A shortage of engineers is complicating the state Department of Transportation’s efforts to upgrade and repair Connecticut’s roads and bridges, officials told the CT Mirror. Although officials gave varying estimates as to how many jobs need to be filled in the department in coming years — from 10% to more than 40% of the ideal workforce — they agreed that hiring is a top priority. “We did lose a large number of senior engineers, senior maintainers,” DOT Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto said at a press conference last month. “The reduction in staffing has caused some projects to slow down, so it caused us to prioritize projects. What hasn’t happened is it hasn’t led to any reduction in inspection and repairs.” Repairing and upgrading the nation’s infrastructure has been a top priority of the Biden administration, but according to a 2022 report by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Connecticut’s infrastructure has been given an overall grade of C; with bridges graded at a C, and roads graded at a D-.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20230730/a-shortage-of-engineers-is-slowing-down-work-at-dot-officials-say/

Spotted off the coast of Waterford on Friday was L/B Jill, a massive vessel with 300-foot legs that support a raised platform and will be used to support work at South Fork Wind, an offshore wind farm under construction off Long Island. The 12-turbine project, which will generate enough electricity to power 70,000 homes, is one of three offshore wind farms developed by Danish wind company Ørsted and Eversource expected to use the newly reconstructed Admiral Harold E. Shear State Pier in New London as an assembly and staging area. Price increases because of soaring inflation and supply chain bottlenecks have led to delays and attempts to renegotiate contracts in some long-planned projects along the East Coast. Eversource, Connecticut’s largest energy supplier, announced in May it was divesting itself of its stake in offshore wind assets, including a 50% stake in the $300 million redevelopment of State Pier in New London.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20230729/can-offshore-wind-withstand-market-storm-and-what-does-it-mean-for-connecticut/

The Board of Mayor and Burgesses has hired national engineering firm Kleinfelder Northeast for $437,273 to work on the design for the Parcel A and B major development hub, roadway and site improvement concept. Borough officials already had chosen Kleinfelder for work on stormwater and sanitary sewer upgrades. Richter & Cegan, an Avon-based landscape architecture and planning firm, is collaborating with Kleinfelder to work on the streetscape portion of the project. The roughly $14.8 million downtown project will address Church and Maple streets, the Maple Street bridge and the intersection near Water Street. Of the money spent, $9.2 million will come from the borough’s American Rescue Plan Act funds with a good portion of the work expected to be finished in the fall of 2024.

https://www.rep-am.com/localnews/2023/07/30/ct-borough-hires-engineering-firm-for-development-hub-roadway/

A Baltimore-based builder of prefabricated multifamily structures has been approved for a $1.5 million state tax break in return for 112 hires it plans for a new factory in Windsor. The loan committee of Connecticut Innovations, on Tuesday, approved the tax break. The deduction will be applied against taxes on the anticipated $96 million cost of the new factory for Baltimore-based Blueprint Robotics Inc. Blueprint, earlier this year, announced plans to build a 450,000-square-foot production facility on a vacant 62.5-acre parcel at 11 Goodwin Drive. Phil Siuta, chief operating officer of Connecticut Innovations, the state’s quasi-public venture investment arm, said Blueprint will have three years following the issuance of a certificate of occupancy to meet its pledge to hire the equivalent of 112 full-time employees at its new Connecticut plant.

Planned $96M factory project in Windsor gets $1.5 million tax break

A planned 225-unit luxury apartment development in Newington is regaining momentum after the withdrawal of a court challenge, which was followed by a $2.3 million land sale. In April 2022, Newington’s Zoning Commission approved a special permit allowing Pennsylvania-based multifamily builder A.R. Building Co. Inc. to build luxury apartments on a roughly 26-acre site along the Berlin Turnpike. Reno Properties Group, of Newington, announced Tuesday morning it was the sole broker of the sale. Reno said the buyer plans to build a Class A luxury apartment complex with a pool, fitness center and other amenities. The development will be in proximity to a Walmart, Lowe’s Home Improvement and other national retailers, according to the release.

