Interchanges 39 and 40 – which are supposed to connect the Merritt to Route 7 – currently redirect drivers onto congested Norwalk streets, as they are missing key connections. Due to traffic spillover onto city streets, sharp curves and steep grade changes on the exit ramps, the number of car accidents at Intersection 40 far surpasses those on nearby intersections – with 365 crashes reported between 2015 and 2018, compared to 241 at a Fairfield intersection, 222 in Westport and 220 in Darien during the same period. The new plan would add the missing connections between the Merritt and Route 7, improve local roadways by widening sidewalks and adding new traffic signals, and remove the steep, curvy ramps. Preliminary construction cost estimates are about $109 million, and the project is expected to be completed around 2027 or 2028.

New Merritt-Route 7 Interchange Plan Backed by Conservation Group

After 30 years of talk, the city is well on its way to opening a new community center. And while the facility is expected to come with all the bells and whistles a $40 million price tag could be expected to offer, former Recreation Department Director Tommie Major wants to keep the project in perspective. The facility will include a community lounge, classroom space for early childhood programming, a two-court gymnasium, eight-lane pool, track area and workout and game rooms. While the city’s recreation department is expected to run some programming at the site, general oversight and operation of the facility will be the responsibility of a private company the city will hire. The hiring process is expected to begin by the end of this year. The facility is expected to cost $2 million a year to run with revenue generated by memberships, rental fees and sponsorships.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20230930/gardens-dancing-and-zumba-new-london-residents-create-their-community-center-wish-list/

The city has contracted with Spectra Construction & Development Corp. of Hartford on a project to build a complex called the Village at Riverside, which would be located on property bordered by Court and Main streets, and deKoven and Dingwall drives. Members of the city’s Economic Development Commission heard from several individuals involved in the project at their Sept. 21 meeting. The public-private partnership calls for the creation of 277 market-rate apartments, and small town homes, a public gathering place, two to three levels of underground parking, and retail shops spread out over several buildings on a 228,000-square-foot lot behind the police station. The mayor stressed that the presentation is not a final draft. Officials are looking for public input on the plan as the project moves along, he said.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/middletown-retail-housing-parking-downtown-18391554.php

In a joint letter to the Biden administration in mid-September, Gov. Ned Lamont and other Northeast governors warned the Biden administration of escalating costs that could stall any new wind farm proposals. Blaming inflation and continuing bottlenecks in industrial supply chains that have “created extraordinary economic challenges that threaten to reverse these offshore wind gains,” the governors want more support to be steered to wind power under the Inflation Reduction Act to help cover the jump in wind farm costs. The governors’ plea came two weeks after Orsted warned investors it expected to incur $700 million in lower long-term profits. With no immediate outlook for industry costs ebbing, Connecticut, Rhode Island and other states may have a lengthy wait on its hands to get any developers to step up if the Biden administration does not free up funding.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/business/article/ct-eversource-offshore-wind-farm-avangrid-18386772.php

South Windsor on Tuesday approved a developer’s plan to build another 165 apartments near Evergreen Walk, but set several conditions to ensure that people renting the 21 “affordable housing” units will be treated the same as tenants paying market rate rents. Howard Rappaport’s Longleaf Developers LLC told the planning and zoning commission Tuesday night that its plans changed since they were initially presented a year ago, but emphasized that the affordable housing and accessible housing components remained the same. The project will be an extension of Rappaport’s Tempo Evergreen Walk, a 200-unit complex behind the shopping plaza. Commissioners unanimously approved the developer’s site plan, with Town Planner Michele Lipe noting numerous conditions. They include the developer submitting an affordability plan stating that appliances in affordable units will be the same as in market-rate units, and showing how affordable apartments will be dispersed around the two four-story buildings.

CT outdoor mall to get 165 more apartments. Here’s how many will be affordable housing.

