ENFIELD — A new application has been filed for the residential redevelopment of the former MassMutual campus. Branford-based MB Financial Group plans to reuse the office campus at 85 and 100 Bright Meadow Blvd., formerly home to insurance company MassMutual, as a 464-unit housing project with apartments, condominiums, amenities, and 12,000-square-feet of commercial space. In addition to retrofitting the existing three office buildings with 178 rental units, the project would build 157 condos on the large parking lots and provide for the construction of a new five-story apartment building with 129 units. The daycare and parking garage would remain, both intended to later support the residential development. MassMutual closed its Enfield offices and relocated to Springfield, Mass., in 2021. A previous developer proposed the “All Sports Village” sports and entertainment complex in 2023 and earned some approvals for the project in 2024, but it never came to fruition. Last year, MB Financial Group bought the properties for $4 million, submitted a zone change application in September, and earned a unanimous approval from the Planning and Zoning Commission later that month. The zone change moves the parcels to the recently established Special Development District, designed for projects like the new housing planned for the MassMutual campus and the pending Enfield Square Mall redevelopment.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/journalinquirer/article/ct-massmutual-enfield-apartments-condo-22091728.php

3.5 million glass bottles on the wall. 3.5 million glass bottles. Take one down, pass it around, and it might end up as cement in Yale’s Physical Sciences and Engineering Building under construction. Yale’s ongoing construction on upper Science Hill will feature 600,000 gross square feet for the School of Engineering and Applied Science and more. In accordance with Yale’s promise to achieve net-zero carbon emissions on campus by 2035 and zero actual carbon emissions by 2050, the development will include a thermal utilities plant that will produce energy for the facilities. But even if operations are sustained by on-site energy production, creating a building from raw materials is quite carbon-intensive. Instead, some of Yale’s building materials will use Pozzotive, an industrial filler made from recycled glass such as drink bottles — the equivalent of 3.5 million of them, to be precise, according to a slideshow used during a recent tour of the glass recycling facility. At the tour last month, organized by several students at Yale’s School of the Environment, a group of Yale affiliates explored Urban Mining Industries’s facility in Beacon Falls, Connecticut, where recycled glass is processed and turned into a powdery building material known as pozzolan. Concrete is an essential building material for modern-day structures. Standard concrete consists of aggregate like pebbles or gravel, sand, water and cement — the powdered binding agent, often confused with concrete, that gives concrete its integrity.

https://yaledailynews.com/articles/recycling-plant-turns-glass-to-cement-that-supports-yale-construction

The Connecticut Department of Transportation has nearly 400 projects on tap for the next four years to repair or replace parts of the most heavily traveled roadways in the state — Interstates 84, 91 and 95 — and bridges all over Connecticut. The draft agenda is laid out in the recently released Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan for 2027–2030. The plan includes 380 projects statewide with a total cost of $5.5 billion. The CTDOT is programming $4.5 billion in federal funds matched by approximately $932 million in state funds and approximately $45 million from municipalities. Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration funding will include $13.8 million for public transportation operating assistance, $3.4 billion for highway and bridge capital programs and $1.1 billion for transit capital and operating costs. “It’s an important roadmap for hundreds of projects and billions of dollars’ worth of work,” Connecticut Department of Transportation spokesperson Josh Morgan said. Morgan said STIP is a federally required document that is frequently updated to outline a four-year spending commitment that shows where federal highway and federal transit administration money is going to go. “It has a lot of projects in there which are in the current STIP document like the Walk Bridge project in Norwalk, or the 691/91/Route 15 project in Meriden. The dollar amounts change. Think of project funding like a bell curve. That first or second year, you’re not spending as much, but then in those third and fourth years, when you’re really in the part of the project, you’re going to end up spending more because there’s more work happening,” Morgan said. Morgan said the STIP projects reach across all four corners of the state. Among the biggest projects are the Interstate-84 Pavement Rehabilitation and Reconstruction in Danbury from the New York State line; Interstate-91/I-691/CT 15 Interchange Improvements in Meriden & Middletown and I-95 Gold Star Bridge Pedestrian Improvements in New London & Groton.

https://www.courant.com/2026/03/24/ct-dot-planning-hundreds-of-roadway-projects-with-5b-price-tag-heres-a-look/

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/