As Republicans cast doubt on the state’s 2035 electric vehicle mandate, Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration says it’s confident there will be enough charging stations to meet demand when the requirement for all new car sales to be electric takes effect. Automakers are preparing for the switch, rolling out electric versions of models ranging from SUVs to pick-up trucks, and electric utilities are working to develop the distribution framework needed to supply nearly twice as much electricity by 2050. Eversource needs to build 14 new substations — at a cost of $100 million to $150 million each — to reliably serve the additional 4 GW of electricity needed to power EVs by 2040, Chatterjee said. Eight existing substations need to be upgraded, at a cost of $10 million to $25 million each, he added. That’s an overall estimated investment of up to $2.3 billion to prepare for larger-scale EV adoption — costs likely to be borne, wholly or partially, by ratepayers.

As investment in EV charging infrastructure ramps up, electric grid may need more than $1B upgrade

After years of delays and political fights, construction finally began Nov. 3 on the Hudson River Tunnel portion of the Gateway Program, a $16.1 billion group of projects that will double capacity for the Northeast Corridor rail segment connecting New Jersey and New York City. President Joe Biden in January called Gateway “one of the biggest, the most consequential projects in the country.” The federal government in November pledged to cover 70% of the cost and gave the project $3.8 billion from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. That’s welcome news for local politicians, who warned the decaying, century-old tunnel poses a bottleneck for New Jersey commuters and Amtrak passengers. Overall, the Hudson River Tunnel Project will create nine miles (4.5 miles in each direction) of a new two-track rail tunnel connecting New York and New Jersey, and rehabilitate the existing North River Tunnel, which opened in 1910 and carries more than 450 Amtrak and N.J. Transit trains every day.

https://www.constructiondive.com/news/gateway-program-construction-begin/700363/

A new wildlife refuge could be coming to southern Shelton at Two Mile Island and some adjacent coastal land along the Housatonic River, long home to the Island Sand and Gravel Co. Joseph Bienkowski, chair of the Shelton Citizens Advisory Board, sent a letter to Mayor Mark Lauretti asking the area be designated a riverfront wildlife refuge and open space. He called those 26 acres of land, made up mostly of Two Mile Island, which is truly a peninsula, a “riverfront gem.” Much of the Two Mile Island property lies in a flood zone area. Its intertidal zone creates a habitat that has evolved to support species which cannot survive elsewhere, including shorebirds, shellfish and juvenile finfish. Creating a local wildlife refuge can provide these species with the necessary shelter and protection they need to thrive, Bienkowski said.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/shelton-s-two-mile-island-soon-wildlife-refuge-18489109.php

The plans by Savings Bank of Danbury being reviewed by city department heads for the $17 million office building at Main and White streets show in new renderings an open plaza with plantings opening onto Post Office Road in place of the defunct Tuxedo Junction. The bank said it needed to raze the old Tuxedo Junction property on Post Office Road to get access to an upgraded power source. Meanwhile the YMCA building at Main and White streets has been cleared out in preparation for demolition and construction, which is expected to take 14-to-18 months, Gazetos told Hearst Connecticut Media on Monday. One project would transform a corner where the empty 1899 state courthouse sits with a $70 million plan to restore the structure and build 100 workforce apartments.

https://www.newstimes.com/news/article/savings-bank-of-danbury-tuxedo-junction-ymca-demo-18504667.php?src=nthpdesecp

The Board of Selectmen has unanimously approved a nearly $2.6 million bid for the reconstruction of Nut Plains Road. The contract was awarded to DeRita and Sons Construction Company, based out of Middletown, Town Engineer Janice Plaziak said Monday. The town ultimately had to ask for additional money from the state’s Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program, which is fully funding the project. The project aims to improve safety in the Goose Lane and Nut Plains Road area, turning the intersection into a T-section versus the current angled connection Goose Lane has to Nut Plains Road.

