Tabacco & Son Builders Inc. are getting a tax abatement for buying former Mastrobattisto Construction Company building

The city will be giving Tabacco & Son Builders Inc. a tax abatement for buying 126 Burlington Ave. It formerly housed the Mastrobattisto Inc. construction company. The City Council at its January meeting approved the five-year, 80% property tax abatement for Tabacco. While the city will not be getting that tax revenue, it “will benefit […]

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Spinnaker acquires Hartford’s 55 Elm, nearby parking lots for $6.8M

Spinnaker co-partner Matthew Edvardsen said his firm is now designing plans to renovate the offices formerly housing the state attorney general, comptroller and treasurer for hotel, office and retail use. It’s also looking to build a mixed-use development across the parking lots with offices, shops, restaurants and housing in a project aimed at linking downtown […]

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Connecticut joins others in blasting regional power grid operator

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong is blaming New England’s regional power grid for continued high electric rates in the state, saying ISO-New England failed to follow a competitive bidding process as is required law. “Connecticut is plagued with some of the highest energy costs in the nation, and families and businesses simply cannot afford these […]

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Dixwell Plaza Plan Unveiled, Embraced

An ambitious planned $200 million redevelopment of Dixwell Plaza would bring a new performing arts center, banquet hall, grocery store, museum, office complex, daycare center, retail storefronts, and 150-plus apartments and townhouses to the neighborhood’s fraying commercial hub. The local team behind the project received nothing but praise from longtime community members who heralded developers […]

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House-Senate deadlock prompts postponement of tolls vote

Democratic legislative leaders informed the office of Gov. Ned Lamont on Thursday that there will be no vote on a truck tolls bill before the General Assembly convenes its regular session Wednesday, despite assurances each chamber has sufficient votes for passage, said Max Reiss, the governor’s communications director. House-Senate deadlock prompts postponement of tolls vote

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Construction’s costliest OSHA fines of Q4 2019

The fourth quarter of 2019 provided little in the way of surprises when it came to OSHA fines. There were no massive penalties, at least when compared to previous quarters, but the usual suspects — fall and excavation hazards — made appearances once again. Falls lead the agency’s Fatal Four list, which, along with struck-by, […]

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Lamont has a trucks-only tolls plan. Trade groups on both sides have questions.

The presidents of the Motor Transport Association of Connecticut and the Connecticut Construction Industries Association both questioned if that could be done. Joe Sculley, president of MTAC, said it is highly unlikely, and Don Shubert, president of CCIA, said it is hard to judge without funding and project schedules for each proposed bridge improvement project. […]

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East Hampton approves sale of outdated town hall to developer

Residents narrowly approved a proposal to sell the existing Town Hall to a Bristol developer for $316,000. Town officials said they had hoped for a higher offer. Bristol developer John Calciano presented his offer late last year. Eventually, the town council accepted a proposal to build a new town hall/police headquarters inside a mixed-use community […]

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The rising cost of Lamont’s State Pier plan is secret

The little we know about this pending deal is all that David Kooris, Lamont’s puppet chairman of the port authority, seated by the governor after leaving state employment, with an interim appointment due to expire before lawmakers can review it, has agreed to disclose. Kooris said after a board meeting last week — in which […]

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Plainville contractor sentenced to 20 months for stealing $3.3M from employees

The former owner of Plainville’s Ferguson Electric and Ferguson Mechanical Co. Inc. will spend 20 months in federal prison for bilking more than $3.3 million from his 300-plus employees, prosecutors say. Lee Furguson, 62, of Farmington, was also sentenced Monday in Hartford federal court to one year of supervised release and ordered to pay a […]

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Sacred Heart unveils plans for $60 million, 4,000 seat hockey arena

“The facility will be home to our Division I men’s and women’s hockey programs, our nationally ranked figure skating team and our men’s club ice hockey team. It is the continuation of a robust, multi-year building and expansion program reflecting our significant growth, appeal and national status,” SHU President John J. Petillo said in the […]

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Marine construction firm envisions expansion, new pier in New London

