Mayor of Bristol praises state’s plan for Routes 72, 69 construction

The Connecticut Department of Transportation held a public information meeting on the project recently. It will involve widening Route 72, shifting it to the north, and adding dedicated left turn lanes, and extending Pratt Street one block north to connect with 72. Divinity Street will be terminated at its intersection with Landry Street. The estimated […]

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Bond Commission to weigh $13.5M for Pratt St., Colt apts

In its first meeting since September, the state Bond Commission next week will vote on authorizing $13.5 million in loans to spur the creation of 155 apartment units in downtown Hartford. The bulk of that amount, $12.5 million, will go to a prominent development trio, the Pratt Street Initiative Partnership, to assist with the first […]

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Groton eyes March as start date for construction of new elementary schools

Planning for the district’s two new elementary schools is on track and, if all goes according to plan, construction would begin in March, said Superintendent Michael Graner. Graner said construction hopefully then will begin in March on the new elementary schools, starting in areas as far away on the site from the existing middle school […]

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Architect picked for New Fairfield school construction

After funding for an $84.2 million new high school and a $29.2 million early learning academy passed by taxpayer vote back in October, the town has been moving forward to bring the projects to fruition. Based on qualifications and fees, Sanzo said, the committee selected Hartford-based JCJ Architecture to provide services for the two school […]

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State putting brakes on $5 billion I-84 viaduct replacement to study how project can work with solving other transportation troubles in Hartford area

In a startling shift, the state Department of Transportation is putting the brakes on the I-84 viaduct replacement project in Hartford and plans to broaden the scope of its study to better coordinate with other transportation projects in the Hartford area. The $5 billion viaduct replacement is still on the table, but DOT planners say […]

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House passes defense policy bill backing submarine construction at EB, provides money for new pier at sub base

The bill, which authorizes $738 billion in defense spending, passed the House by a vote of 377 to 48. The Senate is expected to take up the measure next week. President Donald Trump has indicated he intends to sign the bill.  The bipartisan House support for the bill followed months of partisan debate over what […]

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Old Lyme water authority weighs changes to sewer project fee formula

The WPCA has been considering tweaking the formula since it was passed earlier this year, WPCA Chairman Rich Prendergast said. The formula dictates how much homeowners living in the Sound View and Miscellaneous Town Area B neighborhoods, north of Sound View, would pay to hook into state-ordered sewer upgrades planned for the neighborhoods — a […]

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Stamford Planning Board proposes $47M for capital projects

Originally city department heads requested $67 million for capital projects, but the board pared down the asks, choosing to focus on city infrastructure upgrades and repairs that include street resurfacing, citywide dredging and equipment for the police and fire departments. The day after the planning board settled on their preliminary capital budget, Mayor David Martin […]

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Contractor gets jail sentence for worker trench deaths

A Suffolk County Superior Court judge in Boston last week sentenced contractor Kevin Otto, owner of the now-defunct Atlantic Drain Services, to two years in jail in connection to the death of two workers who were killed in a trench collapse more than three years ago in October 2016, reported WBZ CBS Boston. udge Mitchell Kaplan […]

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Training Boom Set To Power Offshore Wind Energy Growth

The push for the $1.73-million facility on Cape Cod to meet training standards of GWO—a Denmark-based group of offshore wind energy market participants—comes as sector growth momentum along the eastern seaboard drives demand for a trained craft and technical workforce. “Basic safety training will be required for all offshore wind workers who are out on […]

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Update to Waterbury-Oxford airport master plan underway

Each public airport in the United States is required by the FAA to submit master plans and revise them approximately every 10 years. The last master plan for Waterbury-Oxford was finished in 2007. The current plan will include information going back to 2018 and will cover future development through 2038. CDM Smith planner Zachary Duvall […]

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New Haven alders push $838M neuroscience center forward amid traffic, gentrification concerns

