The City Council will be asked Tuesday to support a $15.6 million federal grant request for improvements to the Interstate 395 Exit 18 ramp and to create dedicated lanes for traffic entering and leaving the planned Occum Industrial Center. The Norwich Community Development Corp. is seeking authorization to apply for the grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity, RAISE, program. The requested $15.6 million would fund the majority of the proposed $20 million project to upgrade the Exit 18 northbound and southbound ramps with wider lanes, including acceleration and deceleration lanes on the steep ramps, a traffic light at the Route 97 intersection, sidewalks along Route 97 and dedicated lanes to enter and exit the industrial center. Nystrom thanked the state for awarding the initial $11.3 million in Community Investment Fund grant money to construct the access road and thanked state Sen. Cathy Osten for obtaining another $500,000 in state funding for design work.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20240219/norwich-considers-pursuing-15-million-federal-grant-for-i-395-exit-improvements/

he Association of Union Constructors (TAUC) Spring 2018 edition of TAUC’s Construction User magazine was devoted to the opioid issue with the theme “Confronting the Opioid Crisis: What Contractors Can Do Today.” Today, Zimmer serves as an appointed member of the Connecticut Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee. In 2023 Zimmer was invited to represent the construction industry at a town hall hosted by the Brookings Institution on the economic impact of the opioid epidemic and its effect on labor supply availability. The Local #478 Member Assistance Program (MAP) supports 3,200 members and 10,000 total lives, including family members and retirees. The MAP provides all-encompassing support for mental health, wellbeing, substance misuse, and treatment and recovery support for substance use disorder. One of the signatory contractors Zimmer partnered with is Bartlett Brainard Eacott. Marko Kaar is the longtime Director of Safety Operations for BBE. Kaar and Zimmer collaborated on opioid awareness and risk reduction initiatives back in 2016-2017.

https://www.forconstructionpros.com/business/business-services/coaching-consulting/article/22885409/how-three-construction-leaders-recognized-and-responded-to-opioid-crisis?fbclid=IwAR39LQ66qLZXULTNjglV0aUj3DODXALcFfkTH2hFWJk5d-TQkC5HkdFxhpI

As a showdown on the future of Hartford-Brainard Airport looms in the legislature, Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam isn’t showing his cards just yet, and last year’s consultant’s report didn’t go far enough in helping him take a position on the issue. A consultant’s $1.5 million study late last year concluded that the 200-acre airfield in Hartford’s South End could be used for industrial or mixed-use redevelopment. But it could cost tens of millions to rid the airport of contamination and take years to decommission it before fully reaping property tax and economic development potential, according to the report. A hearing on the study is expected — but not yet scheduled — in the legislature. State lawmakers then would have to decide whether the century-old Brainard should be closed. In Hartford, the debate over Brainard also comes as the state examines what should be done with an adjoining 80 acres that will become available with the decommissioning of Hartford’s trash-to-energy plant.

A showdown on a CT airport redevelopment plan looms. Mayor has ‘real serious questions’ on viability

As part of a broader lawsuit filed in March 2023, Old Colony, owned by Michelle Neri, requested a temporary injunction to stop the town from moving forward on a project to repair the South Anguilla Road bridge, but the request became moot when the project was completed before the case could be litigated. New London Superior Court Judge Angelica Papastavros approved a request by Old Colony to dismiss the claim against the town on Thursday. The rest of the suit is pending. In late 2022, the town awarded the contract to Suchocki & Son of Preston, the second lowest bidder on the project, for $16,000 more than the $322,334 bid from Old Colony.During a deposition, WMC Vice President Stephen McDonnell acknowledged that some of unsatisfactory work it cited by Old Colony dated back as far as 2006. In a memo to the board, Town Engineer Christopher Greenlaw wrote that Old Colony “has a performance history of extended project timelines and schedules that would drive increases for construction, admin[istration], and inspection at a minimum.” He also said the town’s bid documents state that it reserves the right to not select the lowest bid.

https://www.theday.com/article/20240216/bridge-construction-lawsuit-against-stonington-is-over-for-now/#

School officials have submitted detailed plans for the proposed athletic field improvements at South Windsor High School ahead of a public hearing scheduled in March. Though the Town Council decided in January not to set a date for a $7.5 million referendum to fund the plan, the school district is moving forward with an application to the Planning and Zoning Commission. The PZC’s public hearing is tentatively scheduled for March 12, the same date that the Board of Education originally requested that the Town Council set the referendum for. Hulk said in addition to a new playing surface and lighting fixtures, the new field would come with bleachers, a press box, accessibility improvements, and space for more buildings to support the field in the future, such as a concession stand.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/journalinquirer/article/ct-south-windsor-high-school-fields-plan-18662542.php

