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Waterbury Branch trains to be replaced by buses for nearly a year starting July 20
This Wednesday, fares will go up 5% for customers taking CTrail and Metro-North Railroad trains in Connecticut. On top of that, riders on the Waterbury Branch will switch entirely to bus service starting July 20 because of construction at four of its six stations. Rail service is expected to return in June 2027. Waterbury branch riders have experienced such switches previously. Buses replaced trains for about two months in 2024 after extreme rainfall resulted in washouts along the rail line. In 2021, trains were unavailable for four months because of infrastructure upgrades. Last Thursday afternoon at the Bridgeport train station, where the Waterbury Branch connects to the New Haven Line, Abrina Geyer was about to board a bus that already runs on the line between trains. She said she thinks the full switch to buses, which are a bit slower than trains, will “be inconvenient for a lot of working people and people traveling, period,” and so will the fare hike. The Connecticut Department of Transportation has said the fare increase and a previous 5% hike that took place in September 2025 were necessary to maintain rail service levels amid rising costs.
Draft ruling clears way for 7,462-panel solar project near Glastonbury school
A proposed 4-megawatt solar facility spanning about 19 acres in Portland is on track for state approval after the Connecticut Siting Council issued a draft opinion endorsing the project. In its June 18 draft ruling, the council found that the project would provide a public benefit and cause no substantial environmental harm, and that it meets the legal threshold for approval under state energy policy. Those findings portend council approval of the project, which includes 7,462 solar panels on a 41.9-acre property owned by Walnut Hill Farms LLC. The site is accessed from Old Maids Lane in Glastonbury. The $9.5 million project would sell power to Eversource Energy under a 20-year tariff agreement. According to the draft findings of fact, North Haven-based Greenskies Clean Energy expects to begin construction in spring or summer 2027, with the facility fully commissioned by the end of 2027. If that schedule holds, the project would meet the federal deadline for the Investment Tax Credit, which requires solar projects receiving the benefit to begin commercial operation by Dec. 31, 2027. The Siting Council’s final decision deadline is Oct. 22.
Years-long CT gas pipeline stalled at the finish line. Why the $200M+ project faces a permit dispute
After seven years, $150 million and 31 of 34 miles already under ground, the state has halted a pipeline project designed to provide a more dependable natural gas supply to the booming southeastern Connecticut economy. The reason for what could become years of delay is a decision by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection requiring a comprehensive environmental review of parts of a mile or so of what remains to be completed of Eversource’s southeastern Connecticut gas resiliency project. The environmental impact evaluation is limited to a plan to install gas pipeline on a little more than a mile of Eversource electric rights of way that cross the rugged granite ledges of two state parks on either side of the river where the towns of Middletown, East Hampton and Haddam meet. To the west, the right of way crosses about 100 feet of a narrow strip of Penn Central rail line that is now Connecticut Valley Railroad State Park. On the east, about a mile of pipe would run across the south end of Hurd State Park, part of which was donated to the state by one of the companies that became Eversource, the Hartford Electric Eight Company. The central piece of the yet-to-be completed stretch of pipeline would be tunneled beneath the Connecticut River. The stretch beneath the river is excluded from the environmental impact evaluation because DEEP said it doesn’t have permitting authority over the submerged land.
$8.7M IN FUNDING FOR SENIOR HOUSING: Former Knights of Columbus building being renovated into ‘affordable housing’
BERLIN — Berlin’s former Knights of Columbus building will soon be renovated into two new buildings containing 70 affordable homes for residents 62 and older thanks in part to newly received state funding. The Connecticut Department of Housing and the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority have finalized financial agreements for 10 housing developments across the state. Locations of these developments include Berlin, Enfield, Fairfield, Hamden, Morris, Salisbury, Simsbury, Suffield and Waterbury. In Berlin, 143 Percival Avenue will be transformed with the help from the DOH providing $8.75 million through the FLEX program, and the CHFA is allocating 4% LIHTCs expected to generate approximately $8.8 million in private investment, along with $7.9 million in tax-exempt bond financing and $1 million from the Opportunity Fund. The Berlin transformation will include a large common room, outdoor terrace and 90 parking spaces, which is adjacent to the town’s recreation property and walking trail. “Housing challenges look different from one community to the next, which is why flexible financing tools and strong partnerships are so important,” said Nandini Natarajan, CEO and Executive Director of CHFA. “These developments will create new opportunities across Connecticut while preserving existing housing, attracting private investment and strengthening neighborhoods for the long term.”
White Oak building set for demolition after grant
PLAINVILLE — Plainville will receive a $541,000 grant for the demolition of the former White Oak Construction building. The money was awarded through the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development’s Brownfield Remediation and Development Program. It will help the town to demolish the long-vacant building at 1 W. Main St. as part of Phase 3 of the ongoing remediation and redevelopment project at the 15-acre site. “We are very pleased to receive the news of funding under this grant program, as this project converts a vacant building and lot into a vibrant mixed-use property,” Town Manager Michael Paulhus said. “The grant funds will allow for the demolition of the front-facing portion of the building along Main Street. The timing of this work has yet to be determined and will likely proceed after an application is reviewed and approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission. In addition to P&Z approval, the Town Council will need to review and approve the sales agreement and potentially demolition plans. At the same time, the town is awaiting approval from CT DEEP for the soil remediation plan for the rear of the property.”