Years in the planning by Yale New Haven Hospital, the Legislation Committee of the Board of Alders approved amendments to a Planned Development District at its St. Raphael’s Campus to allow construction of a neuroscience center and new replacement inpatient rooms and beds to upgrade aging facilities. The $838 million neuroscience center, which will be […]

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Site plans chosen for Wilton police station

Four possible site plans were presented by Tecton Architects, the firm selected by the committee to guide the project through the design phase. The firm will now refine those plans along with providing cost estimates by Jan. 8, which the committee will then take to the Board of Selectmen. Tecton came up with its four […]

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As CT begins next round of $50M apprenticeship program, some say funding is woefully inadequate to fill manufacturing jobs pipeline

The Apprenticeship Connecticut initiative, a grant program overseen by the state Department of Labor, is now in its second year with $10 million recently allocated to help fund skills-training programs developed by regional workforce-development boards. Department of Labor Commissioner Kurt Westby said about 1,000 companies are currently enrolled in the state’s formal apprenticeship program, employing […]

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Gov. Ned Lamont says Connecticut would win legal battle on truck-only tolls, wants vote next week

A federal appeals court last week allowed a legal challenge of Rhode Island’s truck-only tolls to move forward, setting up a future decision on the merits of truckers’ claims that truck-only tolls are unconstitutional. Rhode Island is the first state in the nation to impose truck-only tolls, meaning there is no legal precedent or case […]

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How sustainable is the $24 million renovation at Connecticut College?

A group of students in Connecticut College’s new Climate Action Club have gathered more than 850 signatures on their petition to make Palmer Auditorium, which is about to undergo a $24 million renovation, carbon neutral and include sustainability considerations. Students criticized Conn for not incorporating sustainability practices in the Palmer renovation when sustainability principles are […]

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GOP wants Gov. Lamont to slam brakes on trucks-only tolling plan after Rhode Island court ruling; Lamont downplays ruling

Senate Republicans want Gov. Ned Lamont to slam the brakes on his trucks-only tolling plan after a Rhode Island court allowed a lawsuit to proceed that could block tolls in the neighboring state. “Yesterday’s federal circuit court decision in Rhode Island was merely a procedural ruling regarding whether this case should be heard in a […]

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‘The Epicenter Of New Offshore Wind’–Bridgeport Selected By State For Wind Power Project

Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes on Thursday announced that a bid from developer Vineyard Wind has been selected to advance contract negotiations with the state’s electric distribution companies to provide 804 megawatts of offshore wind through the development of the Park City Wind Project. Bridgeport will serve as the host […]

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CT transportation, local funding stalls until new year

A special session is possible in December, but only to consider a non-partisan issue: The settlement of litigation over Connecticut’s hospital provider tax. Legislative leaders say passage of any bill involving tolls would be difficult in a pre-holiday special session, due to scheduling and travel conflicts. No Republican support is expected for any bill that […]

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For Democrats and labor, tolls are a family fight

Dave Roche, the president of the Connecticut Building Trades, said construction unions played a role in helping Democrats regain outright control of the state Senate last year, only to grow increasingly angry as Senate Democrats refused to embrace any financing plan that included automobile tolls. Labor leaders say a failure by Democrats to pass an […]

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Phase 2 of $55M Meriden transit-oriented development debuts

The Meriden Commons II project on State Street, which broke ground in July 2018, includes a four-story building with 49 residential units, and two buildings consisting of 27 townhouse-style units, and more than 1,500 square feet of commercial space. With the two affordable housing projects complete, Cloud said his company and Pennrose are in the […]

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Gov. Lamont wants special session to vote on highway tolls, hospitals and restaurants during week of Dec. 16

Lamont said he would like legislators to meet during the week of Dec. 16, and House Democrats have been told by their leaders to set aside the dates of Dec. 17, 18, and 19 for possible special sessions. Besides transportation, Lamont wants votes before the end of the year on the annual bond package of […]

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Lamont tells municipalities funding on the way