Zoning commissioners signed off on plans to build a five-story building with 245 apartments, including 30 affordable units, ground-floor retail space and co-working offices for residents at 81 Black Rock Turnpike, tucked between Fairfield Metro Center and the newly opened Elicit Brewing Company location. The zoning approval is a major step forward for the large-scale development, which still faces a state-regulated remediation process to clean up environmental contamination from the old factory at the site. The approval from Fairfield’s Town Plan and Zoning Commission comes more than a year after Fairfield-based developer Post Road Residential introduced its plans in late 2022. The project has since received a $3 million state grant to cover the environmental remediation work — funding that the town and developer are contemplating rejecting due to its legal obligations, which involve more affordability and higher wages during construction.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/fairfield/article/bullard-metro-center-development-black-rock-tpke-18666900.php

Less than a year after the offshore wind industry landed in New London with the delivery of components for the nation’s first utility-scale offshore wind farm, the final pieces of New York’s South Fork Wind slowly made their way by barge up the Thames River on Friday night. The parts, which include 330-foot-long turbine blades, 520-metric-ton nacelles and pieces of towers that when completed will rise 800 feet in height, were headed 35 miles off the coast of Montauk, N.Y., to the 12-turbine wind farm. Aside from a $1 million annual financial boost to the city through a host community agreement and other revenue-sharing benefits, Passero said there is a certain prestige to being the center of attention. “It just raises the profile of New London and helps put us back on the map the way the whaling era put us on the map,” Passero said. As it did for South Fork, State Pier will be the staging and pre-assembly area for Revolution Wind, a wind farm nearly six times the size of South Fork Wind, with 65 turbines situated 15 nautical miles southeast of Point Judith, R.I. Revolution Wind will be the first wind farm to bring renewable power to Connecticut. The joint venture of Ørsted and Eversource will generate 704 megawatts of power — 304 megawatts to Connecticut and 400 to Rhode Island.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20240218/last-offshore-wind-turbine-parts-leave-new-london/#

Despite being particularly adept at overcoming daily challenges, contractors often find attracting skilled craft professionals to be a daunting task. Craft training and credentials are a source of pride for their recipients. Every company, regardless of sector, can benefit from increased efficiency and quality of work. The immediate results of craft training have been thoroughly documented in reports such as Construction Industry Craft Training in The United States and Canada and include: decreased turnover, decreased absenteeism and improved safety. Many owners have requirements in their requests for proposals that ensure the companies have workforce development in place. Craft training, along with credentials and certifications, provides an additional level of confidence and is used as proof of a qualified workforce. To bid on some projects, contractors must have a plan in place that demonstrates how they will fulfill those requirements.

https://www.constructiondive.com/spons/3-reasons-why-contractors-need-craft-training-to-stay-competitive/707063/

Rodney Butler, the Mashantucket tribal chairman, also spoke at Thursday’s celebration, noting that Foxwoods’ evolution actually began 37 years ago with the opening of a high-stakes bingo hall that became Foxwoods Resort Casino in 1992. Butler said nearly 200 tribal members are employed at Foxwoods, which he said continues to serve as an economic engine for the region and the state. While Foxwoods changes inside, the largest private construction project currently underway in the state continues to rise outside on land adjacent to the casino: the Great Wolf Lodge at Mashantucket, a $300 million indoor water park resort. Guyot said that project is on track to open in 2025.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20240215/foxwoods-turns-32-announces-whats-in-store-for-24/#

The former town landfill is slated for a 5 megawatt solar array which could help generate both energy and income for Groton. If approved, the $4 million project by West Hartford-based solar developer Verogy that was presented to the Town Council on Tuesday would provide Groton with about $200,000 in lease payments or payments in lieu of taxes each year for 20 years and earn Eversource electrical credits through virtual metering to town buildings. The first step in the project, scheduled for discussion in a special meeting on Feb. 27, involves securing council approval of an option agreement with Verogy, which would allow bids to be submitted to the Non-Residential Solar Renewable Energy Solutions program and the Statewide Shared Clean Energy Facility program. The deadlines for these submissions are March 4 and March 14, respectively.

Groton’s Former Landfill Eyed for $4M Solar Project