Most of the federal money to Connecticut, $17 million, has been awarded to Stamford, where it will be used to connect the struggling West Side to the prosperous downtown and growing South End. The aim is to ease travel from the West Side to downtown jobs, bus transit, shopping, services, and recreation. The city will use the construction grant to expand the Mill River Greenway from Tresser Boulevard to the Metro-North Commuter Railroad tracks, and to create a safer trip for pedestrians crossing Tresser Boulevard, Greenwich Avenue, and Richmond Hill Avenue on their way to the train station and South End. The next-highest of the six grant awards went to the Connecticut Department of Transportation, which received $2 million to begin engineering and environmental review for the Greater Hartford Mobility Study. The project will expand the Mill River Greenway between Tresser Boulevard and Metro-North rail tracks, building a 12-foot-wide path with lighting. It will enhance pedestrian safety by upgrading sidewalks, raising crosswalks, building bump-outs to slow traffic, and improving traffic signals and signs, they wrote.

Stamford Awarded $17M as State Wins $21.8M to Reconnect Communities Split by Legacy Infrastructure

Developer Building and Land Technology wants to convert a four-story office building on a 25-acre site into a 354-unit residential complex at 800 Long Ridge Road. The development would include 618 total parking spaces, spread out over existing surface lots and an underground garage. The project also includes about 9,400 square feet of commercial space. The project to demolish and replace the current building at 800 Long Ridge Road — a four-story, 300,000-square-foot structure that was built in 1978 and served as the corporate headquarters for the Xerox Corporation from 1996 until 2006 — has rankled some nearby neighbors as well. Lisa L. Feinberg, partner for law firm Carmody Torrance Sandak & Hennessey, representing BLT, said the 800 Long Ridge project conforms to the zoning requirements for the area. A public hearing with the city’s Zoning Board will be scheduled at a future date.

https://www.nhregister.com/local/article/stamford-long-ridge-road-apartment-planning-18969690.php

As the local school district grapples with surging student enrollment and overcrowding at Danbury High School, local leaders have considered whether expanding Henry Abbott Technical High School could help resolve the issues. Expansion is possible, according to the leader of the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System, which oversees Abbott and 16 other technical high schools statewide. However, several factors need to be considered — including the costs of construction and additional staffing — if that were to become a reality. The technical high school system receives “solid support” from Gov. Ned Lamont, whose “initiative around workforce development translates directly to what we’re doing,” Solek said. But the statewide school system isn’t the only recipient of state funding. Danbury is the largest of the more than 20 municipalities Abbott Tech serves, with New Milford as the second largest. In comparison, Danbury High School’s graduation rate for the 2021-22 school year was 80.8 percent, according to the most recent state data.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/abbott-tech-danbury-high-student-overcrowding-18698617.php

Residents will decide on a $61 million middle school renovation project when it heads to referendum on Tuesday. While the total estimated cost of the project is $61,913,393, the estimated local cost to the town is $25,712,663. This is due to the project meeting the state’s “renovate as new” criteria, making 65.36 percent or $40,466,593 of the project cost eligible for reimbursement. The referendum will be held on March 19 from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. with voting taking place at the Plainville Firehouse. The Middle School of Plainville Building Project will include upgrades such as a secure entrance with updated camera and communication systems; Classrooms designed for programs related to STEAM (Science Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) and Visual & Performing Arts; Sports fields; Physical education facilities and equipment; Media Center/Library; Roofing, windows, doors, HVAC, and mechanicals. If approved, the project is expected to be completed in the fall of 2028.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/recordjournal/article/plainville-referendum-school-project-18938881.php

Residents approved a $39 million bond referendum in November 2022 for a new main library branch to be located at 1041 Main St., intended to help revitalize Main Street while modernizing and expanding the town’s offerings beyond the cramped Mary Cheney Library at 586 Main St. At the time, town officials said the state had already committed some funding to the project. Work continued on the project in 2023, with an architect selected in August and design work and public input beginning shortly after. The town also applied for grants, including for as much as $9.5 million from the state Community Investment Fund. A presentation from the Library Building Committee to the Board of Directors last Tuesday had estimated the schematic for the project at roughly $53.6 million, leaving the budget roughly $4.1 million short.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/journalinquirer/article/ct-manchester-library-main-street-18967735.php