Mohawk Northeast Inc., a heavy civil construction and engineering company that operates a marine services division in Groton, is contemplating an ambitious expansion project in New London that would boost use of the city’s waterfront. Under plans in the early conceptual stage, Mohawk imagines a bulkhead to expand use of the shoreline, a staging area, […]

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Goshen sewer system could soon connect to Litchfield via pipeline

Woodridge Lake Sewer District in Goshen has turned to Litchfield’s Water Pollution Control Authority after a plan to send its wastewater to Torrington fell through last year. WLSD has been under a state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection order to upgrade its own wastewater treatment facility, but two options for upgrades estimated at $31.5 […]

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Southington residents find out what an expanded library facility or a new building would bring to town

Residents packed the meeting room at Southington Public Library to capacity Thursday as they heard explanations of what either an expanded library facility or a new building would bring to the town. These residents got a look at the library’s priorities for a new or expanded library and how space would be allocated and then […]

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Home Depot to operate $50M distribution center in South Windsor

ndiana developer Scannell Properties is currently building the $50-million, 421,000-square-foot distribution facility on vacant land in South Windsor that will be leased long term by Home Depot upon completion, sources confirmed to HBJ. The combined 46-acre property is officially located at 360 Ellington Road, 245 Chapel Road and R008 John Fitch Boulevard. Construction crews broke […]

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Derby officials pleased with developers’ vision for downtown

The proposal aims to bring two full-service residential buildings to a 2.8-acre parcel at 23 Factory St. It would feature 203 one- and two-bedroom apartments with various amenities, including a pool, health club, library, dog-walking and grooming services, fire pits, bike racks, indoor golf simulator and community spaces. The project would be complemented by 8,500 […]

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Redevelopment plan for State Pier expected to be more costly than projected

The result is a substantially modified agreement between offshore wind developers Ørsted-Eversource, the Connecticut Port Authority and State Pier operator Gateway that likely will cost more than the $93 million originally projected. Ørsted-Eversource are seeking to use the pier in conjunction with their Revolution Wind Farm in federal waters south of Martha’s Vineyard, which will […]

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Public Hearing On Tolls Next Week? Maybe

Democratic lawmakers and Gov. Ned Lamont on Tuesday submitted their final revisions to the Legislative Commissioners Office to be drafted for a public hearing next week. There will be a five-day public notice period before a public hearing is held, according to the rules of the General Assembly. No final bill has been drafted yet, […]

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Development agreement inked for $26M Park-Main St. redevelopment

The agreement, signed in late December, lays out various economic, local hiring and affordable-housing requirements that Spinnaker Real Estate Partners, of South Norwalk, and Hartford’s Freeman Cos., must adhere to in constructing two buildings worth $26 million on a pair of vacant, city-owned properties just south of downtown, officials say. Plans show the two buildings […]

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Wesleyan to issue $75 million in bonds to fund expansion project

“Our work on campus involves modernizing, upgrading, and, in some cases, expanding our core academic centers. These facilities will be transformed into spaces where courageous faculty and students can activate their ideas to make a difference in the world,” said President Michael Roth ’78. “We are taking steps now to ensure Wesleyan is a high-impact […]

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CCM announces support for limited highway tolls

CCM is recommending state legislators adopt a bipartisan transportation financing plan as part of its legislative agenda for the 2020 General Assembly session that opens on Feb. 5. “This plan must identify and allocate appropriate resources which may include the establishment of limited tolling and will enable the state to leverage all available federal funding […]

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Stamford on forefront of public-private partnerships for schools

The district is planning to demolish Cloonan Middle School and build a new school on the property to house both Cloonan Middle School and Roxbury Elementary School, which will move from its current location. https://www.ctinsider.com/local/stamfordadvocate/article/Stamford-on-forefront-of-public-private-14984843.php?cmpid=gsa-stamfordadvocate-result&_ga=2.194238637.1057016774.1579519059-1033831744.1572817739#photo-18787122

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Developer hopes to build apartments in Torrington