Guilford Selectmen OK $2.6M Bid for Nut Plains Road Reconstruction

Construction crews on Monday were putting the finishing touches on a Jefferson Avenue repair project that became necessary after new catch basins on the busy street were installed incorrectly. The drainage basins were originally added months ago as part of a $3.9 million state- funded project paid with Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program, or LOTCIP, funds administered through the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments. The initial work meant digging up and rebuilding roughly 2,500 linear square feet of Jefferson Avenue and construction of a “three-legged” roundabout near the high school, with new sidewalks, crosswalks, lighting and curbing. But several weeks ago, after paving was completed, an inspection showed undulations in the road in the areas of the basins, Director of Public Works Brian Sear said. Ultimately, the tops of 12 basins were lowered by about three inches using a combination of more compactable concrete and flatter basin tops. Final sealing work on the repair job was being conducted Monday morning.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20231120/improperly-installed-basins-leads-to-repair-work-on-jefferson-avenue/

Bridgeport Public Schools plans to tap nearly $2 million in federal COVID-related aid to replace the aging air conditioning and heating system at James J. Curiale School. The new HVAC system will be installed over the summer and is expected to serve the K-8 school in the city’s West End for at least for the next two decades, according to Jorge Garcia, a district official who oversees school facilities. The upgrades are part of a renewed focus around improving cooling and heating systems in school buildings across the district, many of which were built decades ago and lack up-to-date equipment. Air conditioning is considered a crucial tool that allows schools to stay open during dangerous heat waves. School leaders last year announced plans to install A/C units at Wilbur Cross and Columbus schools, and federal officials over the summer awarded the city $3 million for upgrades to the heating and cooling system and other infrastructure at Geraldine Johnson and Luis Munoz Marin schools.

https://www.ctpost.com/news/education/article/bridgeport-schools-covid-aid-curiale-roof-18498588.php?src=rdctpdensecp

Those involved with Torrington’s middle-high school building project, now under construction on Besse Drive, would like to enhance fitness opportunities there for the rest of the city, and are seeking a grant from the state. A grant from the state’s Community Investment Fund, a highly competitive program, was first discussed in June with the City Council. The co-chairmen brought an updated application to the council Nov. 13, which includes a request for $5.6 million. Arum said the first round of grants for 2023 was allocated to larger towns and cities. The funding, according to a grant committee working with the building committee, will be used for “an enhanced state of the art Fitness Complex with turf covered Baseball, Softball and Multipurpose Fields … Along with this durable low maintenance player friendly surface located at the school campus, two energy efficient powered scoreboards and field lights will help to increase field usage after hours.” The added lighting, Arum and Longobucco explained, will provide compliance for softball games. In addition, concrete field sidewalks made with a recycled glass component will help reduce this projects’ carbon footprint by 20 percent; the pathways will also be more accessible and compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/torrington-school-building-committee-grant-18491303.php

The City of New London is working on becoming the first municipality in the state to have lead-free water service lines that lead to homes. City leaders said as much as 75% of the three-year project could be funded through state and federal funding, possibly through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, which aims to help distressed communities. The project is expected to cost $36 million. New London is receiving $5 million in federal funds for each of the three phases of this project. In January, New London Mayor Michael E. Passero was invited to the White House, where Vice President Kamala Harris hosted an Accelerating Lead Pipe Replacement Summit. The pipe removal will begin in the spring once the ground thaws. At that time, residents can expect to see construction workers start their work.

https://www.wtnh.com/news/connecticut/new-london/new-london-project-will-remove-lead-pipes-from-water-service-lines-connected-to-homes/

The movable bridge — which a succession of speakers noted dates to the administration of President Theodore Roosevelt — is a notorious bottleneck along the nation’s Northeast Corridor, forcing trains to slow down to 30 mph as they cross over the Housatonic River, slow enough that they’re easily passed by cars traveling along the parallel stretch of I-95. To fix the problem, officials have come up with a plan to spend nearly $150 million making interim repairs to the bridge over the five years, before embarking on a decade-long, $2.2 billion replacement of the rusting structure.
Similar problems with costly solutions are impacting rail travel throughout Connecticut, officials say, including a pair of aging bridges in Norwalk and Old Saybrook that are in line for their own billion-dollar replacement projects. Throw in a few hundred million for track repairs, power upgrades, capacity studies and realignments, and one begins to get a sense of the scope of the work ahead. Altogether, the list of rail infrastructure projects under development in Connecticut is expected to cost $6.5 billion — a “dizzying” and “astronomical” sum even in the words of project supporters.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/connecticut/article/ct-amtrak-devon-rail-bridge-infrastructure-bill-18504285.php