HARTFORD — In the last decade, 1,500 acres of farm and scenic land in East Windsor has been converted into large fields of aluminum-framed, glass-encased solar panels with semiconductors and copper wiring that has resulted in at least two fires last March and September. The solar photovoltaic facilities – known as solar farms, which are proliferating around the state – are helping Connecticut reach its goals in renewable energy production. With a recent approval of an expanded site, East Windsor is on track to produce about 170 megawatts, enough to power 34,000 homes. But the solar farms are encroaching on neighborhoods. Developers backed by private equity money are clear-cutting woodlands. On sunny days the solar fields create loud humming sounds that bother neighbors. There are more solar arrays planned in East Windsor, population about 11,440 on 26 square miles. Democratic First Selectman Jason Bowsza is beside himself, powerless to stop the solar developments. Without some sort of local control, state and municipal officials are hard-pressed to put the brakes on further property acquisition and solar development. “It’s beyond frustrating,” Bowsza said Friday afternoon, as he recalled talking this month with two key legislative committees. But a bipartisan group of state legislators has joined him, seizing on the solar farm expansions, fires and noise as a need to slow down.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/politics/article/solar-farm-fires-laws-22087635.php

Groton — The long-closed Quaker Farm Road bridge over Haley’s Brook is being replaced. Geoff Foster, supervisor of technical services and acting assistant public works director for the town, said the town took the road out of service at least 8 years ago because it was deemed structurally unsafe and pursued funds to repair the bridge. He said the roadway over the top of the culvert had started showing signs of collapse. The bridge’s two 54-inch diameter corrugated metal pipes also were collapsing. The bridge, which connects Lambtown Road on the west side to Haley Road on the east side, has been closed off by jersey barriers. The construction cost is $1.7 million, of which the state will cover half, and the town will cover the other half, Foster said. Construction, awarded to Watertown-based Dayton Construction, started at the beginning of February and is slated to be completed by July, he said. Foster said the project will replace the two circular pipes for the culvert with an open bottom box culvert, a design that is better for fish passage and other aquatic life in the wetlands in that area. He said while the roadway and the height of the bridge will remain the same size, the new bridge will be longer at 26 feet. Since the bridge will be greater than 20-feet-long, it will be put under the jurisdiction of the state Department of Transportation for inspection. He said local police and EMS have wanted the bridge to be open for them to travel for emergency response. Old Mystic Fire Chief Kenneth Richards Jr. said the bridge replacement will enable the fire department to get to Lambtown Road from two different ways. He said the fire department opposed closing the bridge from the beginning. Richards said there are no hydrants in the area. The bridge was in a strategic location for tankers to come in from the northern side of the district, and it provided a water source if the fire department had to draft from the brook underneath. He said another bridge, the North Stonington Road bridge near Old Mystic Fire Department’s Station 1, is even more important and has been closed since it was deemed in poor condition following a 2010 flood, which puts a severe strain on the department.

https://theday.com/news/855922/quaker-farm-road-bridge-to-be-replaced/

Norwich — The Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments is seeking comments on a four-year regional transportation plan outlining projects from the Gold Star Memorial Bridge to bicycle and pedestrian upgrades. The 2027-2030 Transportation Improvement Program is a planning document with a list of projects expected to be funded federally, with state and some local matching funds, over four years, according to the document. The projects include improvements to transit, highways, and pedestrian and bicycle paths. A public hearing on the draft plan will be held Thursday, March 26 at 6:30 p.m. at the Council of Governments’ office at 5 Connecticut Ave. and virtually. Kate Rattan, director of transportation planning for the council of governments, said the plan lists about $1.5 billion of highway projects and $50.7 million in transit projects. Projects featured in the plan include phases of the Gold Star Memorial Bridge northbound project in New London and Groton and its southbound walkway and bike path improvement; the Mohegan-Pequot Bridge in Montville and Preston; safety improvements on Route 32 in New London and Route 82 in Norwich; and signal modernization, according to the document. Among the other projects are Interstate 95 Exit 89 ramp improvements and a Depot Road to Thomas Road bicycle improvements project in Groton that “will include the re-striping of Industrial Drive, Depot Road, Route 1, and SR 649 (South Road/Tower Avenue) to create bicycle lanes and share the road pavement markings.” The plan also calls for bicycle and pedestrian upgrades along Williams Street from Gordon Court to Huntington Street in New London, the reconfiguration of the I-95 Exit 71 and 72 interchanges in Old Lyme and East Lyme, rehabilitation of a culvert carrying Route 165 in Preston, and improvements to bridges carrying Route 11 northbound and Route 11 southbound over Eight Mile River in Salem. Transit projects include an Electric Vehicle facility and new paratransit vehicles for the Southeast Area Transit District. The plan, updated on a two-year basis, includes safety and traffic congestion goals.

