Longshoremen stopped working at State Pier on Monday, protesting the lack of a long-term commitment from Danish wind company Ørsted and possibly spoiling what was expected to be a milestone week in the construction of the region’s first offshore wind farm. More than two-dozen members of the International Longshoremen’s Association walked off the job, union officials said. Ørsted considers the ILA’s demands part of a jurisdictional issue between different unions and said it considered the protest counterproductive. The work stoppage in New London may delay the loading of the first turbine parts scheduled to ship off by barge this week from State Pier to Ørsted’s South Fork Wind farm off the coast of Long Island. About 28 longshoremen would typically be working to load the wind turbine parts at State Pier.

https://www.theday.com/news/20231023/longshoremen-stop-working-at-state-pier/

State Treasurer Erick Russell announced Friday the state has completed the sale of $1.2 billion in transportation funding bonds. The majority of the bond funding, $875 million, will support a variety of transportation projects, including an initiative to combat wrong-way driving incidents; the rehabilitation, replacement or reconstruction of bridges and highway systems statewide; as well as investment in public transit systems, such as bus and rail facilities. The sale also included $349 million to refinance previously issued special tax obligation bonds, which will result in $26 million in debt service savings, Russell said.

CT completes $1.2B transportation bond sale; will fund major infrastructure projects

Voters will be asked to decide on two major spending items in referendums on the Nov. 7 election ballot: whether to build a new $44.75 million new police station and spend an additional $6 million to continue a citywide road improvement plan. The City Council in September voted to ask voters on the referendum ballot if they would authorize bonding $44.75 million for a 50,000-square-foot police headquarters that would include a community room, training classrooms, an emergency operations center, main desk, dispatch center, areas for the public, prisoner processing, detention and transport, an armory, parking and electric vehicle charging stations. Since the police station bond was placed on the Nov. 7 ballot, city leaders are restricted in what they can say about the project. State law prohibits any use of city funds, including staff time, to advocate approval or opposition to a referendum item.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20231021/norwich-police-station-road-and-bridge-improvements-on-nov-7-referendum-ballot/#

Construction on the northbound side of the Interstate 95 bridge over Saugatuck Avenue at Exit 17 was completed 14 hours ahead of schedule, according to an official. Morgan said the DOT opened one lane over the new bridge to vehicular traffic on the northbound side earlier in the afternoon. He said it then took several hours to remove the concrete barriers as well as cones and barrels to re-establish the final traffic pattern of three lanes is both directions. Morgan said construction workers would start the reopening process around noon Sunday, since the bridge had been paved overnight. He said the opening process entails removing cones and restriping the road, among other things.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/westport-i-95-exit-17-norwalk-bridge-replaced-18438175.php?src=sthpdesecp

At Farmington High School, many teens are eagerly looking forward to next school year, when a brand-new building is expected to be completed and they can finally move in. While students at Bulkeley High School in Hartford complained of a former campus that was “falling apart,” the interim plans — splitting students into two different campuses across the city from each other — have meant limited extracurriculars, disruptions to learning and the loss of a cafeteria. At Bulkeley High School, the $210 million renovation comes after decades of operation without major upgrades, other than a new sprinkler system installed in 2000. Approved for renovations in 2018, the high school in south Hartford began construction in 2020. Originally slotted a $149 million budget and supposed to be completed by August 2024, Hartford officials say Bulkeley’s reopening will not only be delayed a year but will also cost an additional $61 million because of COVID-19 and supply chain issues.

Getting a new high school: A different story in two CT towns

The relocation plan for residents is a phased approach that will advance as construction continues. Lamont said housing in the state has been underfunded for too long “and now we’re paying for it,” adding that it’s important to modernize the units to make them accessible to older and disabled residents. Enfield Housing Authority Executive Director Scott Bertrand said the CIF grant will greatly improve the lives of the residents at Enfield Manor. “Not only will it replace existing affordable housing, but will expand it with 22 units,” he said, adding that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has joined the effort and will bring additional funds that will go toward construction.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/journalinquirer/article/enfield-manor-ct-housing-funding-18430425.php

Town officials unanimously approved a 10-year tax abatement for the $100 million redevelopment of the “blighted” former Red Lion Hotel property on Route 372 that would allow the property owner to pay no taxes for the first two years. Lexington Partners, a Hartford-based real estate development firm, has already received Planning and Zoning Commission approval to build some 254 studios, and one-, two- and three-bedroom apartment units with 38,000 square feet of retail space at Berlin Road. There will also be 20 condominiums for sale. The property owner is M350 Berlin Land Holdings of California, according to the assessor’s database.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/cromwell-housing-project-berlin-road-18433742.php

Distribution centers are on track for completion or have opened their doors in many Connecticut towns in response to rising demand, though other warehouse proposals have faced legal challenges and rejections from municipal officials. Not all plans have come to fruition. In August, Windsor Locks officials shot down a plan to build 1.15 million square feet of warehouse space submitted earlier this year. Scannell Properties have not yet appealed the decision, though developers and residents alike have fought against votes in other towns. Litigation over an Enfield warehouse has ended with a settlement, while South Windsor and Bloomfield projects are in the middle of separate lawsuits.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/journalinquirer/article/ct-warehouse-amazon-enfield-east-hartford-18430391.php

Some of the city’s top officials say Fountain Square should have a hotel, not apartments as the latest round of changes to the developers’ apartment plan prompted another developer to withdraw his opposition. Highview Commercial, the project’s developer, has filed an application with the Planning and Zoning Commission seeking to amend the already approved Planned Development District for the site. The public hearing has been continued. Thomas added that preventing apartment developments — especially ones that follow the city’s affordable housing plan guidelines such as this one — on Bridgeport Avenue could lead to more state statute 8-30g applications.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/shelton-aldermen-oppose-fountain-square-apartment-18434558.php

Trinity College will be starting construction in late 2023 on a $30.1 million, 37,000-square-foot addition to its George M. Ferris Athletic Center. The addition is going on a space that is currently a lawn, and school officials said the project is expected to be finished by March 2025. The center was originally built in 1968. The number of the college’s athletic teams and coaching staff has increased in the decades since, prompting the need for more space, according to Trinity. The addition will feature seven new squash courts, an open-air second-floor terrace with views of playing fields and more space to accommodate fans.

Trinity College to start $30M athletic center expansion