TDF Enterprises LLC, the owner of a 39-acre parcel of vacant land in the Greenbriar development, is proposing to build a 120-unit apartment complex for individuals 55 years old and older. The apartments would feature mostly one- and two-bedroom units in four buildings on two different parts of the property – two buildings accessed from […]

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City Council approves redevelopment of Sessions building

The City Council Tuesday night approved a proposal to redevelop the Sessions building into market rate apartments, through a public-private partnership between Vesta Corp. and the Bristol Housing Authority. Vesta/BHA Joint Venture will be working together to clean up contamination and redevelop the property at 273 Riverside Ave. http://www.bristolpress.com/BP-Bristol+News/364920/city-council-approves-redevelopment-of-sessions-building

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New Killingly power plant faces local opposition ahead of appeal

About 20 residents, including some from other towns like Mystic and Ashford, spoke out against the project, said Jason Anderson, the town council president. The Killingly Energy Center has already received the approvals it needs from the town’s planning, zoning, and inland wetland commissions. The state Siting Council denied the project once but last June […]

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New Canaan Library unveils plans for $30 million new facility

The new building, approximately 48,000 square-foot, will sit at the corner of Maple Street and South Avenue, location of the current library. Officials said the design “will reflect New Canaan’s unique mid-century modern architectural heritage. Designed to be a true cultural campus, it will replace the current outdated and failing structure with a large, airy, […]

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DOT could raise rates and 5 more things we learned from a draft of Gov. Ned Lamont’s truck-only toll bill

The state transportation department would have the power to raise toll rates, starting in 2024, based on a working draft of a truck-only tolls bill that lawmakers plan to vote on next week. Estimates of how much the state would collect from truck-only tolls have ranged from $150 million to $200 million a year. The […]

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Old Lyme solar project moves forward despite environmental concerns

The Siting Council, which has jurisdiction over approving proposed solar projects in Connecticut, approved the project after solar developer James Schwartz of Cobb Road LLC, an affiliate of the Essex-based Independence Solar, submitted a petition requesting a declaratory ruling from the council in October. Schwartz told The Day in November that Cobb Road LLC has […]

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Mixmaster rehabilitation project could cost $100 million more than estimated, officials say

A list of projects on the state’s website for CT2030, which is Gov. Ned Lamont’s transportation plan for the next 10 years, says the Route 8 and Interstate 84 interchange reboot will cost $235 million to $260 million. Project overseers say added costs are typical of a rehabilitation project, as discoveries of additional needs are […]

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Lamont answer questions from toll supporters, opponents

During a late afternoon forum in Bedford Middle School, Lamont stressed the need to persuade the Democrat-dominated General Assembly to approve — over unified Republican opposition — his 10-year, $19 billion transit improvement plan, for a variety of economic reasons. “These are all about good-paying jobs,” Lamont told a crowd of about 400 during a […]

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Wilton police station design is scaled back

The new design allows for 16,800 square feet, down from the 19,500 square feet the committee recommended to the Board of Selectmen on Dec. 16. The larger building was expected to cost around $16 million, which the selectmen nixed, tasking the committee to come in with a proposal for $14 million. The present station measures […]

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Judge finds fault with zoning permits for tribes’ East Windsor casino project

In a 36-page decision issued Wednesday, Judge Marshall Berger found that the East Windsor Planning and Zoning Commission “abused its discretion” in approving a site plan and granting a special permit “as to the sale of alcohol,” and lacked jurisdiction to consider the sale of alcohol because it failed to properly publish notice of public […]

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Economists Make 2020 Construction Predictions

Construction economists are not sugarcoating their outlook on the industry in 2020. “Total growth in nonresidential construction spending, as reported by the Census Bureau’s monthly ‘value put in place’ series, will be close to the 2.2 percent increase recorded year-to-date for the first 10 months of 2019 compared to January-October 2018,” he said. “The best-performing […]

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Towns Weigh Huge Cost of Updating Trash-To-Energy Plant

The Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority is asking its 51 member towns to commit to new 30-year contracts for waste disposal by June 1 so it can finance the $330 million cost to renovate the failing trash-to-energy plant. The plant burns a third of Connecticut’s refuse and turns it into electricity. MIRA needs most of […]

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Projects are under budget and Plainville is overjoyed

Both the Wheeler School renovation and the phosphorus reduction upgrades to the town’s waste water treatment plant, projects which began in 2017, are expected to wrap up this spring, said Town Manager Robert E. Lee. Both projects are expected to be completed ahead of schedule and under budget. The town will also begin its second […]

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House Speaker says he’s ‘very comfortable’ there are enough votes to pass truck-only tolls, but situation is murkier in state Senate

After nearly a year of heated debates over highway tolls, House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz said Tuesday he is “very comfortable” there are enough Democratic votes in the state House of Representatives to pass Gov. Ned Lamont’s latest truck-only tolls plan in a special session later this month. But the situation was murkier in the state […]

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2 CT toxic Superfund sites part of growing backlog under Trump administration

Two of the Superfund projects are in Connecticut: One in Durham and one in Waterbury. The accumulation of Superfund projects that are ready to go except for money comes as the Trump administration routinely proposes funding cuts for Superfund and for the EPA in general. The four-decade-old Superfund program is meant to tackle some of […]

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On The Brink Of A “Bigger City”

According to an official local economic statement put together by Piscitelli and his staff in anticipation of the city’s latest bond refunding, private developers completed or began construction on over 1,655 new market-rate housing units in New Haven in 2019. The report states that another 1,937 market-rate units were also in the works as of […]

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Middletown’s Wesleyan University preps $75M bond offering; major campus upgrades planned

Middletown’s Wesleyan University is planning a $75-million bond offering that will help fund major campus upgrades to its art, social science, and science academic buildings, officials said. Wesleyan’s Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer and Treasurer Andrew Tanaka said borrowing now will allow Wesleyan to take advantage of historically low interest rates as the […]

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New remediation plan in the works for Groton water treatment plant project

The Environmental Protection Agency said the plan proposed by the utility’s construction manager to remediate PCBs in the old paint doesn’t meet the EPA’s standards, according to Mark Biron, Groton Utilities general manager of operations for water and electric. Construction has been ongoing on the upgrade project to repurpose the water treatment plant, built in 1939 and […]

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Work Restarts on Silver Sands Construction Project Destroyed in Fire

Nine months after fire destroyed a much-anticipated addition to Milford’s Silver Sands State Park, construction crews are back at work to replace it. The buildings, which included concessions, a bathroom and changing area, elevated outdoor seating, and a lifeguard office, were supposed to open last Memorial Day weekend. Work Restarts on Silver Sands Construction Project […]

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Portion of Route 32 in Norwich to close for two weeks starting Monday

A portion of Route 32 just south of Falvey’s Motors will be closed for about two weeks beginning Monday to allow construction crews to replace a failing corrugated metal pipe and make drainage repairs, the state Department of Transportation announced. The $500,000 project involves removing and replacing the existing 43-inch pipe and concrete endwalls and […]

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Worker injured in fall at New Haven construction site

A worker was hospitalized Monday morning after he fell while working at a High Street construction site, fire officials said. Firefighters responded to the scene of the accident at a 18 High St. Monday morning, said Rick Fontana, director of emergency operations. Fontana said the condition of the worker does not appear life threatening. Deputy […]

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Mixed-use N. Britain property sold for $890K; 22 apartments to be added

A Cheshire-based property management firm has acquired a three-story, retail-office building in downtown New Britain for $890,000, land records show. Glenstone plans to convert the two vacant upper floors into approximately 22 apartment units to meet the growing demand for living spaces downtown, according to Farmington broker Amodio & Co. Real Estate. The deal comes […]

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Hartford’s State Office Building: Where history meets modern workspace in $205M makeover

State employees started relocating just after Thanksgiving, and by the end of January, the building will become the workplace for about 700. The renovated space will primarily be the domain of the state’s constitutional officers, including the attorney general, comptroller, treasurer and secretary of the state. The structure also will house the state auditors and […]

