Four major projects would bring a combination of housing, recreation and mass transit to the town of about 42,000 residents, while repurposing properties whose uses are becoming obsolete. The proposed $250 million Enfield Square Mall redevelopment is the largest planned project with the greatest potential economic impact, said Donald Poland, senior vice president of urban planning at East Hartford commercial real estate advisory firm Goman+York. Nebraska-based Woodsonia Real Estate Group Inc. recently announced plans to buy the 570,000-square-foot mall, which is 85% vacant, and turn it into a mixed-use development with retail, housing and recreation. The proposed “Enfield Marketplace” project would create 450 residential units, two hotels, and retail and restaurant space.

With major projects in the queue, Enfield could finally find its economic development ‘stride’

The state is giving Cheshire about 2.5 acres of a roughly seven-acre parcel at 1669 Highland Avenue, also called route 10, near the future home of Stone Bridge Crossing, according to a bill Gov. Ned Lamont recently signed. The 2.5 acres, which the state has not yet conveyed, will not be built upon, Martelli said. Rather, it will open up the the developable area of the bigger tract, which he said contains wetlands and has a “tricky topography.” Combining the two pieces of land also will make the property more attractive to developers, Town Manager Sean Kimball has said. With both parcels soon to be in Cheshire’s possession, the Town Council’s Planning Committee will begin drafting a request for proposals in the coming weeks, officials said. Martelli said he expects there will be “a lot of interest” in the property because of its highway access, proximity to Stone Bridge Crossing and the town’s central location in Connecticut.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/cheshireherald/article/cheshire-state-land-development-retail-center-19499264.php

As of Monday, the Connecticut Department of Transportation was engaged in 180 construction projects in all corners of the state, according to an online database that is updated regularly by the agency. Hundreds of other projects are in the design phase prior to construction. Much of that work is being fueled by Congress’ Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provided more than $350 billion for federal highway projects through 2026. “That money that’s coming to us is turning directly into projects here in Connecticut,” said Josh Morgan, a DOT spokesman, adding an admonition for drivers. “Be patient, understand that work is happening and we want the folks who are out there to get home safe at the end of the day.”

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/connecticut/article/ct-dot-summer-road-projects-2024-traffic-delays-19503597.php

Highway-closing accidents are nothing new on the I-95 corridor between Greenwich and New Haven, a 48-mile stretch of interstate built in the late 1950s and designed to handle less than half of today’s daily volume of about 150,000 vehicles. The 2023 INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard ranked the southbound portion of the Stamford urban area – defined as the section between Westport and Greenwich – as the worst in the U.S. for time lost due to congestion in both directions in the Stamford area was ranked 13th worst. “The average distance traveled on I-95 in Connecticut is just 11 miles,” Cameron said. “It’s an interstate highway, not a local shortcut. If we had tolls, that ‘shortcut’ would come at a modest cost and would persuade people to take Route 1, meaning less traffic on I-95 for those paying tolls.” The Connecticut Crash Data Repository shows a steady drumbeat of accidents over the years along I-95 between Greenwich and New Haven, the highest numbers in the state.

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Located roughly near the geographic center of the state, the merger of three highways — Interstates 91 and 691, as well as state Route 15 — forms a sprawling interchange that carries an average of 260,000 vehicles every day. Tuesday’s groundbreaking was largely ceremonial, as work on the $500 million reconstruction project actually began late last year. Officials including Gov. Ned Lamont, Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt and Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto each tossed shovels full of dirt in the air to applause, while unionized workers employed on the project looked on. Actual work on the project is broken down into three phases, of which the first two are underway. The third and final phase is in design, with a scheduled completion date in 2029.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/connecticut/article/ct-meriden-highway-interchange-i-91-691-route-15-19503593.php

Lamont and Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto of DOT hosted a groundbreaking marking the second phase of a three-phase plan for traffic mitigation and safety measures on the I-91, I-691 and Route 15 interchange in Meriden. The first two phases cost $135 million in state funding and $200 million in federal funds from President Biden’s bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The program in its entirety will cost over $500 million, 80% of which will be covered federally, Eucalitto said. Project labor agreements, which include terms and conditions for the work’s quality and safety, are another important facet of the project, said Andrew Inorio, the business manager of the local Laborers Union. “This is not about a job here today but careers for the next generation of construction workers here in Connecticut,” Inorio said. “These men and women will build the roads and bridges that we will all someday drive on… without their dedication to their crafts, jobs like these don’t get built to the highest standard of quality.”

Lamont celebrates highway project amid industry frustration

Twelve years after New Britain launched an eight-phase program to beautify downtown, improve pedestrian and bike access and encourage business growth, the Public Works Department will complete the final part of the project this week. The Complete Streets project, the bulk of which covers about four miles of downtown, has attracted over $250 million in private investment with tens of millions more expected, according to city officials. They also noted that the city has invested over $60 million in the project and secured more than $32 million in grant funding. “The actual [Complete Streets] project has made the entire downtown area not just connected, but more pedestrian-friendly,” Carrier told CT Examiner on Monday. “Decades ago, the downtown was stagnate; we weren’t encouraging development. But since [CT]fastrak and Complete Streets, there have been a lot of opportunities for development.”

New Britain’s 12-Year-Long Downtown Revitalization Project Nears Completion

The state is again paving the way to further the Constitution Boulevard West extension. The State Bond Commission, at its meeting Friday, approved $1.6 million to support what will be Phase Two of the road’s extension. The city received $5 million from the state in 2022 to complete Phase One of the project, which is already underway. That calls for the connection from Bridgeport Avenue to the Mas property. Phase Two is the roadway work through the Mas property. Construction of Phase One of the Constitution Boulevard West extension was expected to begin again in earnest this spring but remains delayed, according to Lauretti, as the city awaits permitting from the state Department of Transportation. Mike Kanios, the city’s public works director, has stated the goal is to have Phase One done by the fall, but added that some Phase Two work will likely be done during this time, too. Kanios has stated he expects the entire project to be completed by spring of 2025.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/shelton-receives-1-6m-ct-grant-constitution-19495749.php

Within a total of about $857 million in new borrowing approved on Friday, the State Bond Commission voted to approve $74 million for its Community Investment Fund last week, including major allocations for affordable housing and other issues. The Community Investment Fund 2030 – which is part of the larger bond allocations for the fiscal year that totaled over $3.5 billion – is part of the state’s effort to invest in towns around Connecticut through state-funded grants to be spent on issues like fixing brownfields and building more affordable housing. It marks the second time in as many years that Hamden has received state funding for affordable housing, with the city getting $26 million in 2023. The governor explained that the approval of these state funds is expected to unlock $562,500 in federal matching funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to assist in the effort.

Bond Commission Approves $74 Million For Flood Mitigation, Affordable Housing, Other Projects

A large apartment project proposed for 900 Long Ridge Road has become a test for just how much development residents will accept for the northern half of the city, near the Merritt Parkway. After an outcry from parkway-area residents, members of the Zoning Board in November rejected a plan by Monday Properties to build more than 500 apartments in the mostly empty office park on Long Ridge Road. A month later, Monday Properties appealed the Zoning Board’s decision. Each side now has stated its case in state Superior Court in Hartford, where the matter was assigned. In its brief, Monday Properties chastised Stamford residents who oppose the project as NIMBYs, and chastised the Zoning Board for succumbing to their pressure.

Stamford Redevelopment in the Courts, as Building Boom Moves North