Cities and towns have been waiting on state funding, given annually to towns in the form of grants to pay for things like road repaving, fall tree clearing and winter snow removal. Release of the funds has been held up since July by Gov. Ned Lamont’s debt diet and negotiations over how much he and […]

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Dems and GOP share common flaws in transportation plans

Gov. Ned Lamont and Democratic legislative leaders recently criticized the Senate GOP plan — which avoids tolls and drains 60% of the state budget reserves — for leaving Connecticut dangerously vulnerable. Democrats, meanwhile, have crafted a plan to pump $20 billion into transportation over the next decade — in part by tolling trucks, but not […]

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Waste agency plans to borrow $333M for Hartford trash-plant overhaul

Overseers of the aging waste-to-energy plant on the banks of the Connecticut River in Hartford expect to issue $333 million in tax-exempt public bonds to finance a proposed overhaul of the facility and a related recycling plant. That estimate is included in a newly signed term sheet between the quasi-public Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority […]

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Navy inks $22.2 billion contract with Electric Boat for at least nine new submarines

The Navy has signed a $22.2 billion contract with Electric Boat to build at least nine Virginia-class attack submarines over the next five years. The submarines will join the Navy’s fleet starting in 2025 through 2029. The new Virginia submarines will involve more work and cost more than previous versions. An 85-foot section will be […]

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State awaits release of Lamont’s revised plan for transportation funding

The original CT2030 initiative was a 10-year, $21.3 billion financing plan that Lamont released on Nov. 7. It allocated $14.2 billion for roads and bridges, and $7.1 billion for public transportation. The governor and Democratic leaders plan to generally follow its outlines, including its timetable, funding sources, and list of projects. The two House leaders […]

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Waste agency plans to borrow $333M for Hartford trash-plant overhaul

Overseers of the aging waste-to-energy plant on the banks of the Connecticut River in Hartford expect to issue $333 million in tax-exempt public bonds to finance a proposed overhaul of the facility and a related recycling plant. That estimate is included in a newly signed term sheet between the quasi-public Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority […]

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Construction Among Sectors Targeted In Feds’ Bid Rig Crackdown

The U.S. Justice Dept. has launched a multipronged effort to root out bid-rigging, price-fixing and other forms of collusion in construction and other sectors on local, state and federal government funded contracts, which it says undermines competition in procurement. DOJ hopes a closer focus on construction will help identify leads to investigate and prosecute. In […]

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Transportation finance plan could lead to breakthrough on state bonding impasse

An end of the deadlock could be near now that Lamont and Democratic majority leaders have united behind a truck-only tolls plan, provided House and Senate Democrats can muster enough votes to approve highway charges on commercial trucks. Legislators are eager to get a bonding bill done. Towns and cities are, too, because the holdup […]

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CT’s wealth inequality remains a looming obstacle to tolling cars

The governor and his fellow Democrats are crafting a plan now centered on tolling only trucks, acknowledging that charging fees on cars was a political nightmare. And while officials did increase the state’s minimum wage, tolling passenger cars would have followed an array of smaller tax and fee increases lawmakers dumped on low-to-middle income families […]

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Poquonnock Road reconstruction project planned

A project is being designed to improve a stretch of Poquonnock Road in the City of Groton, starting at the Five Corners area and ending just before the Rainville Avenue intersection. The City of Groton has received a letter from the state with a commitment to fund the project at $2,185,600, said City of Groton […]

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Gov. Ned Lamont, Democrats unite around truck-only tolls, rule out passenger cars in compromise

Top legislative leaders said they have not held caucuses with rank-and-file House and Senate Democrats on the details of the plan, but they said there was more support among lawmakers for truck-only tolls than for tolling passenger vehicles. Lawmakers are targeting the large tractor-trailers they say cause far more damage to the roads than passenger […]

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NY developer proposes $40M mixed-use development along CT River in Hartford

The proposed development by Aqua Ark LLC, of Rye, N.Y., aims to include a variety of retail, restaurant and event spaces along city-owned land within Riverfront Park adjacent to the Mortensen Riverfront Plaza at 300 Columbus Blvd. Aqua Ark President George Bryant on Tuesday said the complex would be built on land-based floating technology that […]