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Waterbury to seek developers for 160-acre parcel

Sometime within the next two months, the city will officially begin seeking developers for a roughly 160-acre parcel straddling its border with Naugatuck. Mackenzie Demac, chief of staff to Mayor Neil M. O’Leary, said the city will release a request-for-proposal within 60 days. City officials are looking for job creation and future taxes. Ideally, they’re […]

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The Downtown Highway That Could Drive Hartford’s Comeback

Hartford finds another monumental task in its way: a crumbling piece of 20th-century infrastructure, a stretch of the Interstate 84 viaduct adjacent to downtown that is well past its expiration date. Completed in 1965, the elevated thoroughfare was part of the national urban-renewal campaign to ram freeways through downtowns, and it did extraordinary damage to […]

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As five towns wait for Hartford Line train stations, transit-oriented developments move forward

Regardless, most of these towns are still moving forward with transit-oriented development plans, hoping that stations or platforms will one day be built in their backyards. “We’re actually doing things,” said Chris Bromson, town manager of Enfield, which plans to spend up to $4.2 million for a train platform if state funding for a $50-million […]

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Environmental, logistical concerns present challenges to developing Hartford’s waterfront

Development there has been especially difficult because of potential impacts to an underground levee system that curbs the level of riverfront flooding on what is widely considered the narrowest part of the Connecticut River. There is also uncertainty about how utilities, supplies for vendors, emergency services and handicap ramps would make their way down to […]

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The ‘godfather’ of implant dentistry eyes $20M-plus hotel-event center in Bristol

Niznick, a Las Vegas multimillionaire with few ties to Connecticut, isn’t just a dreamer with a grand vision. Since 2010, he’s already invested $25 million of his own money to renovate and rebrand the former Clarion Hotel at 42 Century Drive into a 141-room DoubleTree by Hilton. He plans to invest another $20 million to […]

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Looney, Fasano Tackle Tolls, Transit

Looney embraced Lamont’s latest plan to fund the 10-year transportation plan — now pegged at $19 billion — with the trucks-only tolls on bridges. He argued that a constitutional amendment created a transportation “lockbox” can provide the guarantee needed for toll receipts to be spent as promised. Fasano said he agrees with the goal of […]

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As five towns wait for Hartford Line train stations, transit-oriented developments move forward

A spokesman for Lamont said the administration still views the train stations as a critical investment, but stopped short of guaranteeing funding for them under the trucks-only tolls plan. Lawmakers could vote on that plan in January during a special session. Regardless, most of these towns are still moving forward with transit-oriented development plans, hoping […]

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The Downtown Highway That Could Drive Hartford’s Comeback

Amid all that earnest activity, however, the nagging question remains: what to do with the two-mile section of I-84 just outside downtown, which in an ironic reference to past glory is known as the Aetna Viaduct. Its projected lifespan ended in 2005, and engineers are now worried about catastrophic failure. Replacement options under consideration include […]

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Massive $1.4-Trillion Spending Measure Goes on the Books

President Trump has signed a $1.4-trillion, two-bill spending package that will keep federal agencies, including their construction programs, operating through Sept. 30. 2020, the end of the current fiscal year. The spending picture was mixed for infrastructure accounts: some, like Army Corps of Engineers civil works, received boosts over their 2019 levels, but others, like […]

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Stories that shaped the decade: Smaller-scale development projects help revive the city of Hartford

Though less dramatic, these more modest projects showed encouraging potential in reshaping the city for the future as it enters the 2020s. The city government has doled out generous tax deals to many of those projects, one of its only avenues to spur development in the wake of its 2017 budget crisis. While the city […]

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Norwich seeks state approval for $167 million sewer system upgrade

Norwich Public Utilities hopes it has developed a plan to upgrade the city’s nearly 100-year-old sewage treatment system that continues to pollute Norwich Harbor and the Thames River when heavy rains overwhelm the system. NPU officials presented the new proposal to the Board of Public Utilities Commissioners on Thursday and will meet with DEEP officials […]

