacturing building that sits on 2.4 acres — on Dec. 3, according to property records. The […]

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Tourism, Traffic, Migrating Fish and Birds — All Part of Planning the Swing Bridge Overhaul

But now with a major overhaul scheduled to begin in the spring of 2022, drivers can expect delays and occasional extended closures on a much more regular basis. Instead of the typical 8-minute wait, closings will sometimes last for up to 63 hours as the span is rehabilitated and a new pedestrian walkway is installed […]

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Developer presents new draft plan for 931-unit, mixed-use development at Mystic Education Center

Following concerned and critical comments from several residents of Boulder Court and Hancock Drive at a special meeting of the Groton Planning & Zoning Commission on Tuesday night, developer Jeff Respler laid out his latest vision for Mystic River Bluffs, a luxury 931-unit, mixed-use development at the Mystic Education Center property, site of the former […]

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A Monster Wind Turbine Is Upending an Industry

G.E. has yet to install one of these machines in ocean water. As a relative newcomer to the offshore wind business, the company faces questions about how quickly and efficiently it can scale up production to build and install hundreds of the turbines. G.E. has yet to install one of these machines in ocean water. […]

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Master plan presents blueprint for the future of Ansonia Copper & Brass and the Valley

With some luck, $18 million and buy-in from new industries, the now-defunct Ansonia Copper and Brass site could spark a renaissance for the entire Valley. That’s the optimistic view that local officials have in their sights, helped out by a new 200-page plan that predicts the 116-acre complex could become a manufacturing center again with […]

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As permits for Killingly gas plant advance, environmentalists step up demands to pull the plug

Developers are closing in on final permits to build a natural gas plant in Killingly, prompting environmentalists to ratchet up their criticism of Gov. Ned Lamont’s environmental policies and urge a halt to the project. The Sierra Club, which is fighting the Killingly plant, said the governor “continues to tout his commitment to fighting the […]

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State fund for transportation, on track to fail in 2024, will be focus of General Assembly

Lamont’s budget staff in the Office of Policy and Management recently reported that the state’s Special Transportation Fund (STF) will end the fiscal year on June 30 with only about $108 million, down from $320 million on July 1, 2019 and just a fraction of the hundreds of millions needed to fund the major infrastructure […]

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Connecticut benefits from project labor agreements

Given the success of the Mixmaster, it is no surprise that DOT is planning to utilize a PLA on the Gold Star north-bound bridge project between New London and Groton. DOT is making a common-sense and fiscally sound decision to include a PLA in the contract for construction. It’s a win-win for the state. Opponents, […]

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CDC recommends construction workers get coronavirus vaccine after grocery workers, older Americans

Construction workers should receive the coronavirus vaccine after other frontline essential workers and people age 75 and older, according to recommendations made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. ACIP voted that the roughly 30 million Americans that fall into the frontline essential workers group, including first responders and […]

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Rebuild of Pleasant Valley Elementary on schedule, schematic designs released

Schematic designs for the new Pleasant Valley Elementary School have been released, illustrating how the 102,000-square-foot building will look equipped with two entrances, a larger space for collaboration, and a wing specifically designed to serve preschool students with special needs. Once the design is completed, Barrett said, town officials will perform another cost estimate, and […]

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New year brings optimism for NY-area mass transit systems

The new year offers some hope for a rebound: a new presidential administration considered more friendly to public transit needs; vaccines that will slow the virus’ spread and help bring back commuters; federal stimulus dollars to blunt some of the pandemic’s effects and advances in major infrastructure projects. The federal stimulus bill recently signed by […]

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‘Major economic boost’: Nuvance signs lease with Danbury’s Summit, moving 500 jobs to CT

A new deal with Nuvance Health is expected to bring 500 jobs to the state and fill much of the commercial space at the expansive Summit building. Nuvance and Summit Development have signed a lease for the seven-hospital health system to rent 220,000- square- feet of office space at the 1.2 million-square-foot building on the […]

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What is Connecticut getting from the federal COVID-19 relief bill?