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Hartford’s State House Square undergoing $12M facelift

More than $12 million is being spent to upgrade elevators, lobbies and a food court in the three-tower office and retail complex located across the street from Constitution Plaza. Half of the newly revamped Otis elevators at 90 State House Square will begin operating by Thanksgiving, with the other units coming online by February. The […]

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Lamont, legislators to reopen transportation talks today

Legislative leaders are going to the Executive Residence today to talk to Gov. Ned Lamont about the prospects of passing a transportation financing bill in special session, uncertain if the governor is ready to commit to one of the two competing ideas outlined by Senate Republicans and House Democrats. If Lamont passes a transportation financing […]

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Fixing Construction’s Fixed-Price Conundrum

Fixed-price contracts, also known as lump sum, have become essential to owners moving forward in the tumultuous energy megaproject market and for public-sector entities struggling to stretch funds and quickly execute transportation and other infrastructure jobs. Experienced contractors have historically been able to manage fixed-price projects to some level of profit or recover from a […]

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Study finds maternity benefits for construction tradeswomen financially feasible

A new study from the Chicago Women in Trades highlights the success that trade organizations like the Ironworkers have had offering pregnancy and maternity benefits to their workers. The lack of pregnancy and family medical leave policies can be a barrier to women’s entry and retention in the trades, according to the report, which also […]

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Transportation could make Lamont a one-term governor

I think Lamont should be commended for going all-in on an issue he and many others view as critical to Connecticut’s future. Good leaders often have to do and support unpopular things, and Lamont’s approval ratings — hovering around a paltry 24 percent — have already taken a beating because of tolls. The biggest problem […]

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$100M Pratt Street redevelopment project includes renovation of apartments at old Sage-Allen department store

A partnership planning a $100 million redevelopment of the Pratt Street corridor plans to acquire the Lofts at Main and Temple, currently mired in a foreclosure, to form the second of three parts of the larger redevelopment project. On Thursday, a major obstacle to purchasing the mortgage was removed when the Capital Region Development Authority […]

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Legal ruling moves Hartford one step closer to DoNo redevelopment

Bronin said Wednesday’s Appellate Court ruling “fully clears the way forward” for developing the parcels around the ballpark. He said the city is in the final stages of negotiating a development agreement with RMS Companies of Stamford, which is led by Randy Salvatore. Phase one of RMS’ plan includes a $46-million investment to build 200 […]

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Hartford Hospital to break ground on $70M expansion

Hartford Hospital will break ground Thursday on a $70-million expansion of its sprawling South Green neighborhood campus. The project centers around construction of a 49,550-square-foot addition to the north façade of its existing Bliss Building at 80 Seymour St., which will provide four floors of additional space to support clinical areas including MRI, interventional radiology, […]

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$20M mixed-use development eyed in Hartford’s North End

7 Summits Realty CEO Rohan Freeman on Tuesday said his firm is looking to secure public and private funding to build a four-story mixed-use development on vacant city-owned land at the corner of Albany Avenue and Woodland Street. The $20-million proposal includes 50 apartment units and retail/office space. According to plans, the top two floors […]

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Gov. Ned Lamont wants meeting soon on potential tolls compromise: ‘My job is to reach a solution’

With three proposals on the table, Gov. Ned Lamont said Wednesday he wants to host a meeting with legislative leaders soon to reach a compromise on financing for his $21 billion transportation plan to fix the state’s aging roads, bridges and railroads. House Democrats and Senate Republicans have released their own plans, with House Democrats […]

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$20M mixed-use development eyed in Hartford’s North End

7 Summits Realty CEO Rohan Freeman on Tuesday said his firm is looking to secure public and private funding to build a four-story mixed-use development on vacant city-owned land at the corner of Albany Avenue and Woodland Street. The $20-million proposal includes 50 apartment units and retail/office space. Freeman’s firm has committed $1.5 million to […]