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Work Enters the ‘Last Mile’ on New England Thruway

Construction crews are in the midst of a $135 million infrastructure project that will complete reconstruction of the final mile of a section of the New England Thruway (I-95) that carries traffic from New York City to the Connecticut border. Construction is expected to be completed in 2021. “After years of discussions and planning, we […]

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Bond Commission Approves Funding For Landfill Work Including PFAS Remediation

The commission unanimously approved $750,000 Wednesday, adding to a previously-approved $700,000. The money will go toward a variety of upgrades needed at closed landfills in Hartford, Ellington, Waterbury, Wallingford, and Shelton. Included in the project is work at two homes near the Ellington landfill, where PFAS chemicals have leached into the drinking water. Work in […]

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East Lyme officials still seeking residents’ input on conservation, development plan

The POCD “is the plan for our town,” Williams said by phone Thursday. “And residents should be pulled in to have their opinion heard.”  As part of the efforts of the subcommittee, composed of about a half-dozen members and formed earlier this year, Williams said the group recently held a workshop advising the town’s boards […]

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The Dotted Line: How contractors are finding and vetting subcontractors

A survey sponsored by Autodesk and the Associated General Contractors of America found that 80% of contractors were having difficulty finding enough qualified craft workers. It stands to reason, then, since subcontractors provide so much of the labor on construction projects, that it has become trickier for many general contractors to find enough quality subs […]

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Bond Commission OKs funding for Hartford apts., transportation projects

The State Bond Commission on Wednesday approved hundreds of millions of dollars in new financing to spur apartment and affordable housing developments in Hartford and other transportation-related improvements, among other allocations. The largest approval on Wednesday was a $135 million request from the Connecticut Department of Transportation for various resurfacing and reconstruction projects and road […]

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Developers purchase Lofts at Main and Temple apartments, seen as critical to $100 million revival of downtown Hartford’s Pratt Street corridor

The partners in the development — Lexington Partners, LAZ Investments and Shelbourne Global Solutions LLC — acquired the mortgage in recent days and took over ownership of the property, Martin J. Kenny, who heads Hartford-based Lexington, said Tuesday. The apartment complex sits atop Pratt when looking east from Trumbull Street and was built in the […]

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DOT reports continued increase in Hartford Line ridership

The recent announcement backs up Hartford Rail ridership numbers from rail officials, who said participation has exceeded expectations, from 580,000 annual trips last year to 630,000 this year, with more than 750,000 trips expected next year. Connecticut DOT deployed 10 additional rail trains on the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving and four additional trains on […]

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Toll advocates: Revenue will fix CT transportation problems

The group of about 20 people, mostly from Fairfield County, gathered outside the Legislative Office Building meeting room to greet Lamont before his post-Bond Commission press conference. Angela Liptack, of Ridgefield, said they’ve been studying the issue of tolls for the past year and have concluded that tolls on all vehicles is the “most comprehensive […]

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Multi-state pact could curb transportation carbon emissions

Under the agreement, wholesale fuel companies would be required to purchase pollution allowances at auction. The sale of those allowances could generate billions for states to invest in carbon-reducing transportation options — like electric buses, electric car charging stations, bike lanes and sidewalks. Supporters say the pact would be a major step toward reducing transportation […]

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Stamford school laborers protest building privatization

The district’s grand plan to makeover six of Stamford’s public schools by 2024 using a public-private partnership model is garnering push-back from the ranks of workers who currently maintain school buildings. Under the proposed plan, the city would sell about one third of its school land to a private developer for one dollar each. The […]

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After Years of Antipathy, Construction Puts Out Welcome Mat For LGBTQ Workers

Richter owns two successful construction companies in the Chicago area. The architect started his own practice and Díaz-Fañas founded Queer Advocacy and Knowledge Exchange (Qu-AKE), one of the first construction industry groups in the U.S. for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) workers. He also moved to a more inclusive workplace, at WSP, where […]

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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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