https://theday.com/news/868918/four-year-regional-transportation-plan-to-go-to-hearing/

There is a proposal submitted to the state’s top environmental agency for the construction of a natural gas pipeline that would potentially impact two popular state parks. The state’s largest utility company, Eversource, which owns Yankee Gas, submitted a project proposal to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, according to the scoping notice on the plan shared last August and a copy of the application. The electric company is proposing two modifications to two existing electric transmission easements. The modified easements would allow construction, operation, and maintenance of a 199-psig natural gas distribution pipeline across state owned property, records show. The pipeline would allow for the maximum allowed operating pressure or pounds-per-square-inch for industrial gas piping in Connecticut, according to the plan shared in the scoping notice. The proposed pipeline would be 16 inches in diameter and stretch for the entire length of the already existing electric easements, records show. The proposed pipeline segment would cover a distance of approximately 6,700 feet or 1.2 miles, according to the project proposal. The existing electric easements were established by the former Hartford Electric Light Co., now modern day Eversource. The utility company said that the proposed construction is part of its “Southeast Resiliency Project.” The aim of the pipeline is to improve Connecticut’s natural gas infrastructure to better withstand threats and impacts while ensuring greater energy supply to customers, according to Eversource, records show. According to DEEP, the first easement is located on the Connecticut Valley Railroad State Park Trail in Middletown. The second easement, several hundred feet wide and located in Haddam and East Hampton, covers portions of Hurd State Park and George Seymour State Park Scenic Reserve along with Higganum Meadows Wildlife Management Area.

https://www.courant.com/2026/03/23/natural-gas-pipeline-plan-involves-two-ct-state-parks-deep-to-do-environmental-impact-evaluation/

A new quasi-public state agency armed with $90 million to promote high-density housing in Connecticut downtowns and near mass transit is poised to sign off on its first low-interest loan agreement with a developer this week. The Connecticut Municipal Development Authority’s Board of Directors is scheduled to vote Thursday on a $9.36 million, 3% loan to support a $53 million redevelopment of a 3.8-acre portion of the former Bigelow-Sanford carpet mill site in Enfield’s Thompsonville neighborhood. The project, led by Avon-based Honeycomb Real Estate Partners and Windsor-based Grava Properties, will deliver 156 apartment units adjacent to the Connecticut River and near the planned Hartford Line passenger rail station. “The most important thing about telling the story about our first project is it’s now going to be real for a lot of folks and we want to make sure that they know how to get to us if they have a project that aligns with our mission,” said CMDA Executive Director David Kooris, who has spent the past 18 months establishing the agency, enrolling municipalities, and creating a framework for developer partnerships. So far, 43 communities have agreed to take part, 14 of which have finalized development districts in which the CMDA can help with planning, infrastructure and developer financing. Kooris anticipates a “cluster” of additional projects coming before the board in the next two months, with each ultimately requiring state Bond Commission authorization.

https://hartfordbusiness.com/article/new-agency-with-90m-to-support-high-density-housing-in-downtowns-and-near-mass-transit-poised-to-make-first-loan-to-developer/

Stonington — Construction continued on the Mystic River Boathouse Park on Wednesday as workers installed docking along the Mystic River and roofing on top of the building. The $5.3 million project, located next to the new Delamar hotel and across the street from the former Rossie Mill, will feature a boathouse, a rowing center and a park. The Hart Perry Boathouse will feature two bays to store rowing shells, oars, coach boats and equipment, while the second floor will house a 4,500-square-foot training Jim Dietz Rowing Center with rowing machines and strength training equipment. Located off Route 27, the park will offer the public scenic views of and non-motorized boating access to the Mystic River. The facilities will be used by the Stonington High School rowing program and the public through Stonington Community Rowing Inc. The park will provide public shoreline access to the community and space for educational programs by the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center and Mystic Aquarium. Residents initially approved $2.2 million in bonding for the project in 2016. The project was then delayed by the need to identify and address contamination on the site, preserve a home on the property that is part of a historic district and redesign the boathouse after residents criticized its initial appearance. The project broke ground and construction began in July 2025 and is expected to be completed in May of this year.

https://theday.com/news/868953/final-stages-of-construction-at-mystic-river-boathouse-park/

