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CT Siting Council rejects United Illuminating’s Fairfield monopole appeal
Fairfield’s long running fight against installing tall electrical transmission lines, known as monopoles, along the MetroNorth rail line may be over, for now. The Connecticut Siting Council (CSC) Thursday, rejected United Illuminating’s (UI) application in a final decision which mirrored its earlier decision made in October to reject a plan to install monopoles in Fairfield and Bridgeport. In a statement, UI immediately criticized the decision Thursday, saying rejecting the plan would harm ratepayers. The statement read in part: “As long as the Siting Council continues to deny the Fairfield to Congress Project, a critical portion of the transmission system between Bridgeport and Fairfield will be vulnerable to both safety and reliability risks.” Fairfield First Selectperson Christine Vitale praised the decision in a press release issued shortly after the decision. “We appreciate the Connecticut Siting Council’s thorough review and its decision to deny UI’s application in Docket 516R,” Vitale said. Throughout this process, our community has consistently expressed strong concerns, and we are grateful that the voices of residents, local leaders, religious institutions, businesses and preservationists were heard.”
Old Lyme’s Sewer Project Gets Go-Ahead Without Sound View
OLD LYME — The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection announced that it would allow three private beach associations to proceed with installing sewers, even without the town’s cooperation. Nearly 90 days after a Dec. 16 town referendum overwhelmingly opposed a request for additional borrowing to install sewers in Sound View and an adjacent neighborhood dubbed “Area B” in the planning, the state agency informed Old Colony, Miami Beach and Old Lyme Shores Beach Associations that they could now enter into contracts to begin the project. The authorizations were issued on Jan. 31, and will allow the private beach associations to install sewer infrastructure within their neighborhoods and a shared sewer line connecting to a New London wastewater treatment plant. In a statement, DEEP said that the project was expected to start in the spring. It’s unclear how the town intends to satisfy the state agency without joining the project, but DEEP officials have repeatedly warned the town that it would not be released from its responsibility to address the high density of septic fields in Sound View. Old Lyme is not yet the subject of a consent order — forcing the town to act — but the state agency has said it expects to enter into one to formalize a corrective plan.
https://ctexaminer.com/2026/02/05/old-lymes-sewer-project-gets-go-ahead-without-sound-view/
Lamont’s budget keeps commuter rail, bus service flat
Connecticut’s commuter rail and bus services will continue running at current levels for the next year under Gov. Ned Lamont’s latest budget proposal, which otherwise warned of an impending fiscal cliff due to loss of pandemic-era federal funding for rail. Lamont’s budget proposed a increase of $19.7 million for rail and $9.4 for buses in the fiscal year beginning on July 1. That would amount to an increase of 6% and 3%, respectively, over the current year’s budget. The intention of the increase is to keep their operations flat, budget officials said. In addition, the governor proposed spending $3.5 million to provide half-priced bus fares to students and free bus fares for veterans. That money would be split between the Department of Transportation and the Department of Veterans Affairs. This year’s budget proposal does not include any increases in the cost of a bus or rail ticket, following an overall 10% fare hike for Metro-North and CT Rail that will take effect by July 1. After 2027, the budget document prepared by the Office of Policy and Management warned that roughly $45.6 million in federal pandemic relief funds being used to subsidize CT Rail services will expire and need to be replaced. Several of the state’s commuter rail services, including Metro-North’s New Haven Line, have struggled to rebound to their pre-pandemic ridership.
CT DOT warns Meriden drivers to not travel wrong way on I-91 off-ramp amid construction work
MERIDEN — State officials are warning drivers to not travel the wrong way up the East Main Street off-ramp for Interstate 91 while construction work is underway at Meriden’s congested interchange. The state Department of Transportation issued a safety alert Wednesday reminding drivers the on-ramp has been closed and urged motorists to use the listed detour to access the highway. Officials said driving up the off-ramp “will result in your vehicle going the wrong way on the highway and putting yourself and other travelers in great danger.” The on-ramp was closed on Dec. 1 as part of an ongoing $500 million project designed to reduce congestion at the interchange where Interstate 91, Interstate 691 and Route 15 meet. The work, now in the second of three planned phases, started in 2023 and is expected to eventually conclude sometime in 2030, according to transportation officials.
Demolition crews begin ambitious CT mega-project. Called ‘multi-year transformation’
The long-awaited Port Eastside mega-development got under way in January when contractors began demolishing an empty Bank of America building while East Hartford applied for $15 million in state aid for the project. Heavy equipment has been razing the multi-level concrete parking garage at 99 Founders Plaza for the past several weeks, and then will tear down the 150,000-square-foot former Bank of America offices. Developers then plan to construct 300 apartments in a new five-story complex as the first phase of Port Eastside, East Hartford’s biggest mixed residential and commercial project in recent decades. The long-term plan is to create as many as 1,000 apartments on more than 28 acres across the Connecticut River from downtown Hartford along with new restaurants and entertainment venues. But in the three years since a high-powered development partnership laid out the sprawling concept for nearly 30 acres of prime waterfront property, progress has been measured entirely in paperwork: purchase contracts, financing agreements, tax financing district settlements and the like. The deployment of excavators, bulldozers and dump trucks at the bank site has given East Hartford residents a visual sign of change at Founders Plaza, a collection of office buildings that were modern a generation ago but in decline for the past 10 years or more.
