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Major changes planned for a Route 15 interchange, including removal of stop signs
It’s out with the stop signs on the Wilbur Cross Parkway near the Hamden-North Haven border, and in with acceleration and deceleration lanes. The agency recently announced it will hold a public meeting about the project, which aims to make it easier for drivers to merge onto the parkway, on Sept. 15 at Hamden Government Center. It will also accept comments by email and phone for two weeks after the meeting. Construction could start as soon as spring 2028, depending on availability of funding, right-of-way acquisitions and permit approvals, DOT said. On its webpage for the project, DOT said it needs to ditch the stop signs because they lead to a high number of rear-end crashes. It wants to install acceleration lanes for both the northbound and southbound on-ramps and a deceleration lane for the northbound off-ramp. The interchange currently includes an Exit 51, formerly Exit 61, on the northbound side and an Exit 51 on the southbound side.
Shelton may forgo state funding to speed up Constitution Boulevard project
SHELTON — With completion of the first phase of the Constitution Boulevard work in sight, Mayor Mark Lauretti may turn down state funds, instead dipping into the city’s coffers to pay for the remaining two phases. Paving on phase one of the Constitution Boulevard West extension — from Bridgeport Avenue up the hillside — is expected to be completed by year’s end, according to Lauretti. This work comes some three years after initial groundbreaking, with the delays a product of state Department of Transportation requirements demanded as part of accepting $5 million in Connecticut grant money for the project. It is those requirements — and potential for future delays — that has Lauretti rethinking accepting future state monetary awards for the final two phases and instead paying out of city coffers. Lauretti did not have an estimated figure for the work as city officials await bids for the second phase of the road creation which focuses on roadways inside the Mas property, home to what the mayor envisions as a manufacturing hub.
Bridgeport crane company proposes redeveloping Stratford property into storage yard
STRATFORD — A Bridgeport crane and rigging company is seeking approval to transform property on Stratford’s west side into a construction equipment storage yard, giving the company a second location in the region. The applicant, 348 Surf Avenue LLC, has submitted a coastal site plan and erosion and sediment control plan to redevelop about 1.1 acres spanning several adjacent parcels on Surf Avenue and Charles Street, adjacent to the Interstate 95 southbound Surf Avenue exit. The property would become a second location for A&A Crane and Riggings, which has provided crane, rigging and trucking services in the Bridgeport area for about 30 years. The company currently operates from 900 Rusciana Ave. in Bridgeport. The site, which is in Stratford’s light manufacturing zone, is currently occupied by Barre Granite Memorials, a stone monument manufacturing and sales business that has operated there since the 1940s. Owner Donna Miller said the business plans to relocate to a smaller location elsewhere in Stratford later this year.
New CT law clarifies property tax payments for solar arrays
As large solar arrays have proliferated across Connecticut in the last decade, so have questions about how much tax revenue local governments can draw from the fields of panels. For years, state law gave municipalities and their tax assessors the leeway to determine the value of solar panels and other equipment subject to personal property taxes. At the same time, developers could seek a variety of tax exemptions on their projects allowing them to drastically reduce — or in some cases eliminate — their local tax obligations. Towns have faced challenges even with projects that don’t qualify for tax exemptions, because the value of solar panels tends to depreciate quickly. In some cases that’s left towns with budgetary holes to fill in the years following a project’s initial installation. As a result, litigation has erupted in some towns over tax bills for solar projects. Fearing financial uncertainty, both developers and municipal leaders have negotiated deals to stabilize their tax payments and provide more predictability to both parties. They’ve also appealed to lawmakers for a long-term solution.
https://ctmirror.org/2026/07/15/ct-new-law-solar-array-property-taxes/
Hartford seeks tax break for 125-unit affordable housing project near cinema site
Hartford officials are seeking a long-term tax abatement agreement to support a proposed 125-unit affordable housing development on land that formerly served the Apple Xtreme Cinema in the city’s Parkville neighborhood. The City Council on Monday referred the proposal to its Planning, Economic Development and Housing Committee after Mayor Arunan Arulampalam introduced the measure. The committee is expected to review the proposal later this month or in early August before sending it back to the full council for a final vote. Specific financial terms of the deal were not immediately available, but the proposal would authorize the city to enter into a 15-year tax-fixing agreement, with two optional five-year renewals, for a $18.75 million development at 332 and 344 New Park Ave. The project, known as Edge 400, would include two mixed-use buildings with 125 affordable apartments, resident amenity space and ground-floor retail. A 65,311-square-foot building at 332 New Park Ave. will contain 61 apartments affordable to households earning between 50% and 80% of the area median income, while the 70,678-square-foot building at 344 New Park Ave. will include 64 apartments affordable to households earning between 30% and 80% of AMI.