26 acres in Newington sell for $2.3M to developer planning 225 luxury apartments

The Meriden Housing Authority Board of Commissioners voted Monday to undertake a study to determine the costs of completely demolishing Community Towers rather than doing a gut rehab. The 11-story towers house low-income elderly and disabled adults in 220 units at 55 Willow St. The housing project, the last owned and managed by the MHA, has come under scrutiny after residents cited a number of security concerns. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development gives housing authorities discretion over their capital facilities, but plans must be approved by the regional HUD officials. According to a HUD spokesman, public housing agencies are afforded the opportunity to develop, modernize or reposition their public housing inventory based on local housing needs and the physical condition of specific developments utilizing their capital funds.

https://www.myrecordjournal.com/News/Meriden/Meriden-News/MHA-calls-for-study-to-raze-or-rehab-Community-Towers.html

Farmington is moving forward with the construction of 204 luxury apartments across from Batterson Park that zoning officials expect will help address the town’s need for workforce housing. Located at 80 Batterson Park, the site of the Pond View Apartments is also within a few miles of other employment hubs like Jackson Labs, Stanley Black & Decker and the West Farms Mall. And after the commission approved site plan modifications from the project’s new developers at last week’s meeting, construction could begin this fall, project officials said. Skala Partners, a Fairfield-based developer, took over as the project owners in March after buying the site from New York-based Sovereign Partners for $7.8 million, according to a March 2 news release from CBRE, which represented the seller.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/farmingtonvalley/article/farmington-batterson-park-luxury-apartments-18257922.php

The Metropolitan District Commission plans to raise nearly $85 million to help pay for more than 75 water, sewer and other projects, some entering new phases and others expected to launch this year. A major share of the new funding — $32 million — is for sewer projects. MDC said about 10%, or $13 million, will go to upgrades at the Hartford Water Pollution Control system on Brainard Road that treats wastewater for five MDC members. The municipalities include Hartford, Bloomfield, West Hartford, Wethersfield and Newington. The Hartford projects are separate from the $85 million drawn from the state Clean Water Fund and other sources for a pilot program that will address sewage overflows in streets and basements in Hartford’s northside, where residents have been chronically impact by flooding for decades. The state funding will be applied to 12 projects proposed by the MDC to increase protections from sewer and storm water flooding and backups in North Hartford, with the projects estimated to cost $170 million in total.

MDC plans to raise $85 million for new water, sewer projects. Here is what they are.

As Connecticut inches closer to its 2040 deadline to procure all of its energy from zero-carbon sources, the state needs to diversify production, and some experts say that hydropower must become an increasingly important part of the energy mix if the Nutmeg State is going to meet its clean energy goals. However, for that to happen, hydro advocates say producers must be compensated more in order to sustain their businesses, and they complain that the state has largely ignored hydropower as a reliable clean energy source. Hydroelectric technology has existed for centuries. Hydroelectric dams convert the energy of flowing water into kinetic energy using hydraulic turbines. A generator converts the mechanical energy into electricity. In 2022, hydroelectricity accounted for about 6.2% of total U.S. electricity generation. About 7% of Connecticut’s electricity comes from hydropower, according to ISO-New England, which oversees the region’s electrical grid.

After decades-long decline, advocates hope hydroelectric power could see rebirth as clean energy solution

On Aug. 1, crews will begin blasting ledge along I-95 at Exit 74 in East Lyme to make room for another northbound travel lane as part of the $148 million rebuild at Route 161. The interstate will be closed in both directions for 15 minutes twice a day between 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday, Connecticut Department of Transportation announced. The closures will continue for 6-8 weeks. DOT spokesman Josh Morgan said it’s not possible to give a narrower range of time for the blasting because the timing of each round of blasting depends on moment-to-moment conditions. Northbound drivers will take Exit 74, continue on Route 161 north which turns into Route 1, turn left onto Cross Road, left onto Waterford Parkway, and enter back on to I-95 northbound at Exit 75.
The project will flatten the grade along I-95, replace the I-95 bridge over Route 161, create new on- and off-ramps at Exit 74, and add additional lanes between exits 74 and 75. Construction began in April, and is expected to be completed in Spring 2027. The Department of Transportation awarded the $148 million project to Manafort Brothers as the lead contractor.

CTDOT Offers Text Alerts For Planned I-95 Closures, Blasting at Exit 74