Full depth reconstruction is expected to begin for two roads later this year after town officials’ approval. The Board of Selectmen at its July 8 meeting approved forwarding the new design plan for West Road back to the state Small Town Economic Assistance Program for review so it can move forward with the rehabilitation of the road and put the project out to bid. The town initially planned with the $500,000 STEAP grant for a $2.2 million West Road rehabilitation project. Town officials were initially approved for a Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program and planned to make a LOTCIP application. However, state officials overseeing STEAP wouldn’t allow the transfer of funds to another road. The $2.2 million cost was due to plans to bring water and gas to the area. The denial to move funds from STEAP resulted in officials scaling back on the West Road project. The project, which includes the repair of all the drainage, will take place from Rimmon Hill Road to the Oxford town line. The work is expected to start in the fall and finish by the end of the year, Smith said.

https://www.rep-am.com/localnews/2024/07/30/beacon-falls-plans-to-reconstruct-west-road-church-street/#google_vignette

Two parking lots are about to become mixed-use developments with 450 apartments and thousands of square-feet of commercial space at State and George streets in downtown New Haven. The project will be built on what now are parking lots opposite the former site of the New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum, including one fronting George Street between State and Orange streets and one along State Street between Fair and Crown street. The city hopes to have “shovels in the ground” by late 2025 or early 2026, Elicker said. The developers were represented by Gilbane Senior Vice President and head of affordable/mixed income Roj Robinson, Xenolith Principal Andrea Kretchmer, Glendower Group and Elm City Communities President Karen Dubois-Walton and LMXD Senior Director Jake Pine.

https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/new-haven-announce-450-unit-housing-development-19606016.php

The Capital Region Development Authority’s board of directors, on Tuesday, agreed to move forward with a $145 million renovation of downtown Hartford’s XL Center arena, even as legal questions swirl around a venue ownership and management company that’s bearing $20 million of the cost. Under an agreement approved by the CRDA board, Los Angeles-based live venue developer and manager Oak View Group will contribute $20 million for extensive renovations and upgrades to the roughly 16,000-seat sports and entertainment venue. In return, OVG’s contract to manage the venue will be extended 20 years, and the company will keep the first $4 million in annual XL Center profits. The majority of the renovation funding will come from the state, which has agreed to pay up to $125 million in project costs.

CRDA board signs off on $145M XL Center renovation; some planned upgrades left on cutting board 

The Mystic River drawbridge is slated to undergo a yearlong repair project, starting in the spring of 2026, to extend the life of the more than 100-year-old bridge. The state Department of Transportation and design consultants outlined the estimated $3.7 million construction project for the iconic bridge over the Mystic River during a virtual information session Monday evening. The purpose of the project is to keep the bridge in a good state of repair and address its load-carrying capacity and structural, mechanical, electrical, architectural, fender system and waterway deficiencies, said John Miller, project manager with Close, Jensen and Miller PC, which is the project designer along with Hardesty and Hanover LLC. The DOT also is proposing to install steel bikeway plates to address concerns from local bicyclists about riding over the open steel grid deck, he said. The DOT currently has warning signs on both sides of the bridge to advise bicyclists of the steel grid deck, and some bicyclists choose to ride in narrow concrete-filled strips on the bridge deck.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20240730/major-mystic-river-drawbridge-overhaul-planned-for-2026/

More than two years after the busy Sherman Street bridge closed for a $10 million replacement project, it quietly reopened Friday after city crews removed the last barriers. Replacement of the two bridge spans over the Yantic River and an adjacent narrow former mill canal closed the key Sherman Street intersection with Asylum Street, forcing long detours for residents west of the bridge to reach Backus Hospital, Norwich Free Academy and various medical offices and businesses east of the bridge. The project replaced the 1955 bridge spans with new wider bridge spans. The main bridge over the river is 18 inches higher for flood prevention, and utilities are better protected beneath the bridge, rather than suspended from the bridge and exposed to rushing waters.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20240726/new-sherman-street-bridge-in-norwich-opens/#