Proposed $69.5M Branford rehab hospital at Hilltop Orchards site well-received at public hearing
BRANFORD — A Birmingham, Ala.-based company’s proposal to build what eventually could be an 80-bed, $69.5 million inpatient medical rehabilitation facility on the former Hilltop Orchard site off East Main Street received a generally favorable reception from the Planning and Zoning Commission this week, though members postponed a decision while seeking additional information. Following a public hearing Tuesday conducted via Zoom, the commission continued Encompass Health’s application until July 9 after asking for more details on several issues, including planned sidewalks and electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The application seeks two special exceptions for three parcels totaling 20.63 acres. Among the questions raised was a request from Leslie Johnson of the Branford Bicycle Pedestrian Ad-Hoc Advisory Committee for additional details about sidewalks proposed as part of the project. Johnson also asked whether Encompass Health would comply with updated state requirements for electric vehicle charging infrastructure. John Knuff, the attorney representing Encompass Health, said he would review the applicable regulations. He said the company may have filed its special exception application before the new requirements took effect but would report back to the commission.
Port Authority Chair Leads Effort to Shift Traffic Off I-95
WESTPORT – The state’s Port Authority will help lead an effort to find opportunities to shift freight traffic off the busy I-95 corridor using the state’s ports and railroads. “The goal of the working group is to look at policy changes in the state of Connecticut or incentives that could be applied to improve the use of freight rail, the sea lanes, and our ports to move freight around Connecticut to alleviate some of the traffic on I-95 coming out of New York, and to make our roadways less impacted by freight traffic, and to manage municipal solid waste better,” Port Authority Executive Director Michael O’Connor explained at a board meeting held at the Westport Library on Tuesday. The effort was prompted by the transportation omnibus SB-416: An Act Concerning Transportation System Modernization. The group will include members of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Department of Economic and Community Development and Department of Transportation, said O’Connor. O’Connor said that he is looking for other agencies or organizations to invite into the group. “I’m interested in other working partners that have some ideas about what policy changes would be beneficial and where we can maximize the legislative actions that would need to take place in January to help out this part of the industry,” he said.
https://ctexaminer.com/2026/06/19/port-authority-chair-leads-effort-to-shift-traffic-off-i-95/
Connecticut’s solar expansion is colliding with concerns over forests and farmland
As Connecticut pushes for more solar power, the state is increasingly forced to balance renewable energy goals against the protection of forests, wetlands and farmland. Gov. Ned Lamont acknowledged the balancing act when touring East Windsor and Ellington, two towns where farmland has increasingly, and perhaps disproportionately, become solar farm sites. “I’m trying to figure out how we can preserve the open space,” he said during an April visit. “We’re taking open space, we’re taking fields and we’re commercializing them, in this case, with solar. I think that’s going the wrong direction.” But Connecticut’s clean-energy ambitions are forcing difficult land-use choices. Adam Gallaher, a land use researcher studying the effects of energy infrastructure development, said, “Deciding to prioritize one type of land use means shifting that amount of development pressure to land now being used for other purposes.” Connecticut has committed to a carbon-free electric grid by 2040. But the state’s clean-air ambitions force difficult land-use choices as developers search for places to build solar projects. Protecting forests often means placing greater development pressure on farmland, and vice versa.
Stamford’s $9.8M Perna Lane sewer replacement to be completed this year, officials said
STAMFORD — Stamford’s sewer replacement project in the Perna Lane area is expected to be completed this year, officials said. Ann Brown, the Water Pollution Control Authority’s supervising engineer, said in an email that the project in North Stamford extends from High Ridge Road to the Turn of River Road extension, crossing the Merritt Parkway. Brown said the project has cost $9.8 million and is funded by the WPCA’s cash reserve. She said it will “provide sewer service to an area of Stamford with smaller lots, older homes and older septic systems.” She said construction started in June 2024 and the remaining work includes testing; final paving on High Ridge Road; connecting the sewage pipe from Northeast School to the new system on High Ridge Road; pipe inspection and cleaning of the sewers and manholes on High Ridge Road, if needed. Brown said it also includes installing pipes, valves and controls in pump stations at Perna Lane and Turn of River Road, as well as testing and accepting the system and restoration of the area. She said Perna Lane is the first part of a three-phase project. However, she said in an email that the “WPCA has no plans to proceed with the next phase of the project.”
https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/stamford-ct-perna-lane-sewer-completion-22307607.php
Shelton gets $1.5 million so developer can turn polluted industrial site into housing
SHELTON — The city is getting $1.5 million in state money to remediate contamination at a Canal Street site that will be home to a 48-unit condominium development. This $1.5 million for Shelton will be used in cleaning up the site at 255 Canal St., the future home to a five-story building on vacant land between the former Star Pin site and 235 Canal St., former home to APEX Tool & Cutter Co. “We’ve lost track at the number of grants that we’ve received. … The results can be seen in the new buildings that go up,” said Mayor Mark Lauretti, who has taken advantage of state and federal clean-up funds for the Canal Street revitalization. “This is money well spent again,” Lauretti said. “This is all 35 years in the making. … We’re in the homestretch.” Gov. Ned Lamont recently announced his administration was sending the $1.5 million to Shelton as part of $15.2 million in state funding to support assessment and remediation activities at 12 blighted properties across Connecticut. The goal, according to Lamont, is to help cover the costs of cleaning up unused, polluted parcels so they can be redeveloped and returned to productive use, including for the creation of new housing and other economic development and job growth opportunities. Sheila O’Malley, president of the Shelton Economic Development Corp., applied for the funds. Over the past year, SEDC has been awarded some $6 million in clean-up funds. Over the past three decades, the city has received more than $60 million. “This $1.5 million grant allows us to take a blighted acre of our industrial past and completely reimagine it for Shelton’s future,” said O’Malley.
https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/shelton-ct-canal-street-condo-grant-22310039.php
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