The Connecticut Airport Authority is getting nearly $100 million of federal funding for three of its airports. The bulk of the $99.27 million will go to Bradley International Airport, which is in Windsor Locks. Bradley got $76.14 million for an inline baggage screening building, $17.96 million for a vertical circulation project and $278,643 for a taxiway extension project. Groton-New London Airport will get nearly $2.91 million in federal money for airfield lighting and new signs for the facility. Hartford-Brainard Airport will get nearly $1.98 million in federal grant to be used for easement acquisition and obstruction removal. The grants will allow officials at Bradley International, which is New England’s second busiest airport, to “create an easier and more streamlined airport experience for travelers, according to U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/business/article/ct-airports-to-get-nearly-100m-in-federal-funding-18395069.php

When the long-awaited train station is up and running in the Thompsonville section of town, state transportation officials say it will reconnect Enfield to other parts of Connecticut and beyond. The proposed project would provide a convenient alternative to car travel, and connect the town via Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor to New York and Boston, according to the state Department of Transportation. Another train station is currently under construction in Windsor Locks and is scheduled to open in 2025. Construction of the Enfield station is anticipated to begin in spring 2025, depending on the acquisition of rights of way and approval of permits. According to the DOT, the estimated construction cost for the project is about $45.5 million, and with an anticipated 40 percent coming from federal funds and 60 percent from state funds.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/journalinquirer/article/enfield-ct-dot-thompsonville-train-station-18389022.php

According to the treasurer’s office, nearly $5.4 billion in commission-approved bonding still hasn’t been issued, a backlog more than six times the size of Connecticut’s projected transportation borrowing this year. Meanwhile, the state’s approach has left construction industries and workers frustrated, and Connecticut’s gasoline station owners are calling for an immediate reduction in state fuel taxes. The STF is on pace to close $204 million or almost 10% in the black when the fiscal year ends June 30, according to Gov. Ned Lamont’s budget agency, the Office of Policy and Management. Borrowing covered by the Special Transportation Fund did rise 11.5% last fiscal year, reaching $830 million. And the Lamont administration had construction industry and trade officials excited last November when it projected the investment would grow to $1 billion in 2023-24. Federal grants under the new Biden initiative are covering 80% to 90% of the cost of many transportation projects, meaning the more states commit, the more overall funding they can leverage. But in the latest monthly debt report issued by state Treasurer Erick Russell’s office, it indicated Connecticut plans to issue $875 million this fiscal year, just a 5.4% increase.

CT to leave big transportation funds unspent

A roughly $2 million upgrade to the North End Little League complex at 234 Brittania St. is expected to be complete next month. That facility currently includes fields used by the Jack Barry and Ed Walsh leagues, which combined to form Meriden Little League. When completed, the North End complex will have two artificial turf fields — a baseball diamond along with a new softball field. In February, city crews began demolishing the structures around the ball fields, including removing their fencing and back stops, explained Chris Bourdon, city director of parks and recreation. It is being funded through $1.8 million of the school district’s ARPA funds, along with another $400,000 from the city, Grove explained.

https://www.myrecordjournal.com/News/Meriden/Meriden-News/Jack-Barry-field-upgrades-to-be-completed-next-month.html

The sprawling Stonebridge Crossing mixed use development at the intersection of Route 10 and Interstate 691 in Cheshire continues to expand on multiple fronts with plans for an extended stay hotel submitted to the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission. Homewood Suites by Hilton is seeking to build a four-story, 125-room hotel near the entrance to the 107 acre property. Planning and Zoning Commission members will get their first chance to ask questions about the proposed development at a public hearing on Oct. 23. The latest news about Stonebridge Crossing come two weeks after a joint venture involving Chicago-based investment management firm and a Fairfield residential development company purchased a 300-unit apartment complex that is currently under construction in Cheshire for $9 million, according to municipal land records.

https://www.nhregister.com/business/article/cheshire-hotel-homewood-suites-stonebridge-18391487.php?src=nhrhpdesecp