Renderings unveiled for Stonington technology park
Stonington — READCO has unveiled preliminary renderings for a proposed technology park on Route 2 just off Exit 92 of Interstate 95. The first phase of the Stonington Technology Park calls for an 80,000-square-foot office building and 125,000-square-foot light manufacturing building. The Old Lyme-based developer went before the Architectural Design Review Board on Monday and will incorporate the board’s feedback into the renderings. READCO plans to return to the board in September to seek final approval. The proposed four-story office building features a large conference area on the ground floor that allows for collaboration and presentation of ideas, Christen M. Robbins, the architect for the project and senior project manager at BL Companies, said Tuesday. The idea is that it is not just an office space, but a place to solve problems and research and develop in the technology realm. A cafeteria within the building opens out into an outdoor patio and green space.
https://theday.com/news/908084/renderings-unveiled-for-stonington-technology-park/
New Haven poised to advance 200,000-square-foot Unilever lab as Downtown Crossing nears final phase
NEW HAVEN — City officials are preparing to move forward with a 200,000-square-foot laboratory and office building that would become the centerpiece of New Haven’s growing life sciences and quantum technology hub while completing the final phase of the Downtown Crossing redevelopment project. The proposed development at 2 Church St. would become the home of the previously announced Unilever Global Innovation Center. Backed by millions of dollars in state funding, the project is the third and final phase of Downtown Crossing, the city’s long-running effort to replace the former Route 34 highway and reconnect downtown with the Hill neighborhood and medical district. The project’s development and land disposition agreements will go before the Board of Alders’ Community Development Committee during a public hearing at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Board of Alders chamber at City Hall. If approved, the agreements will advance to the full Board of Alders for a vote. “New Haven is one of fastest-growing hubs in the nation for the life sciences and quantum science, and the developments of 100 College Street, 101 College Street and 2 Church Street all demonstrate the growth of these industries in our city and underscore how New Haven is a center for cutting-edge research, development and innovation in these fields,” said Mayor Justin Elicker.
https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/new-haven-unilever-lab-downtown-crossing-22345262.php
Public meeting set for $87M Connecticut River railroad bridge project
MIDDLETOWN — The state’s planned rehabilitation of the railroad bridge over the Connecticut River spanning Middletown and Portland will be the subject of a hybrid public information session set for next month. The meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 4 at Middletown High School, 200 La Rosa Lane. The session will explain the project, gather feedback and answer questions, according to the state Department of Transportation. “This rehabilitation will increase the bridge’s load capacity, and modernize its mechanical and electric systems to provide reliable operation,” the DOT said in the meeting announcement. The estimated cost is $87 million, funded by state and federal funds, the agency said. Public feedback is encouraged, and may be incorporated into the design, DOT Project Manager Nicholas Martin said in a press release. Right-of-way impacts are not anticipated, the agency said. Construction is expected to start in fall 2028, depending on funding and permits.
Why so much road work is done at night in CT and what drivers should know
When traveling on Connecticut’s highways at night, some drivers may think their path will surely be clear because rush hour has come and gone. But then they see signs, cones and taillights. It’s a nighttime work zone. Construction season is well underway, and the recent activation of speed cameras in highway work zones has focused attention on safety in those areas where crews are building, repairing or cleaning. Here is what drivers may want to know as they navigate work zones at night this summer. Eva Zymaris, a spokesperson for the state Department of Transportation, said all of the agency’s construction contracts include what are known as “limitations of operations,” which lay out when work and what kind of lane closures can occur. Among the factors DOT considers when setting those limitations is traffic volumes because it wants to” minimize impact to the traveling public – while ensuring crews can work safely and efficiently,” she said.
https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/ct-night-road-work-highway-construction-22335872.php
CT hasn’t built a major new bridge since 1967, despite buzz around the Long Island Sound. Here’s why
A proposed bridge from Connecticut to New York across the Long Island Sound would be the state’s first major new crossing, connecting two places for the first time, since the Lyndon B. Johnson administration. That bridge is not likely to be built, according to Gov. Ned Lamont, who said last year that “they’ve been talking about that ever since I was a kid in Long Island.” Transit development experts say new bridges — not replacement bridges — are not being built because that’s not the sort of development Connecticut needs. Instead smaller bridges focused on pedestrians or cyclists are usually taking priority. “The big regional scale investments are set,” said David Kooris, executive director at the Connecticut Municipal Development Authority. “Now we’re kind of looking back inward at the fine grain connections that stitch together our communities.” Connecticut’s last major new crossing was the Mohegan-Pequot Bridge, constructed in 1967, carrying Route 2A over the Thames River, according to Eva Zymaris, a spokesperson for the Connecticut Department of Transportation. She also mentioned the Frog Bridge, opened in 2000, which carries state road 661 over the Willimantic River.
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