The public is invited to comment Monday on a state plan to improve pedestrian and cyclist access to the Gold Star Memorial Bridge. The state Department of Transportation will host a presentation and question-and-answer session at 7 p.m. at New London City Hall, 181 State St., related to planned improvements to the Interstate 95 southbound bridge sidewalk. The project calls for widening the existing 5-foot-wide sidewalk, along with the east and west approaches to the bridge. A spur path will be added connecting to Williams Street in New London. The Bridge Street intersection in Groton will also be reconfigured to allow for easier bridge access. The $55.5 million project, tentatively slated to begin in 2028, will be 90% funded with federal funds and the remainder covered with state money.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20240619/public-invited-to-weigh-in-on-gold-star-memorial-bridge-sidewalk-proposal/

Norwich Public Utilities is taking advantage of unprecedented increases in federal grant support to launch several water system improvement projects. These including upgrading water tanks, installing a major water line and locating any remaining lead lines to customer homes. The utility needed City Council approval Monday to increase financing for two projects and add a new plan to repair the city’s main water line that brings water from the Deep River reservoir and treatment plant in Lebanon into Norwich. NPU received approval from the council for a new $2.9 million repair to the major water line that runs from Lebanon through Bozrah into Norwich. The project will address corrosion to the steel on a 100-foot-long utility bridge that braces the 30-inch water main beneath the Fitchville Road bridge over the Yantic River just below the dam. Construction is expected to start in fall of 2025, with 20% grant and 80% loan funding, LaRose said.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20240620/norwich-public-utilities-making-major-improvements-to-its-drinking-water-system/

Demolition began Monday of a nearly century-old structure, the former Eastern Company building, to make way for new businesses including a Chipotle Restaurant. The Zoning Commission in April 2023 approved the site permit application for the applicant, Berlin RE Development of Farmington, for a proposed Chipotle restaurant and retail store at the former headquarters of the Eastern Co. on about 2.2 acres at 112 Bridge St. Elite Excavation & Construction of Fairfield is doing the demolition while Greython Construction, of Mystic, will construct the shell of the building while another company, yet to be identified, will finish the remaining construction of the new structure, according to the building department. The development is expected to cost about $2 million and the construction time is projected to take about a year. The finished development looks to have 20 employees, the site permit application states.

https://www.rep-am.com/localnews/2024/06/17/eastern-co-building-razed-for-restaurant-urgent-care-facility/

Connecticut’s trucking industry will face a small tax hike next month when the state tax on diesel fuel rises slightly more than 3 cents per gallon. The diesel tax and highway mileage fee each represent a relatively modest share of the state budget’s Special Transportation Fund, which covers operating costs for the Departments of Transportation and Motor Vehicles and debt payments on bonding for highway, bridge and rail projects. Final totals for the current fiscal year, which closes June 30, weren’t available this week, but Boughton said the diesel tax collected about $133.5 million in 2022-23, when the rate also was 49.2 cents per gallon. Those collections represented 7% of total STF expenditures in 2022-23 and about 6% in the current year. If the Department of Transportation can launch more construction projects — thereby triggering the need for more transportation borrowing — the STF surplus next fiscal year would be just 4%, according to the governor’s budget office. And by 2025-26, the STF would run a very modest $8 million deficit, equal to roughly one third of 1%. Connecticut’s construction industry and trades say the state’s transportation infrastructure needs even larger investments than the administration is aiming for to overcome decades of neglect.

CT diesel tax to jump 3 cents after yearlong freeze

Wheelers Farm Partners and Greenview Equities have asked the city to change the zoning of a five-building, 47-acre complex at 470-488 Wheelers Farm Road to allow the addition of 444 apartments and some commercial or retail uses, according to their 85-page proposal. The hook for both sides might be a first in Milford: a compromise on 8-30g, said attorney Timothy Hollister, who represents the developers. Several other office buildings will be replaced with a five-story residential building accommodating 150 units connected to the parking garage. Six more buildings will be built for the other 294 apartments. If the board approves the change in zoning, the developers said they plan to provide final site plans within a year of the approval.