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Hartford Hospital to break ground on $70M expansion

Hartford Hospital will break ground Thursday on a $70-million expansion of its sprawling South Green neighborhood campus. The building is scheduled to be open by Aug. 2021. Hartford Hospital has gradually expanded its campus over the years, including the late 2016 opening of its $150 million Bone & Joint Institute. Hartford HealthCare CEO Jeff Flaks […]

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House Democrats propose truck-only tolls at 12 sites across Connecticut; say tolling cars is off the table

House Democratic leaders proposed a new compromise Tuesday that calls for installing electronic highway tolls for trucks only on a dozen bridges across the state in the latest chapter in the long-running debate at the state Capitol. In return, Gov. Ned Lamont is expected to support using a portion of the state’s rainy day fund […]

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On tolls plan, local officials torn between tax burden and infrastructure needs

While some support tolls to fund improvements to the state’s highways and bridges, others want more details on the plan and some are worried about the potential clogging of local roads and financial impact to residents. The proposal calls for funding 14 infrastructure projects — including the rehabilitation of the northbound span of the Gold […]

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Vineyard Wind CEO sees both New London and Bridgeport as viable wind hubs

Vineyard Wind, which has two leases in waters south of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, wants to transform Barnum Landing, an underused part of Bridgeport Harbor, into a manufacturing and staging facility for the offshore wind industry, and later into a long-term hub for workers servicing the turbines, which have a life cycle of 25 to […]

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Senate GOP’s no-tolls alternative relies on rainy day fund

The GOP would use nearly two-thirds of the state’s budget reserves to pay down pension liabilities, producing an annual savings of $130 million that could be spent on transportation. Another $100 million would come from cutting annual borrowing for things such as capital spending on local schools and public universities. The GOP’s alternative echoes several […]

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Lamont rebuffed on tolls by Senate Democrats

The Senate Democratic majority effectively took highway tolls off the table Wednesday as a means to leverage low-cost federal financing of Gov. Ned Lamont’s sweeping $21 billion plan to maintain and modernize Connecticut’s aging transportation infrastructure over the next decade.  Senate Democrats met for two hours with Lamont in their third-floor caucus room at the […]

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Nonunion building contractors criticize organized labor’s hold on public works construction tied to potential toll revenue in Connecticut

Lamont has assured organized labor in Connecticut that his administration will honor so-called project labor agreements, which are bargaining pacts that apply to construction projects. Lamont sees labor on board his recently revised $21 billion transportation plan as a key component of his sales pitch to the legislature. On Tuesday, he showed the other side […]

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Crane falls on New London construction site

A crane working on the construction of an apartment complex on Howard Street Monday morning fell into the road. The crane, which was being used for the apartment complex under construction at the corner of Bank and Howard streets, fell partially into the roadway. No one was injured. Pennsylvania-based A. R. Building Company is working […]

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East Hartford’s Founders Plaza eyed for major mixed-use redevelopment

The town’s economic-development arm is searching for a developer for an ambitious plan to convert the area surrounding the half-century-old Founders Plaza office tower on Pitkin Street into a mixed-use residential-retail center with up to 2,000 new apartment units. East Hartford’s development-services department this year collaborated with the building’s landlord, Merchants 99-111 Founders LLC, the […]

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Bloomfield sees steady development boom

One town that’s seen its fair share of development in recent years is Bloomfield. In fact, the town of nearly 21,000 saw $189.2 million worth of construction projects between 2015 and 2017, ranking it 14th among the state’s 169 cities and towns in overall investment, “There is a lot of construction going on. The list […]

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Lamont Pitches Revised Transportation Plan With No Legislative Leaders In Sight

The 10-year, $21.1-billion plan includes the installation of tolls in 14 locations. The toll rates would be capped at between $0.50 and $1, but there’s no guarantee they would come down in 27 years when the federal low-interest loans are paid. Lamont said he could write it into the contract to give people “legal confidence” […]