A special state board has recommended spending $8 million to help clean up lower East Side properties where a developer wants to build minor and major league soccer stadiums, plus adjacent housing, retail and a hotel. Though that amount is, according to key legislators from Bridgeport, only about a quarter of the $30 million that was sought, it is being welcomed as a first sign of support for and faith in the overall project by state government. Last October, Andre Swanston unveiled a multi-phase proposal to bring professional soccer, along with housing and retail, to the former greyhound racing track site on the lower East Side. Moore called the $8 million “a start” for Swanston. She said the housing component in particular appeals to her. Swanston is pledging to build 1,000 units. As of early January Swanston had said having the minor league stadium built and open for the 2025 season was “ambitious but possible.” On Tuesday Connecticut Sports Group stuck with that timeline, stating that the site work should begin in the spring “to complete stadium construction by summer 2025.”

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/state-offers-8m-for-bridgeport-soccer-proposal-18921285.php

Norwalk has received a $3.4 million federal grant that will cover the design and construction of the new signals, among other traffic improvements. TMP requested $380,461 of the grant to be allocated to the engineering consultant VHB to design the new intersections and design a new transit signal priority system for 56 intersections. The Economic and Community Development approved the agreement with VHB for $380,461. The Common Council will vote to authorize the agreement as well. The intersection at Strawberry Hill Avenue and County Avenue will be designed in anticipation of the new Norwalk High School campus. Overall, the $3.4 million will cover the replacement of two traffic signals, the implementation of adaptive traffic signal technology at 19 intersections, improve pedestrian enchantment at 56 intersections and introduce transit signal priority at 56 intersections.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/norwalk-advances-traffic-signal-modernization-18883855.php

A newly executed agreement between the town and the developers of the Founders Plaza property near the bank of the Connecticut River transfers $6.5 million in state funding for demolition of the former Bank of America building. The new agreement, approved by the Town Council at a special meeting Monday, also reduced the minimum number of apartments expected to be built and the timeframe for construction of the first phase. The original plan, unveiled last summer after Lexington Partners, the lead developer, bought the property for $4 million, called for 1,000 units to be built along with 300,000 square feet of commercial space, a pedestrian bridge over the river to Hartford, and a transportation center. The developers have since set aside the bridge and transportation center to focus on the housing for the $840 million project, which originally included $125 million to $150 million in public improvements.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/journalinquirer/article/east-hartford-ct-founders-plaza-port-eastside-18920277.php

Construction officially began this week on the new Norwalk High School with the installation of fencing around the site. This marks the first step in the five-year project that is scheduled for completion in 2029, though students will start classes in fall 2027. The construction comes a month later than the district’s anticipated February start. Last month, Deputy Superintendent Sandra Faioes, who oversees facilities and operations, said that groundbreaking on the new NHS was delayed by winter weather conditions. Contractor Gilbane Building Company will construct the school where the Testa Field Complex is currently located. The $239 million project will cost the city about $47.8 million with an 80 percent state reimbursement rate.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/education/article/norwalk-high-school-construction-begins-18919726.php

State Treasurer Erick Russell and Gov. Ned Lamont now hope to do something similar — albeit on a smaller scale — with Connecticut’s transportation program. Rather than attacking unfunded pension obligations, this plan would erase hundreds of millions of dollars in bonded debt, the principal and interest on highway, bridge, and rail projects. The goal ultimately is to save about $70 million in annual debt service payments and use that savings to accelerate the rebuild of Connecticut’s aging transportation infrastructure. But for the initiative to be completely successful, the Department of Transportation needs to overcome a second hurdle: pushing Connecticut’s construction program to record highs. Lamont’s budget office projects the STF to close this fiscal year with a surplus of $240 million, or 11%. The Special Transportation Fund reserve, the account that holds these surpluses, is projected to approach $920 million by June 30, equal to almost 43% of this year’s STF. And while transportation fund revenues and fund balances have swelled, critics say construction work has not grown as swiftly. If Connecticut saves $60 million to $75 million annually in a transportation fund that’s already achieving big surpluses, they added, the state must leverage those resources to ensure hundreds of millions of additional dollars are invested in projects each year.

Plan to cut CT’s transportation debt could offer more than savings