A contingent of concerned South Norfolk citizens met with First Selectman Matt Riiska on July 19 to urge construction of a temporary bridge across Hall Meadow Brook. The neighborhood has been cut off from Route 272 since a flash flood in July 2023 swept away bridges on Smith Hill and Old Goshen roads. Since then, the state Department of Transportation has promised to replace the bridges at a cost of $5.8 million, but the time frame for the work could extend into 2028, Riiska said. Riiska said he has held discussions with Guerrera Construction about how a temporary connection could be established. Meanwhile, Riiska said he is seeking quotes for a temporary bridge and will meet with the residents again Friday.

https://www.rep-am.com/localnews/2024/07/27/south-norfolk-residents-make-their-pitch-for-temporary-bridge-spanning-hall-meadow-brook/#google_vignette

After an eight year wait, residents may finally see a long-promised waterfront park come to life in the coming months. While preparing to send the $4.8 million Mystic River Boathouse Park project out for bid this summer, the town is simultaneously awaiting results of two living shoreline grant applications totaling $1.14 million dollars that could offset the town’s current project deficit of $1.18 million. The project began in 2016 after residents approved $2.2 million in bonding to purchase the 1.5-acre Greenmanville Avenue site just north of Mystic Seaport Museum. With environmental remediation grants, the town has funded $3.67 million of the newly estimated $4.85 million project. Chesebrough said the bid process will start this summer and probably take until early fall to complete, at which point work like grading the site and removal of a shed on the property could be completed before work pauses for the winter.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20240727/after-8-year-wait-mystic-river-boathouse-park-poised-to-become-reality-this-fall/#

The Norwalk Public Works Department has installed ADA accessible ramps on Fillow Street ahead of a repaving and sidewalk project. “The contractor will install concrete curbing in the area of the pedestrian ramps,” said Michelle Woods Matthews, Norwalk’s director of communications. The ramps are part of the citywide accessibility plan, which aims to provide safe connections for all Norwalkers. New crosswalks will also be installed at Betmarlea Road and Fillow Street and across Fillow Street near Little Fox Lane. “Mayor Rilling’s vision is to create a welcoming environment that fosters a sense of belonging, safety, and equity for all members of our community, including those with limited mobility,” Woods Matthews said. “The City is therefore committed to providing ADA ramps where necessary as they are essential to those in our community with limited mobility.”

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/norwalk-installs-ada-ramps-ahead-repaving-19588863.php

A major boost for the Research Parkway corridor is also expected when Connecticut’s two largest hospital groups, Yale New Haven Health and Hartford HealthCare, break ground this fall on a proton therapy center. Experts say the joint venture could result in more medical technology businesses moving into the corridor as a result. Construction of the $70 million facility had been scheduled to start in the spring, but is now expected to begin in the fall, Yale New Haven Health officials say. One challenge for both communities in terms of attracting businesses to the corridor is the presence of wetlands. Wallingford and Meriden can make the corridor more attractive to new medical tech businesses by ensuring the area has a significant “inventory of shovel ready sites available” around the soon-to-be-built Proton Therapy Center, Boyd said.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/business/article/ct-meriden-wallingford-research-parkway-corridor-19591308.php

On the left side, men are exercising in the fitness section; in the center, fire trucks are pulling in and out. In other corners of the station are laundry, clothing and storage areas — and in the middle of it all, firefighters are taking part in a training session. “This is our exercise room. It should be separate from the garage,” said Assistant Fire Chief Mickey Grasso on a tour of the police and fire facilities. The cramped quarters are among the reasons local officials say Ridgefield needs a new headquarters for its fire and police departments. Like the fire department, police are running out of room and are in serious need of a new home, said Ridgefield Police Chief Jeff Kreitz said. The town has proposed constructing a $75 million headquarters for both departments on a town-owned property that was once home to an international oil company.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/ridgefield-police-fire-headquarters-outdated-19549271.php