Killingly — Opponents of a plan to construct a 1.37 million-square-foot warehouse on undeveloped woodlands in the town’s business park are encouraging residents to join the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission on a site walk of the property on Friday. Ryan Companies U.S. Inc.’s proposal, known as Project Husky, would transform 246 acres of woods and wetlands into a massive new distribution center. As the project sits within the confines of the town’s business park zoning district, the proposal only needs to pass a site plan review to move forward with the Planning and Zoning Commission. Under state law, commissioners can only modify or deny site plans that fail to comply with the town’s zoning regulations. If all conditions are met, the site plan must pass. However, unlike the Planning and Zoning Commission application, Ryan Companies’ application with the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission requires a public hearing. Residents are jumping on the opportunity to provide input and Project Husky opponents are urging like-minded community members to attend a site walk at 9 a.m. on Friday at 228 Westcott Road. The proposed construction site sits within a larger 556-acre stretch of land between Interstate 395, Westcott Road and Mashentuck Road, including the Markover Hunting Preserve. Employees and tractor-trailers would access the warehouse via two driveways on Westcott Road.

https://theday.com/news/869007/opposition-builds-against-proposed-warehouses-in-killingly/

A large offshore wind project off the coast of Connecticut and Rhode Island that was repeatedly stopped by the Trump administration came online Friday evening, sending clean energy to New England’s power grid. The project, known as Revolution Wind, is nearing the end of construction and will ultimately generate up to 704 megawatts of electricity — the equivalent of powering 350,000 homes. That’s about 2.5% of New England’s electric supply. Construction on Revolution Wind is expected to be completed later this year. “This project is key to diversifying our energy supply and lowering utility costs for families and businesses,” said Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont in a statement. “Today’s milestone marks an important step forward for Rhode Island’s energy future,” Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee said in a statement. “Offshore wind is part of our state[s’] all-of-the-above energy strategy,” he said. The wind farm is expected to lower electricity costs throughout New England. The region has some of the highest electricity prices in the country. It’s also expected to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and lessen the risk of blackouts during winter and other periods of high demand. “Today is good news for Connecticut and the region’s ratepayers, who will save hundreds of millions of dollars a year on their electricity bills thanks to Connecticut and Rhode Island’s efforts to bring Revolution Wind online,” said Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Commissioner Katie Dykes in a statement. “As we’ve seen from the harsh winter we’ve had, and the impacts to fossil fuel prices as a result of the Iran war, having diverse sources of stable, reliable power that both perform strongly in the winter and are insulated from geopolitical events is beneficial to Connecticut ratepayers,” she said.

https://www.ctpublic.org/news/2026-03-13/revolution-wind-comes-online-new-england-power-grid

Get ready for a detour. A project that will require the nighttime closure of the ramp that takes traffic from Interstate 84 eastbound at Exit 51 to Interstate 91 northbound will start on Monday, March 23, according to the the state Department of Transportation. The project requiring this bridge rehabilitation closure includes bridge deck repairs, parapet improvements, joint removal, substructure repairs and paving, according to the DOT. The ramp will be closed to all traffic from 9 p.m. each weeknight to 6 a.m. the next day from Monday, March 23 to May 29, according to the DOT. This will occur nightly, Monday through Friday. Stage construction is anticipated for the duration of the project, including shifting traffic for installation of temporary barrier along Exit 51, according to the DOT. Traffic will be detoured so watch for signage. The transportation agency notes that the “primary purpose” of the project is to address “operational, safety and preventative maintenance concerns as well as to evaluate and if necessary, improve the structural integrity of the bridge to a ‘state of good repair’ extending its useful service life.” The agency also noted the project was awarded to Rotha Contracting Company, Inc. at a cost of $5,586,864.17 in December 2025, and that it is expected to be completed Nov. 30, 2026. It is administered by the Bureau of Engineering and Construction, Office of Construction, District 1 in Rocky Hill.

https://www.courant.com/2026/03/16/interstate-84-ramp-at-major-ct-interchange-set-for-nighttime-closure-for-weeks-heres-why/

Stamford-based equipment rental company United Rentals said it has launched a new artificial intelligence-powered digital assistant designed to help customers identify equipment for construction and industrial projects. The tool, called Equipment Agent, allows users to describe project needs in plain language and receive recommendations for equipment rentals. The system can also compare equipment types and provide specifications such as capacity, reach, terrain limits and required accessories. The company said the assistant connects users to product pages on its website where equipment can be reserved. In late December, United Rentals also announced its launch of a Manual Assist AI web application to deliver diagnostics and immediate access to equipment manufacturer manuals to its service teams. The moves come as more companies integrate AI tools directly into their products and services. Earlier this month, Norwalk-based financial data and analytics firm FactSet created a chief AI officer position to oversee the expansion of artificial intelligence across its software platform and client offerings. United Rentals said the Equipment Agent draws on customer inquiries and internal equipment expertise. The company operates more than 1,600 rental locations in North America and serves construction, industrial and municipal customers.

https://hartfordbusiness.com/article/united-rentals-expands-use-of-customer-ai-tools-as-companies-continue-to-embrace-growing-technology/