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Port Authority finalizes agreement with contractor for State Pier project
The Connecticut Port Authority has settled a dispute over costs with the construction manager overseeing the reconstruction of State Pier and signed an agreement that finalizes an $11.3 million settlement, Port Authority Executive Director Michael O’Connor announced Tuesday. The negotiated final cost is more than the $7.3 million expected payment to Kiewit Corp. to complete the project but will not come at any additional cost to the state. The port authority will cover the additional costs with its own funds, O’Connor said. Kiewit Infrastructure Co. Area Manager Pete Maglicic said in a statement that Kiewit was “proud to have partnered with the Connecticut Port Authority, local labor unions, subcontractors and suppliers on this transformative project.” State Pier is being leased and used as a launching spot for wind turbine parts in the construction of offshore wind farms. The State Pier reconstruction project, managed by the port authority, has been under scrutiny for years because of costs that have spiked since the early estimates of $93 million. The state has contributed $211 million to the cost of renovations while Danish offshore wind giant Ørsted, which is leasing State Pier, picked up the remainder of the cost of the renovations, the port authority said.
New CT Amazon building: 1,000 workers, 5-story building the size of two malls
With a crew of more than 200 construction workers, Amazon is turning most of a 157-acre property on the Naugatuck-Waterbury line into what will be one of its biggest distribution centers in the state. City and state leaders gathered at the sprawling, muddy construction site Tuesday to celebrate what they expect will be one of the region’s biggest employers when it opens sometime in 2027 or 2028. “I’ve worked on construction projects my whole life, I’ve never seen anything like this − it’s unbelievable,” Naugatuck Mayor Pete Hess said over the engine noise of a small fleet of cranes and earth movers. “The steel we’re erecting today is going to hold up much more than a building. It’s going to hold up jobs, dreams and a shared prosperity that will bind Naugatuck and Waterbury forever.” “Amazon I believe is the second-biggest employer in the state of Connecticut. This (project) is 3.2 million square feet, 60 football fields, 300 construction jobs,” Gov. Ned Lamont said, noting the company has other mega-centers in Wallingford and North Haven along with large operations in more than a dozen other towns.
Penn. developer with growing CT presence pays $3M for Rocky Hill site
A Pittsburgh-area developer has paid $3 million for 22.1 acres in a Rocky Hill business park, months after town officials approved plans for a 153-unit apartment complex on the site. In April, the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously signed off on A.R. Building Co.’s plan to build three, four-story apartment buildings at 200 Capital Blvd., in the Corporate Ridge business park. The plan also calls for a pool and clubhouse. In a deed recorded Sept. 26, Corpridge Land Co. sold 200 Capital Blvd., to a limited liability company whose principals — Keith Lenhart and Daniel J. Mancosh — are officers of A.R. Building Co. The undeveloped property is located right off Interstate 91. In a deed recorded on Sept. 24, A.R. Building Co. paid $3.35 million for 11.9 acres in Windsor. And like the Rocky Hill property, this one is also right of I-91. Windsor officials had previously approved A.R. Building Co.’s plan for a four-building, 201-unit apartment complex.
Newtown battle over ‘top-tiered’ soccer complex pits artificial turf against sensitive environment
A plan for a Route 25 soccer complex that has gained the support of at least 100 Newtowners may require the developer to hire an independent engineer to review environmental impacts of the fields’ synthetic turf. A conservation activist and two members of the town’s wetlands commission are asking for the developer of the 33-acre property to pay for third-party review that will study the development’s impact on the environmentally sensitive wetlands surrounding the nearby Pond Brook. The developer gave the wetlands commission a letter of support signed by what appeared to be more than 130 Newtown residents in favor of “a state-of-the-art outdoor soccer facility designed to provide a top-tiered experience” with “high quality synthetic turf and shock absorption for safety and optimal ball control.” Guidera said she felt “strongly” that “toxins and PFAS will not be good for the environment” and that she was “not in favor of the turf,” according to meeting minutes. A handful of residents spoke against the soccer field proposal during the Oct. 8 hearing, citing concerns about water quality. Two others spoke in favor of the development, saying it was preferable to the controversial apartment complex alternative from 2023.
https://www.newstimes.com/news/article/newtown-soccer-fields-artificial-turf-route-25-21109834.php
Former Route 9 eyesore in Middletown reborn as apartments
The long-vacant Alfredo’s Riverside Restaurant, hard by Route 9 South and in the shadow of the Arrigoni Bridge, is being reborn as apartments — part of a developer’s broader effort to breathe new life into neglected city properties. The brick building at 141 Bridge St., the last one on the dead-end street, is expected to be ready for leasing applications by Nov. 1, according to developer Dominick DeMartino. The Bridge Street project is one of a half dozen neglected buildings in the city that DeMartino, who has been in the development business for more than three decades, bought during and after the pandemic. The city helped secure $5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding and state Department of Economic and Community Development grants to assist with the rehabilitation projects, DeMartino said. Middletown Mayor Gene Nocera said Thursday that DeMartino goes the extra mile on restoration projects and has an eye for quality that will last decades.