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Lamont’s transit package includes major commitments to Metro-North

The new plan proposes 14 strategically placed toll locations on or near state bridges, with dedicated revenue streams to support rehabilitation work on each span. Lamont’s offering to sweeten the pot, by offering 5-percent of revenues flowing to the communities that host the highway tolls. The massive transportation program includes $5 billion in major upgrades […]

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$12M medical-office space development underway in Middletown

The development, which has already received city approval, will increase by 50 percent the medical-office park located on Saybrook Road. That medical complex currently consists of three buildings at 400, 410 and 420 Saybrook Road, collectively encompassing more than 100,000 square feet. Adding about 50,000 square feet of medical space to the medical complex will […]

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This is Lamont’s vision for transportation — and how he’ll sell it

A $21 billion transportation plan Gov. Ned Lamont intends to begin promoting Thursday would touch every aspect of Connecticut’s highway and rail system over the next decade, expanding and improving Metro-North, unclogging highway bottlenecks, replacing aging bridges and connecting Bradley International Airport to a more robust regional rail system. There would be five tolls on […]

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Ørsted offers $100 million to southeastern Connecticut in offshore wind bid

Ørsted-Eversource announced Wednesday that if its Constitution Wind bid to supply up to 2,000 megawatts of offshore wind power is successful, the partners are ready to commit funding for scholarships for community college students, money for research and monitoring at the University of Connecticut Avery Point and Mystic Aquarium and to a small business loan […]

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Klarides tweets Gov. Lamont’s transportation plan includes 14 ‘temporary’ tolling locations

A top Republican lawmaker says Gov. Ned Lamont’s latest transportation funding plan will include 14 “temporary” highway tolling locations. House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby, revealed the number of tolling locations in a Twitter post Monday after Lamont administration officials briefed House Republicans on the 10-year, $18 billion transportation funding plan. Klarides tweets Gov. Lamont’s […]

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Amid national growth, CT’s construction workforce down 8%

The region’s construction industry lost 1,600 jobs between Sept. 2018 and Sept. 2019, down 8 percent from a year ago, according to a new report by the Associated General Contractors of America. Construction employment declined in Connecticut during the last year as the workforce grew nationally. In fact, the industry added jobs in 68 percent […]

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Lamont Makes Transportation Pitch to Senate Republicans

The plan Lamont gave Republicans Thursday included a list of projects, the order the projects will be tackled and what each project means for congestion. He also broke down whether a toll was associated with the project and how much revenue for that project would come from in-state and out-of-state drivers and trucks. There are […]

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GOP holds fast on tolls: ‘No’

Despite speculation by various radio program hosts this week, Senate Minority Leader Leonard A. Fasano, R-North Haven, said Wednesday that he has not changed his position on tolls. While he remains committed to finding a way to fund the state’s transportation projects without tolls, he feels that as governor, Lamont deserves the respect of listening […]

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Former Higher One headquarters in New Haven undergoes $25 million renovation

The new owners of what once was the headquarters of financial services firm Higher One are looking to boost the occupancy rate of the 145,000-square foot-building by adding much-needed laboratory space for biotechnology companies. Now, the joint venture partners are spending about $25 million on renovations they hope will allow them to take advantage of […]

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State money will fund improvements on Myrtle, East Main streets in New Britain

The city has secured $3.67 million from the state Department of Transportation’s Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program to make necessary improvements to East Main and Myrtle streets. The contract has been awarded to Martin Laviero Contractor Inc. of Bristol. This construction is part of Phase 6 of the reconstruction project of East Main Street between […]

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Hospital for Special Care breaks ground on autism unit expansion

The Hospital for Special Care hosted a ground breaking ceremony for an expansion on its Autism Inpatient Unit on Tuesday. The project, designed by KaestleBoos Associates, and managed by Downes Construction, is funded in part by a $10 million bond award from the State of Connecticut and the hospital’s ongoing Superheroes for Autism $3 million […]