On Monday, the day after President Donald Trump signed a $900 billion spending bill with COVID-19 relief measures, Gov. Ned Lamont provided preliminary numbers detailing how Connecticut will receive more than $4 billion in direct relief, with much more to come in additional relief. The direct relief to the state includes $1.6 billion for the […]

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Brookfield lists top 5 names for new elementary school as bidding process begins

At last week’s board meeting, the school naming subcommittee revealed a list of five names — Candlewood Elementary, Candlewood Lake Elementary, Lakeside Elementary, Newbury Elementary and West Brook Elementary — for the board to consider. The committee compiled the list based on suggestions from students and the Municipal Building Committee. The Municipal Building Committee is […]

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COVID-19 relief package could aid construction through infrastructure funds, PPP loans

he U.S. Congress passed a $900 billion pandemic relief bill last night that includes $600 stimulus payments to qualifying individuals and a new round of Paycheck Protection Program funding for small businesses impacted by COVID-19. Although it took months to reach an agreement on a second relief bill, funds in the bill for transportation and […]

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‘Pozzotive’ energy: Concrete, environment benefit from Urban Mining CT’s recycled product

A new facility that recently opened on Breault Road takes the recycled glass collected by municipalities and changes it into a white, powdery material that can be mixed into cement, which can then be used for everything from roads to bridges to sidewalks. Not only does it make the cement more durable, the material, known […]

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$135M for new federal courthouse in Hartford hailed by Connecticut’s Congressional delegation

Connecticut’s congressional delegation Tuesday hailed the approval of $135 million for a new federal courthouse in downtown Hartford that would replace the aging and outdated court complex on Main Street. The $135 million approved late Monday in the federal budget and COVID-19 relief bill is just the first appropriation that will be needed for the […]

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State Pier project labor agreement benefits New London community

The Connecticut Port Authority is undertaking a big project to spur much-needed economic development in eastern Connecticut. We applaud Gov. Ned Lamont’s decision to include a Project Labor Agreement in the contract for construction of the State Pier in New London. This is a complex, large-scale project that requires a highly skilled local workforce. The […]

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Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, advocate of regionalism, elected 2021 president of state Conference of Municipalities

Bronin, who served as first vice president of the conference this year, was elected the group’s top board officer for 2021 at CCM’s virtual, statewide convention earlier this month. He follows outgoing CCM President Michael J. Freda, first selectman of North Haven, and is the first Hartford mayor elected to the yearlong president position since […]

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CT commits to transportation cap-and-trade program

The so-called Transportation Climate Initiative (TCI) is a type of cap-and-trade (or cap-and-invest) program that will place a limit on transportation fuel emissions and require fuel distributors to purchase allowances at auction to exceed the cap. Connecticut expects to collect about $1 billion from TCI over a 10-year period, including $89 million in the first […]

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‘It just looks beautiful’: A first look a the Bethel elementary school projects

The $65.8 million renovations to Rockwell and Johnson elementary schools are mostly complete and about $878,000 under budget. With natural light, more office and collaboration space, and other features, the buildings are major step up from before the renovations began last year, she said. Rockwell was built in 1971, while Johnson was built in 1980. […]

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‘We got in under the wire’: Litchfield snags federal funds for bridges before program ends

The board awarded the renovation project to Black & Warner Construction Co. in Unionville for about $900,000 for all four bridges. The bridges to be renovated will be on East Litchfield, Wheeler, Sawmill and Duck Pond roads. All are slightly greater than a 20-foot-span. According to Public Works Director & Town Engineer Raz Alexe, the […]

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Metro-North commuter rail won’t see fare increases, layoffs or ‘doomsday’ service cuts in 2021 — if federal funds come through

Leadership at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) — the entity that governs Metro-North commuter rail lines, which serve tens of thousands of Connecticut residents — approved a 2021 budget proposal on Wednesday that does not include drastic service cuts, layoffs or fare increases. That budget, however, assumes a $4.5 billion boost in 2021 from the […]

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Lawmakers step in as fuel cell makers decry state contracts

Under the Shared Clean Energy Facilities program, the contracts would fund electricity generators to share the benefits of alternative energy in low-income areas. Fuel cell makers — including FuelCell Energy, based in Danbury — have proposed converting industrial sites including brownfields for the purpose. In a Thursday interview, FuelCell CEO Jason Few expressed frustration with […]

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What Pete Buttigieg would bring to the Transportation Department

Buttigieg’s “Building for the 21st Century: An infrastructure plan to create jobs, increase resilience, and usher in a new era of opportunity” included $165 billion for the Highway Trust Fund to make it solvent through 2029. This would be funded through a user-fee system — perhaps a vehicle-miles traveled fee, the plan suggested — to […]

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East Hampton residents OK $1.1M project to rehab high school athletic fields

Residents overwhelmingly approved a $1.1 million proposal to rehabilitate athletic fields at the high school. The vote was 36-1, with 28 people voting by Zoom and nine — “mostly council members and staff,” according to Town Manager David E. Cox — voting in person. In addition to the track, the project also calls for renovating […]

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