UI (opinion): Bridgeport transmission line snapped in cold heightens need for grid modernization plan. ‘We got lucky’
On Saturday, Jan. 24, on one of the coldest days of winter, we narrowly avoided what could have been a very serious event in the heart of Bridgeport – one that UI has been trying to prevent for nearly three years now. Just before dawn that morning, one of the transmission lines that hangs above Interstate 95 and Metro-North Railroad snapped in the cold, falling onto the interstate before landing on the train’s power wires, structures and facilities above Tracks 1, 2 and 4 of the railroad. Thankfully, train operations on those tracks were halted before any trains could travel through these areas and did not reopen until repairs were completed some nine hours later, causing delays and impacting Metro-North riders. The line that failed, called a static wire, is a de-energized line that helps prevent lightning from striking our energized transmission wires. Replacing the wire could take months, given the need for complex coordination between UI, the Connecticut Department of Transportation, and Metro-North. If the repair extends into the spring when thunderstorms begin, service to thousands of customers along the railroad could be at risk under certain conditions.
CT seeks new contracts for nuclear power, renewables
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said Friday that it would begin seeking new contracts for carbon-free electricity from large power generators, including the Millstone Nuclear Power Station in Waterford. The announcement marks the start of the agency’s latest round of “grid scale” clean energy procurement, which began in 2011. Several years later, officials used that process to provide a lifeline to Millstone after its owner threatened to shut the plant down due to the difficulty of competing against lower-cost natural gas. As part of a 10-year contract that expires in 2029, Connecticut agreed to purchase half of Millstone’s output at the set price of $50 per megawatt hour. Like all the grid scale clean energy contracts, utility customers pay a premium on Millstone’s power whenever it’s higher than the wholesale cost of electricity — typically determined by the price of gas. But when the cost of electricity rises above the contract price, customers receive a credit on their bills.
https://ctmirror.org/2026/01/30/deep-rfp-nuclear-renewable-contracts/
Beeline Update: $9M project construction in spring
PLAINVILLE — Town Manager Michael Paulhus has provided an update on the Beeline Trail, which will connect Plainville and New Britain, and is set to begin construction next Spring. Paulhus said the $9 million project will be entirely state funded. Construction is expected to begin in Spring 2027, pending funding, right of way acquisition and permits. “A major trail and street improvement project is coming to Plainville and it could change how people move through town,” he said. “It’s called the Beeline Trail, a new east-west connector linking New Britain and Plainville.” The Beeline Trail, also known as the New Britain–Plainville East–West Connector, will build a new road-separated, multi-use trail along with streetscape and complete street improvements along East Main Street, Pine Street and Woodford Avenue and White Oak Avenue. “It also closes a critical gap linking the Beeline Trail with the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail,” Paulhus said.
Greenwich train station reopens following $30M plaza renovation
GREENWICH — The Greenwich train station reopens to commuters Friday morning, following a major renovation project that is expanding and modernizing the station plaza. Visitors to the station will find a new wood-slatted ceiling, high-end lighting, upgraded restrooms, new flooring, railings and an elevator. The exterior of the station has a new clock, similar to ones at train stations in Europe. “We’re incredibly grateful to the residents, commuters, and local businesses for their patience and support throughout construction,” said Ryan Harvey, CEO and president of The Ashforth Co., the development firm behind the construction. The modernization of the railroad plaza, called Greenwich Crossing, required the closing of the passenger terminal in May. Commuters had to take stairs to reach the train platform. Harvey said the completion of the new station was part of a larger project that will have a lasting impact on the community.
https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/green-train-station-plaza-reopening-21322093.php
FEMA reimburses CT DOT $4.4M for repair of massive 2021 sinkhole by PGA Tour golf course in Cromwell
CROMWELL — The Federal Emergency Management Administration has reimbursed the state $4.4 million for repairs it made to the Wethersfield Secondary Freight Line after a 2021 hurricane opened a massive sinkhole next to the golf course that annually hosts the PGA Tour Travelers Championship tournament. “It covers emergency restoration following the remnants of Hurricane Ida in September 2021,” said David Bednarz, a spokesman for Gov. Ned Lamont. “Extreme rainfall overwhelmed drainage systems, causing a massive washout … that left the tracks suspended over a collapsed embankment between the TPC River Highlands golf course and the Connecticut River.” Bednarz said the massive sinkhole was 120 feet long, 60 feet wide and 80 feet deep, located near the 13th hole at the golf course. This funding, he said, ensures the structural integrity of this vital freight corridor. The Cromwell site was part of $105 million in FEMA funds to support recovery for past disasters in five New England states, according to a press statement announcing the grants. The projects included debris removal, emergency protective measures and the repair or replacement of public infrastructure damaged by recent disasters. This regional funding is part of a broader effort announced by the Department of Homeland Security. In this past week alone, DHS and FEMA approved more than $2.2 billion in public assistance projects to communities across the U.S.
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