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Legislative Leaders Get Briefed On Transportation Plan With Fewer Tolls

Gov. Ned Lamont is meeting with legislative leaders this week to get their final feedback on his 10-year, $18-billion proposal to improve Connecticut’s roads, rail, and public transit. Lawmakers were privately briefed on a proposal that reduces the number of tolls from 50 to around a dozen. Sources who have been briefed on Lamont’s proposal […]

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Construction starts on new center at Canterbury School

Construction is underway for the new Steers Center at Canterbury School. The new building is 22,000 square feet and will open next fall. The development of the Steers Center is part of several new construction initiatives—referred to collectively as the Hilltop Projects— taking place over the next few years. The center is named for long-time […]

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N. Britain’s Hospital for Special Care to break ground on $13M expansion

The Hospital for Special Care (HFSC) in New Britain says it will break ground Tuesday on a $13 million expansion of a hospitalization program and an education and day center. Construction is expected to be completed by fall 2020. The expanded facility is being designed by architecture firm Kaestle Boos Associates Inc. and construction is […]

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Old Lyme sewer project receives final permission from East Lyme

After years of planning and deliberating, three Old Lyme beach communities are moving forward on long-held plans to bring a shared sewer system into their neighborhoods after gaining the final permission needed from East Lyme to do so. The East Lyme Inland Wetland Agency on Monday night unanimously approved, with some stipulations, the three communities […]

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Republican lawmakers keeping open mind on Lamont’s revised transportation plan

Local Republican lawmakers say they are open to Gov. Ned Lamont’s proposal to use low-interest federal loans to partly fund a 10-year, $18 billion transportation plan he intends to unveil soon. Lamont is revising his transportation plan from earlier in the year, which received criticism from Republicans and some Democrats due in large part to […]

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Offshore Wind Project: Powering Connecticut’s Future With Bridgeport As Host City

The proposal to the state has been advanced by Massachusetts-based Vineyard Wind who will partner with McAllister Towing and Transportation Company, operators of the city’s ferry service, to redevelop Barnum Landing, an underutilized 18.3-acre waterfront industrial property on Seaview Avenue in the East End. A renovated Barnum Landing property will host hundreds of local workers […]

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Transportation cap and trade

Governors from several northeastern and mid-Atlantic states may have found a way to reduce pollution from cars and trucks and buck the Trump administration, which is trying to weaken auto emissions standards and gut efforts to curb climate change. Under a regional cap-and-trade plan that a dozen states still are developing, drivers would pay more […]

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Hartford HealthCare, Yale New Haven to build joint $72M Wallingford cancer-treatment facility

Hartford HealthCare (HHC) and Yale New Haven Health (YNHHS), the state’s two largest health systems, say they are teaming up to build a $72 million, 25,000-square-foot radiation treatment center in Wallingford. According to plans, the Wallingford facility will include treatment, control and exam rooms, and clinical space. The facility will be staffed by physicians and […]

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Cigna expanding Bloomfield training facility amid $90M campus renovation

The health insurer is planning to double the size of its training and learning center at 1350 Boulevard Rd., a little-known facility — known as “Cigna University” — that is taking on added importance following the company’s $67 billion purchase last year of pharmacy-benefits manager Express Scripts. Cigna is asking the Bloomfield planning and zoning […]

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Joy of 6: Long-awaited completion of Route 6 construction in Bristol is near

The state Department of Transportation’s long-running construction project on Route 6 is in its final stages, according to City Engineer Ray Rogozinski, with road paving complete and final details wrapping up in the next few weeks. The work that still remains includes paving driveways and parking lots that were disturbed by the project and repairing […]

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DOL apprenticeship plan: experts argue pros, cons

At issue is a proposal to exempt the construction industry from one element of the plan — creation of Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs (IRAPs) that would take over much of the standard-setting done by DOL and state agencies. DOL officials working on a final version of the rule will soon decide whether to make changes to […]