Detours, lane closures and more among upcoming CT road projects. Here’s where.
Drivers on portions of Route 2 can expect to see some road work later this month. The work in Colchester will be on Route 2 westbound at the Exit 20 off-ramp to Route 149, which will be closed, and there will be a detour, according to the Connecticut Department of Transportation. The work will begin on Monday, Oct. 27 and the exit will remain closed for several months while rehabilitation work is done Route 2 westbound bridge over Route 149, also known as Westchester Road. Route 2 eastbound Exit 20 also will take traffic to Route 149. According to the DOT, the work includes pavement rehabilitation and resurfacing of the eastbound and westbound Route 2 roadway as well as drainage modifications, safety improvements to upgrade guide rails and bridge improvements between the new Exit 20 and Exit 25 on Route 2 eastbound and westbound. The overall project will be performed by American Roma JV at a cost of $43,699,900. The work is scheduled to be completed by Nov. 30. 2026. DOT asks that motorists maintain a safe speed when driving in all work areas.
Shelton close to $4M in state funds to remediate Canal Street site for apartment plan
Shelton Economic Development Corp. President Sheila O’Malley said the city is hoping to be awarded roughly $4 million in state grant money to remediate 235 Canal St., former home to Apex Tool & Cutter Co. The money will be used to remediate the property, which is owned by the Watts estate but under contract to developer John Guedes of Primrose Companies. While no plans have yet been filed for the site, O’Malley said Guedes is preparing plans for a 100-unit apartment complex with a two-level parking garage dubbed The Riverbank. O’Malley said this project will require some $25 million in private investment. This is Guedes’ latest development along Canal Street. He said the combined total of units built, units under construction and the soon-to-be filed new building brings his total to 697. These two projects presently under construction are close to $40 million.
How do you move a river? Waterbury Mixmaster overhaul could do just that
After a years-long study, the state Department of Transportation has narrowed down the possible design options for a long-term overhaul of the congested, crash-prone interchange of Interstate 84 and Route 8 in Waterbury known as the Mixmaster. A key difference between the two options, which will now go through the environmental review process, is that one calls for the Naugatuck River to be moved eastward to create space for Route 8 to be unstacked and reconstructed on the river’s west bank. How do you move a river, brook or stream? It involves building a new channel and redirecting the existing watercourse to the new one, officials said. Kevin Carifa, the director of DOT’s Office of Environmental Planning, said it is more common than some may think. Either the Naugatuck River Shift or Modern Crossover Interchange would cost an estimated $3 billion to $5 billion, in 2022 dollars. Dean said the river shift would be the “slightly more expensive” option. Actual construction work to rebuild the interchange’s core isn’t expected to begin for at least a decade.
Here’s how Hartford is planning to redesign several of its major roadways, including Main Street
Several projects are underway, or in the planning stages, to modernize and improve the safety of major roadways in Hartford. Among them is the continued effort to overhaul Farmington Avenue, building on work that started last year near the border of West Hartford and Prospect Avenue. Right now, the city is working on improving the stretch of the roadway from Whitney Street to Dennis Street. Deutsch said the city is also implementing quick-build projects — which are cheaper and sometimes installed on a trial basis — to make the roadway safer. The city is also eyeing installing roundabouts on New Britain Avenue, which would accompany a road diet as well — the process of reducing the number of travel lanes. A road diet is also planned on Asylum Avenue in 2026. Most of these projects, Deutsch added, depend on grant funding — which can sometimes delay or change construction schedules. But he says the city likes to always have something ongoing and another project ready to move onto.
Meriden reviews $191M projects for Pulaski and Hooker schools; city share estimated at $23M
City and school officials are reviewing new design studies for a new Casimir Pulaski Elementary School and a renovated Thomas Hooker Elementary School, which would cost the city an estimated $23.27 million after state reimbursements. The district now has three projects under consideration as part of its long-term facilities plan: building a new Pulaski School at 1 King Place, renovating the existing Thomas Hooker building and repurposing the current Pulaski site. If the city and state approve the plans, the district can move forward with detailed design work. If the project remains on schedule, construction is projected to be completed by fall 2031. The total cost for a new Pulaski Elementary School is estimated at $129.27 million, with the state expected to reimburse $116.8 million. The city would fund $16.06 million, which would cover the demolition of the old Meriden-Wallingford Hospital.
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