Developers Pitch 514-Apartment Project in Milford as Alternative to Affordable Housing

A $2 million brownfields grant was awarded June 14 by the state Department of Economic and Community Development for remediation work at the former Stanadyne plant at 90-92 Deerfield Road. Another $200,000 was awarded to conduct an environmental assessment study of a neighboring property, which will collectively become part of a new Connecticut River Business Park. Ohio-based IRG Industrial Realty Group LLC bought the fully vacant property in late 2023 for $250,000. Windsor was among several municipalities to receive a remediation grant, which according to the DECD, “will enable the adaptive reuse of the property to a business park that will provide new manufacturing, research and development, warehousing/distribution, and offices to meet local market demand.”

With $2M brownfields grant and new ownership, former Stanadyne campus in Windsor looks for new life

The 154-unit affordable housing conversion of a former factory building in New Britain got a boost from the city last week with municipal officials unanimously supporting a zoning change to allow a solar energy array on the property. New Britain’s Common Council last week voted to allow developers to construct a solar facility at 321 Ellis St., on the same lot where an affordable housing redevelopment is currently underway of the former Landers, Frary & Clark factory, which is more than 115 years old. Developers from WinnCompanies and WinnDevelopment, the Massachusetts-based developer and housing management firm doing the housing redevelopment project, had been planning to construct the solar farm but previously approved master plans for the site dating back to 2015 reserved the land for a 20-story residential tower.

New Britain housing redevelopment wins zoning approval for 850 KW solar array

The $112 million project was given the go-ahead by the commission, with one dissenting vote, Tuesday night following a final presentation by the Central Middle School Building Committee. CMS principal Tom Healy told the commission, “we’re proud of what we have in front of you.” He said the “collaborative effort” behind the project was impressive. The current school, built in 1958, has a number of major structural problems. According to the CMS building committee, construction is expected to start in October 2024 and finish in August 2026. New ball fields will also be added to the school campus.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/greenwich-central-middle-school-planning-19508625.php

A Residence Inn by Marriott is scheduled to commence construction in 2025, according to a news release issued by Bobby Christoph Jr. developer of the mixed-use Steelpointe Harbor which has started work on the first phase of housing including luxury and workforce apartments. True North Hotel Group Inc. and Bridgeport Landing Development have finalized a deal to bring a Residence Inn by Marriott to Steelpointe. The hotel will feature approximately 135 rooms and be located between East Main Street and Pembroke, bordering Stratford Avenue. Construction on the new hotel will commence in 2025. Mayor Joe Ganim of Bridgeport said, “I want to extend my gratitude to True North Hotel Group Inc. for choosing Bridgeport as its newest destination for a Marriott Residence hotel. Having a Marriott company plant a flag in Bridgeport is a huge validation of the progress and visible recognition that Bridgeport is ‘on the move’, attracting First Class international companies to invest here. This new development will be a great addition to Bridgeport and will complement the housing that is currently under construction at Steelpointe Harbor. Our waterfront is truly remarkable and we look forward to sharing a piece of Bridgeport’s cultural beauty with visitors.”

Steelpointe Harbor Developer Inks Deal To Build Residence Inn By Marriott

Gov. Ned Lamont appeared skeptical this week of a decision by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to halt the rollout of a congestion pricing plan that would have funded mass transit improvements throughout the tri-state area. The plan, which would have charged most drivers $15 a day to enter Manhattan below 60th Street, was expected to go into effect at the end of this month, until Hochul abruptly announced a “indefinite pause” last week, citing concerns about the cost on commuters. More than 22,000 Connecticut residents take public transportation into Manhattan’s congestion pricing zone every day, mostly via Metro-North Railroad. About 3,100 commuters make the drive there, according to the MTA. “Look, you’ve got to pay for transportation, we’ve all had debates in our respective states, I know what everybody’s opposed to, I’ve got to see what they’re for,” Lamont told reporters during an event in Meriden on Tuesday. “We’ve got resources, our special transportation fund’s in pretty good shape right now, if you want to upgrade Metro-North, you’re going to need some capital to do it.”

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/politics/article/ny-congestion-pricing-ct-gov-ned-lamont-response-19509371.php