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Vineyard Wind partners with Seymour’s Marmon Utility to boost wind power proposal

Vineyard Wind has announced a partnership with Marmon Utility, a Marmon/Berkshire Hathaway company headquartered in Seymour, to create the first Tier 1 offshore wind supplier in the U.S. The agreement will go into effect if Vineyard Wind is awarded long-term contracts from Connecticut to provide 800MW or greater of offshore wind power in response to […]

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Finance board OK’s $340K more for Stamford’s new police headquarters

It is one of several unexpected expenses associated with operation of the $44 million, 94,000-square-foot police headquarters. Burwick went before the board to request a total of $340,000 to cover costs that include services not provided by the contractor hired to manage the building. The largest single cost, $145,000, was for electricity. It has since […]

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CRDA approves financing for $100M Pratt St. redevelopment

CRDA’s board of directors on Thursday voted unanimously to authorize the state taxpayer-backed loans for the project’s first phase, which will include construction of new apartments and retail space. The CRDA-approved financing includes a historic credit bridge loan of up to $5.5 million and a traditional construction mortgage of $6.5 million. All financing still must […]

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Farmington’s Westfarms mall installing $9.2M solar array

Construction on the project has already begun. In the project’s first phase, panels will be installed on top of new parking canopies in the parking lot. A second phase includes installation of panels on the shopping center’s roof. Westfarms expects the 2.7-megawatt system to begin operating early next year. It has a projected annual output […]

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ETA on Lamont transportation plan is TBD

Gov. Ned Lamont dropped a few more breadcrumbs Wednesday on the path he hopes lawmakers are following to his eventual presentation of CT 2030, a plan for spending about $20 billion over the next decade to speed Metro-North trains and ease highway congestion. The new talking point aimed at Fairfield County lawmakers: CT 2030 could […]

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Towns say winter won’t wait for Lamont, legislators to cut a deal

Municipalities say the stalemate between Gov. Ned Lamont and legislators over long-term transportation funding is about to create an immediate crisis: With $30 million in promised local aid months overdue, fall tree trimming and winter snow removal are at risk. Lamont is delaying action on a bond package, saying he needs to know if lawmakers […]

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Your Metro-North commute could get shorter if this new transportation plan gets approved

Lamont’s plan — part of a soon-to-be unveiled $18 billion transportation strategy — could reduce the trip from New Haven to Grand Central to about an hour and 40 minutes. At least $5 billion of the proposed funds will go toward upgrading the Metro-North Commuter Railroad, the Shore Line East railroad, and the Hartford Line […]

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Planned New Britain data center secures $55M tax break

The developer of a $1 billion fuel-cell powered data center in New Britain, slated to begin first-phase construction this fall, has secured a state tax break worth up to $55.2 million. The quasi-public Connecticut Innovations (CI) last week approved the 10-year sales-and-use tax exemption for EIP Investment LLC’s purchase of capital equipment for its data […]

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Goodwin College breaks ground on $8M commercial building

Goodwin College has broken ground on a 25,000-square-foot, $8 million commercial building that aims to help revitalize the East Hartford school’s South Main Street campus area. The building on Main and Ensign streets will be used as a mixed-use commercial building and not for academic purposes, Goodwin spokesman Philip Moore said. https://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/goodwin-college-breaks-ground-on-8m-commercial-building

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Middletown eyes riverfront development

Five acres of city-owned land abutting the Connecticut River could soon be open for redevelopment, and Middletown officials may formally seek development proposals next year, said Joseph Samolis, Middletown’s director of planning, conservation and development. The 1960s-era River Road pumping station is scheduled to be decommissioned by late winter. The new facility, part of a […]

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Construction industry tinkers with wearable technology to improve safety, cut costs

When it comes to danger in the workplace, few jobs are more treacherous than those on a construction site. Of the 4,674 private-sector workers who died on the job in 2017, one in five were in construction, according to Occupational Safety and Health Administration statistics. To mitigate those risks, a growing number of construction firms […]

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